Microtubules and cellulose microfibrils: how intimate is their relationship?

The recent visualization of the motion of fluorescently labeled cellulose synthase complexes by Alexander Paredez and colleagues heralds the start of a new era in the science of the plant cell wall. Upon drug-induced complete depolymerization, the movement of the complexes does not become disordered but instead establishes an apparently self-organized novel pattern. The ability to label complexes in vivo has provided us with the ideal tool for tackling the intriguing question of the underlying default mechanisms at play.