The Company of Biologists, Journal of Cell Science, 2014
DOI: 10.1242/jcs.139907
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Cytoplasmic streaming is critical for cell homeostasis and expansion but the precise driving forces are largely unknown. In plants partial loss of cytoplasmic streaming due to chemical and genetic ablation of myosins supports the existence of yet-unknown motors for organelle movement. Here we tested a role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) as propelling force for cytoplasmic streaming during cell expansion. Through quantitative live-cell analyses in wild-type cells and mutants with compromised ER structure and streaming, we demonstrate that cytoplasmic streaming undergoes profound changes during cell expansion and that it depends on motor forces co-exerted by the ER and the cytoskeleton.