Agent-Based Simulation of Cortical Microtubule Band Movement in the Arabidopsis Zygote

Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana zygotes form a circumferential cortical microtubule (CMT) band that moves upward along the longitudinal axis of the cylindrical cell; however, how and why this CMT band moves remain unknown. Based on several recently proposed descriptive feedback mechanisms of CMT reorientation, we hypothesized that a directional cue (DC) changes CMT orientation. We constructed an agent-based simulation model with a DC to observe what happens during CMT formation using different parameters. We determined that the output CMT band can become larger than the input DC zone and identified two types of self-organization processes depending on the parameters used. Furthermore, using well-defined parameters that form a static CMT band, we artificially changed the position of the input DC zone, revealing that CMT band movement requires a DC to move at an appropriate speed.