Live-cell imaging of the cytoskeleton in elongating cotton fibres

Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) fibres consist of single cells that grow in a highly polarized manner, assumed to be controlled by the cytoskeleton1–3. However, how the cytoskeletal organization and dynamics underpin fibre development remains unexplored. Moreover, it is unclear whether cotton fibres expand via tip growth or diffuse growth2–4. We generated stable transgenic cotton plants expressing fluorescent markers of the actin and microtubule cytoskeleton. Live-cell imaging revealed that elongating cotton fibres assemble a cortical filamentous actin network that extends along the cell axis to finally form actin strands with closed loops in the tapered fibre tip. Analyses of F-actin network properties indicate that cotton fibres have a unique actin organization that blends features of both diffuse and tip growth modes. Interestingly, typical actin organization and endosomal vesicle aggregation found in tip-growing cell apices were not observed in fibre tips. Instead, endomembrane compartments were evenly distributed along the elongating fibre cells and moved bi-directionally along the fibre shank to the fibre tip. Moreover, plus-end tracked microtubules transversely encircled elongating fibre shanks, reminiscent of diffusely growing cells. Collectively, our findings indicate that cotton fibres elongate via a unique tip-biased diffuse growth mode.