Zugl.: Hohenheim, Univ., Habil.-Schr., 2000

Sterols are lipid components of eukaryotic membranes. Alterations of membrane sterol composition perturb the execution of cell division, which in diverse eukaryotes can have severe consequences for development of the organism. Partitioning of the cytoplasm during cell division occurs at the final stage of cell division named cytokinesis. In somatic plant cells, cytokinesis is initiated by fusion of membrane vesicles in the plane of cell division resulting in a transient compartment termed the cell plate. Cell plate maturation relies on temporal and spatial orchestration of membrane fusion and endocytosis. Impaired vesicle fusion or defects in endocytosis result in cytokinetic defects. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the KNOLLE and DYNAMIN-RELATED PROTEIN 1A (DRP1A) contribute to cytokinesis. KNOLLE mediates fusion of vesicles at the plane of cell division while DRP1A appears to be involved in cell plate maturation through its role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis. This thesis shows that KNOLLE is specifically restricted to the cell division plane through sterol-dependent endocytosis that involves a clathrin- and DRP1A-mediated mechanism. Sterols affect internalization of KNOLLE through their role in lateral membrane organization by keeping diffusion of KNOLLE to lateral membranes in check via its endocytic removal. It is shown that the cell plate represents a high-lipid-order membrane domain that depends on the correct composition and the right concentration of sterols. Accumulation of DRP1A at the cell plate requires correct sterol concentration and composition similar to high-lipid order. Conversely, high-lipid-order at the cell plate relies on DRP1A activity suggesting a feedback between DRP1A function and lipid order establishment. Finally, it is shown that sterols are also present at the tonoplast of dividing and elongated root cells. Taken together, the results reveal that formation of the cell plate in Arabidopsis thaliana depends on an intricate interplay between cytokinetic vesicle fusion, sterol-dependent lateral membrane and high-lipid-order domain organization as well as endocytic machinery function.