Nitrate and glutamate sensing by plant roots

2005 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
pp. 283-286 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Filleur ◽  
P. Walch-Liu ◽  
Y. Gan ◽  
B.G. Forde
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Lateral Root ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Environmental Signals ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Low Concentrations

The architecture of a root system plays a major role in determining how efficiently a plant can capture water and nutrients from the soil. Growth occurs at the root tips and the process of exploring the soil volume depends on the behaviour of large numbers of individual root tips at different orders of branching. Each root tip is equipped with a battery of sensory mechanisms that enable it to respond to a range of environmental signals, including nutrients, water potential, light, gravity and touch. We have previously identified a MADS (MCM1, agamous, deficiens and SRF) box gene (ANR1) in Arabidopsis thaliana that is involved in modulating the rate of lateral root growth in response to changes in the external NO3− supply. Transgenic plants have been generated in which a constitutively expressed ANR1 protein can be post-translationally activated by treatment with dexamethasone (DEX). When roots of these lines are treated with DEX, lateral root growth is markedly stimulated but there is no effect on primary root growth, suggesting that one or more components of the regulatory pathway that operate in conjunction with ANR1 in lateral roots may be absent in the primary root tip. We have recently observed some very specific effects of low concentrations of glutamate on root growth, resulting in significant changes in root architecture. Experimental evidence suggests that this response involves the sensing of extracellular glutamate by root tip cells. We are currently investigating the possible role of plant ionotropic glutamate receptors in this sensory mechanism.

scholarly journals Role of Ascorbate in the Regulation of the Arabidopsis thaliana Root Growth by Phosphate Availability

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jarosław Tyburski ◽  
Kamila Dunajska-Ordak ◽  
Monika Skorupa ◽  
Andrzej Tretyn
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Lateral Root ◽  
Root Elongation ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Root Hairs ◽  
P Availability ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
Phosphate Availability

Arabidopsis root system responds to phosphorus (P) deficiency by decreasing primary root elongation and developing abundant lateral roots. Feeding plants with ascorbic acid (ASC) stimulated primary root elongation in seedlings grown under limiting P concentration. However, at high P, ASC inhibited root growth. Seedlings of ascorbate-deficient mutant (vtc1) formed short roots irrespective of P availability. P-starved plants accumulated less ascorbate in primary root tips than those grown under high P. ASC-treatment stimulated cell divisions in root tips of seedlings grown at low P. At high P concentrations ASC decreased the number of mitotic cells in the root tips. The lateral root density in seedlings grown under P deficiency was decreased by ASC treatments. At high P, this parameter was not affected by ASC-supplementation. vtc1 mutant exhibited increased lateral root formation on either, P-deficient or P-sufficient medium. Irrespective of P availability, high ASC concentrations reduced density and growth of root hairs. These results suggest that ascorbate may participate in the regulation of primary root elongation at different phosphate availability via its effect on mitotic activity in the root tips.

scholarly journals Effects of Phosphate Shortage on Root Growth and Hormone Content of Barley Depend on Capacity of the Roots to Accumulate ABA

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1722
Author(s):  
Lidiya Vysotskaya ◽  
Guzel Akhiyarova ◽  
Arina Feoktistova ◽  
Zarina Akhtyamova ◽  
Alla Korobova ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Growth Responses ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
P Deficiency ◽  
Root Branching ◽  
Auxin Concentration ◽  
Shoot Mass ◽  
Primary Root Length

Although changes in root architecture in response to the environment can optimize mineral and water nutrient uptake, mechanisms regulating these changes are not well-understood. We investigated whether P deprivation effects on root development are mediated by abscisic acid (ABA) and its interactions with other hormones. The ABA-deficient barley mutant Az34 and its wild-type (WT) were grown in P-deprived and P-replete conditions, and hormones were measured in whole roots and root tips. Although P deprivation decreased growth in shoot mass similarly in both genotypes, only the WT increased primary root length and number of lateral roots. The effect was accompanied by ABA accumulation in root tips, a response not seen in Az34. Increased ABA in P-deprived WT was accompanied by decreased concentrations of cytokinin, an inhibitor of root extension. Furthermore, P-deficiency in the WT increased auxin concentration in whole root systems in association with increased root branching. In the ABA-deficient mutant, P-starvation failed to stimulate root elongation or promote branching, and there was no decline in cytokinin and no increase in auxin. The results demonstrate ABA’s ability to mediate in root growth responses to P starvation in barley, an effect linked to its effects on cytokinin and auxin concentrations.

