Polarized growth, or the delivery of cellular components to only the tip of an expanding cell, is an important process in several specialized cell types. It is mediated in part by the molecular motor myosin, which delivers materials to the tip via transport on actin filaments, and Rab proteins, which are small GTPases hypothesized to function as myosin receptors on secretory vesicles. Protonema cells of the moss P. patens are used to study the proposed interaction between myosin and Rabs. Previously, three residues in myosin were identified by complementation testing as potential sites for this interaction; in this study, expression of mutated myosin is confirmed by fluorescence microscopy and the localization of a type of Rab protein is studied by confocal microscopy.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Agar, Erin Marie

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• E-project-042413-205048

Advisor

• Vidali, Luis

Year

• 2013

Date created

• 2013-04-24

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Biology & Biotechnology

Rights statement

• In Copyright