MAPs in plant cells: delineating microtubule growth dynamics and organization.

Microtubule-associated proteins (MAPs) serve a wide variety of functions, from constructing and maintaining the microtubule cytoskeleton to using this cytoskeleton to transport cargo and to tether molecules that are involved in numerous cellular processes. Throughout the cell cycle, distinct microtubule arrays carry out specific roles in cytokinesis, karyokinesis, and cell expansion. Recent findings have shed new light on the importance of MAPs in controlling microtubule growth dynamics as well as in cross-linking microtubules to facilitate the formation and function of these cytoskeletal arrays.