Corrigendum - Factors which affects the growth of grain legumes on a solonized brown soil. I. Genotypic responses to soil physical factors

1991 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
BJ Atwell
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Penetrometer Resistance ◽  
System L

Lupins (Lupinus angustifolius cvv. Yandee and 75A-258 and L. pilosus cv. P. 20957) and pea (Pisum sativum cv. Dundale) were grown in the field for 43 days on a solonized brown soil. Shoots of L. pilosus and peas grew most rapidly, while L. angustifolius cv. 75A-258 developed a relatively large root system. L. angustifolius cv. Yandee, a commercial lupin cultivar, was poorly adapted; shoot growth was restricted and roots ceased growing 36 days after sowing. The soil factors responsible for these widely differing responses were investigated. Once primary roots of L. angustifolius were 20-30 cm deep, root extension was slow or arrested. Indeed, primary root apices of Yandee were often necrotic in the soil below 20 cm. In contrast, roots proliferated rapidly in the surface 20 cm of the soil, particularly in 7SA-258, suggesting that factors in the deeper soil layers restricted root growth most severely. The vigorous growth of lateral roots of 75A-258 was reflected in a 2.6 fold greater total root length than for Yandee 43 days after sowing. Soil physical properties were not considered a likely explanation for these observations; soil water status and porosity were always favourable for root growth and root sections indicated that no cortical degradation, typical of O2 deficient roots, had occurred. Penetrometer resistance and root tip osmotic pressures suggested that poor root growth could not be ascribed simply to soil mechanical properties. The results suggest, by inference, that soil chemical factors could underlie the phenotypic responses observed.

Factors which affects the growth of grain legumes on a solonized brown soil. I. Genotypic responses to soil physical factors

1991 ◽  
Vol 42 (1) ◽  
pp. 95
Author(s):  
BJ Atwell
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Water Status ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Grain Legumes ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Physical Factors ◽  
Brown Soil ◽  
Penetrometer Resistance ◽  
System L

Lupins (Lupinus angustifolius cvv. Yandee and 75A-258 and L. pilosus cv. P. 20957) and pea (Pisum sativum cv. Dundale) were grown in the field for 43 days on a solonized brown soil. Shoots of L. pilosus and peas grew most rapidly, while L. angustifolius cv. 75A-258 developed a relatively large root system. L. angustifolius cv. Yandee, a commercial lupin cultivar, was poorly adapted; shoot growth was restricted and roots ceased growing 36 days after sowing. The soil factors responsible for these widely differing responses were investigated. Once primary roots of L. angustifolius were 20-30 cm deep, root extension was slow or arrested. Indeed, primary root apices of Yandee were often necrotic in the soil below 20 cm. In contrast, roots proliferated rapidly in the surface 20 cm of the soil, particularly in 7SA-258, suggesting that factors in the deeper soil layers restricted root growth most severely. The vigorous growth of lateral roots of 75A-258 was reflected in a 2.6 fold greater total root length than for Yandee 43 days after sowing. Soil physical properties were not considered a likely explanation for these observations; soil water status and porosity were always favourable for root growth and root sections indicated that no cortical degradation, typical of O2 deficient roots, had occurred. Penetrometer resistance and root tip osmotic pressures suggested that poor root growth could not be ascribed simply to soil mechanical properties. The results suggest, by inference, that soil chemical factors could underlie the phenotypic responses observed.

