Microtubule flexibility, microtubule-based nucleation and ROP pattern co-alignment enhance protoxylem microtubule patterning

The development of the water transporting xylem tissue in plants involves an intricate interplay of Rho-of-Plants (ROP) proteins and cortical microtubules to generate highly functional secondary cell wall patterns, such as the ringed or spiral patterns in early-developing protoxylem. We study the requirements of protoxylem microtubule band formation with simulations in CorticalSim, extended to include finite microtubule persistence length and a novel algorithm for microtubule-based nucleation. We find that microtubule flexibility facilitates pattern formation for all realistic degrees of mismatch between array and pattern orientation. At the same time, flexibility leads to more density loss, both from collisions and the microtubule-hostile gap regions, making it harder to maintain microtubule bands. Microtubule-dependent nucleation helps to counteract this effect by gradually shifting nucleation from the gap regions to the bands as microtubules disappear from the gaps. Our results reveal mechanisms that can result in robust protoxylem band formation.