Description
The autors screened cell division-affecting compounds in Arabidopsis thaliana zygotes, whose cell division is traceable without time-lapse observations. They then determined the target events of the identified compounds using live-cell imaging of tobacco BY-2 cells. Subsequently, they isolated two compounds, PD-180970 and PP2, neither of which caused lethal damage. PD-180970 disrupted microtubule (MT) organization and, thus, nuclear separation, and PP2 blocked phragmoplast formation and impaired cytokinesis. Phosphoproteomic analysis showed that these compounds reduced the phosphorylation of diverse proteins, including MT-associated proteins (MAP70) and class II Kinesin-12.