Application of Phytohormones to Pea Roots After Removal of the Apex: Effect on Lateral Root Production

1979 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
PB Goodwin ◽  
SC Morris
Keyword(s):  
Lateral Root ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Root Production ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Naphthaleneacetic Acid ◽  
Root Initiation ◽  
Lateral Root Initiation ◽  
Lateral Bud ◽  
Bud Growth

Removal of 2 mm of the primary root tip of Pisum sativum caused a complete halt to primary root elongation, but did not alter the total number of laterals formed. The auxins indole-3-acetic acid and 1-naphthaleneacetic acid, when applied to the stump in a lanolin emulsion, increased the number of lateral roots. High levels of abscisic acid and low levels of the cytokinins N6-benzylaminopurine and N6-(γ, γ-dimethylallylamino)purine, and of the gibberellins GA3 and GA7, resulted in decreased lateral root production. Kinetin was without effect. There appears to be an inverse relationship between auxins and cytokinins in root/shoot growth coordination. Auxins, which are produced in the shoot tip, inhibit lateral bud growth but promote lateral root initiation. Cytokinins, which are produced in the root tip, inhibit lateral root initiation, but promote lateral stem growth.

scholarly journals Disruption of CYCLOPHILIN 38 function reveals a photosynthesis-dependent systemic signal controlling lateral root emergence

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lina Duan ◽  
Juan Manuel Pérez-Ruiz ◽  
Francisco Javier Cejudo ◽  
José R. Dinneny
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Root System ◽  
Lateral Root ◽  
System Development ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Root System Architecture ◽  
Minor Effect ◽  
Low Light ◽  
Primary Root Growth

AbstractPhotosynthesis in leaves generates the fixed-carbon resources and essential metabolites that support sink tissues, such as roots [1]. One of these products, sucrose, is known to promote primary root growth, but it is not clear what other molecules may be involved and whether other stages of root system development are affected by photosynthate levels [2]. Through a mutant screen to identify pathways regulating root system architecture, we identified a mutation in the CYCLOPHILIN 38 (CYP38) gene, which causes an accumulation of pre-emergent stage lateral roots, with a minor effect on primary root growth. CYP38 was previously reported to maintain the stability of Photosystem II (PSII) in chloroplasts [3]. CYP38 expression is enriched in the shoot and grafting experiments show that the gene acts non-cell autonomously to promote lateral root emergence. Growth of wild-type plants under low light conditions phenocopied the cyp38 lateral root emergence phenotype as did the inhibition of PSII-dependent electron transport or NADPH production. Importantly, the cyp38 root phenotype is not rescued by exogenous sucrose, suggesting the involvement of another metabolite. Auxin (IAA) is an essential hormone promoting root growth and its biosynthesis from tryptophan is dependent on reductant generated during photosynthesis [4,5]. Both WT seedlings grown under low light and cyp38 mutants have highly diminished levels of IAA in root tissues. The cyp38 lateral root defect is rescued by IAA treatment, revealing that photosynthesis promotes lateral root emergence partly through IAA biosynthesis. Metabolomic profiling shows that the accumulation of several defense-related metabolites are also photosynthesis-dependent, suggesting that the regulation of a number of energy-intensive pathways are down-regulated when light becomes limiting.

Primary root growth: a biophysical model of auxin-related control

2005 ◽  
Vol 32 (9) ◽  
pp. 849 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Chavarría-Krauser ◽  
Willi Jäger ◽  
Ulrich Schurr
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Root Growth ◽  
Relative Growth Rate ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Biophysical Model ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Growth Equation ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Relative Growth ◽  
Wall Extensibility

Plant hormones control many aspects of plant development and play an important role in root growth. Many plant reactions, such as gravitropism and hydrotropism, rely on growth as a driving motor and hormones as signals. Thus, modelling the effects of hormones on expanding root tips is an essential step in understanding plant roots. Here we achieve a connection between root growth and hormone distribution by extending a model of root tip growth, which describes the tip as a string of dividing and expanding cells. In contrast to a former model, a biophysical growth equation relates the cell wall extensibility, the osmotic potential and the yield threshold to the relative growth rate. This equation is used in combination with a refined hormone model including active auxin transport. The model assumes that the wall extensibility is determined by the concentration of a wall enzyme, whose production and degradation are assumed to be controlled by auxin and cytokinin. Investigation of the effects of auxin on the relative growth rate distribution thus becomes possible. Solving the equations numerically allows us to test the reaction of the model to changes in auxin production. Results are validated with measurements found in literature.

