Does plant has myosin filaments?

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  • #1
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Most likely.

A myosin II like protein has been purified from tendrils and visualized by electron microscopy. That myosin is double-headed with a 100 nm long tail, which could form "filaments" in plant cell. The myosin II-like protein may be the same as identified myosin XVIII.
 

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  • #2
Can you provide us with a reference for this? If you can't post it as a link, you can send me a Private Message (use the drop down menu when you click on my username) and I can insert it for you.
 
  • #3
Hmm, but myosins are essentially found in every eukaryote (with the exception of certain protists and maybe some algae).
 
  • #4
Well that doesn't make much sense because myosin is (along with actin) the protein that allows the muscles of animals to contract. But plants do tilt towards the sunlight, so maybe there's a little truth to that claim.
 
  • #5
Myosins have general functions as motor proteins (e.g. in organelle movement) as well as components of the cytoskeleton. Muscles are only one particular structure, if a prominent one. It is a logical fallacy to assume that all myosins must therefore be involved in muscle movement.
As I said, almost all eukaryotic cells express myosins as they are an important element of cellular dynamics (including e.g. organelle movement) and stability.
However, type II myosins are generally assumed not to be present in plants (but in fungi and animals). As such the OP did not make particular sense to me why the identified myosin should be class II as well as class xviii (it can only be one or the other). I assume that there must be some confusion as (afaik) class II and xviii myosins are supposed to share a common origin.
 
  • #6
Still working on this one but from What I can tell yes. Myosin and Actin Response Organelle Mobility (New Term the best plant authors are useing for cytoskeleton) is really important in terms of orientating organelle in response to gravity and light leading to gravitropism and phototropism.

Like I said still researching but it looks like Myosin is important in growth response.
 

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