Plant Cell Structure Could Hold Key to Cancer Therapies and Improved Crops

Researchers map out the structure of a key protein, augmin, that could help answer fundamental questions about plants and humans.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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Researchers at the University of California, Davis have mapped out the structure of a key protein called augmin, which plays a crucial role in cell division and shaping plant cells. The findings could lead to new medical treatments and strategies for breeding higher-quality crops like rice and cotton. Augmin is involved in human diseases like cancer and infertility, and the researchers say understanding its structure in plants could provide insights into these human conditions.

Why it matters

The proteins that give plants their shape and structure are also involved in human disease. Understanding the structure of augmin, a key protein complex that helps form the cell's internal skeleton, could yield new medical treatments as well as strategies for breeding improved crops like rice and cotton.

The details

Augmin is a protein complex that binds to microtubules, the cell's internal skeleton, aiding in the formation of branched microtubules and playing a key role in cell division. Augmin defects can cause infertility in humans, and some augmin subunits are highly expressed in human cancer cells. The researchers used cryogenic electron microscopy to map the structure of plant augmin in detail, revealing that it resembles a molecular pitchfork. Seeing the differences between plant and animal versions of augmin could improve understanding of how it functions in both realms.

  • The research was supported in part by grants from the National Institutes of Health and National Science Foundation.
  • The work was published on March 6, 2026.

The players

Jawdat Al-Bassam

Associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at UC Davis who collaborated on the research.

Bo Liu

Professor of plant biology at UC Davis who collaborated on the new study.

Md Ashaduzzaman

Postdoctoral fellow in Al-Bassam's lab who used cryogenic electron microscopy to map the structure of plant augmin.

Arabidopsis thaliana

A plant in the mustard family often used in genetic research, in which Liu and his students discovered a set of eight augmin genes in 2011.

Oryzalin

An herbicide frequently used on farms that kills plants by interfering with the microtubule scaffold that augmin helps regulate.

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What they’re saying

“This work shows how plants and animals are similar. It could help answer some fundamental questions not just about plants, but also humans.”

— Jawdat Al-Bassam, Associate professor of molecular and cellular biology at UC Davis (ucdavis.edu)

“Some augmin subunits are highly expressed in human cancer cells. Understanding its structure could yield both new medical treatments and new strategies for breeding higher-quality rice and cotton crops.”

— Bo Liu, Professor of plant biology at UC Davis (ucdavis.edu)

What’s next

The researchers plan to continue studying the structure and function of augmin in both plants and animals, with the goal of developing new medical treatments and crop breeding strategies.

The takeaway

This research highlights the surprising similarities between plant and animal cells, and demonstrates how studying the fundamental building blocks of life in plants can yield insights with broad applications in medicine and agriculture.