scholarly journals Response of Root Growth and Development to Nitrogen and Potassium Deficiency as well as microRNA-Mediated Mechanism in Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lijie Li ◽  
Qian Li ◽  
Kyle E. Davis ◽  
Caitlin Patterson ◽  
Sando Oo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Arachis Hypogaea ◽  
Root Length ◽  
Growth And Development ◽  
Lateral Root ◽  
Lateral Roots ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
K Deficiency ◽  
N Deficiency ◽  
Root Growth And Development

The mechanism of miRNA-mediated root growth and development in response to nutrient deficiency in peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) is still unclear. In the present study, we found that both nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) deficiency resulted in a significant reduction in plant growth, as indicated by the significantly decreased dry weight of both shoot and root tissues under N or K deficiency. Both N and K deficiency significantly reduced the root length, root surface area, root volume, root vitality, and weakened root respiration, as indicated by the reduced O2 consuming rate. N deficiency significantly decreased primary root length and lateral root number, which might be associated with the upregulation of miR160, miR167, miR393, and miR396, and the downregulation of AFB3 and GRF. The primary and lateral root responses to K deficiency were opposite to that of the N deficiency condition. The upregulated miR156, miR390, NAC4, ARF2, and AFB3, and the downregulated miR160, miR164, miR393, and SPL10 may have contributed to the growth of primary roots and lateral roots under K deficiency. Overall, roots responded differently to the N or K deficiency stresses in peanuts, potentially due to the miRNA-mediated pathway and mechanism.

scholarly journals The piperazine compound ASP activates an auxin response in Arabidopsis thaliana

BMC Genomics ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fengyang Xu ◽  
Shuqi Xue ◽  
Limeng Deng ◽  
Sufen Zhang ◽  
Yaxuan Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Root Development ◽  
Gene Knockout ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Inhibitory Effect ◽  
Root Tip ◽  
Ethylene Response Factor ◽  
Auxin Response ◽  
Root Tips ◽  
Chemical Library

Abstract Background Auxins play key roles in the phytohormone network. Early auxin response genes in the AUX/IAA, SAUR, and GH3 families show functional redundancy, which makes it very difficult to study the functions of individual genes based on gene knockout analysis or transgenic technology. As an alternative, chemical genetics provides a powerful approach that can be used to address questions relating to plant hormones. Results By screening a small-molecule chemical library of compounds that can induce abnormal seedling and vein development, we identified and characterized a piperazine compound 1-[(4-bromophenoxy) acetyl]-4-[(4-fluorophenyl) sulfonyl] piperazine (ASP). The Arabidopsis DR5::GFP line was used to assess if the effects mentioned were correlated with the auxin response, and we accordingly verified that ASP altered the auxin-related pathway. Subsequently, we examined the regulatory roles of ASP in hypocotyl and root development, auxin distribution, and changes in gene expression. Following ASP treatment, we detected hypocotyl elongation concomitant with enhanced cell elongation. Furthermore, seedlings showed retarded primary root growth, reduced gravitropism and increased root hair development. These phenotypes were associated with an increased induction of DR5::GUS expression in the root/stem transition zone and root tips. Auxin-related mutants including tir1–1, aux1–7 and axr2–1 showed phenotypes with different root-development pattern from that of the wild type (Col-0), and were insensitive to ASP. Confocal images of propidium iodide (PI)-stained root tip cells showed no detectable damage by ASP. Furthermore, RT-qPCR analyses of two other genes, namely, Ethylene Response Factor (ERF115) and Mediator 18 (MED18), which are related to cell regeneration and damage, indicated that the ASP inhibitory effect on root growth was not attributable to toxicity. RT-qPCR analysis provided further evidence that ASP induced the expression of early auxin-response-related genes. Conclusions ASP altered the auxin response pathway and regulated Arabidopsis growth and development. These results provide a basis for dissecting specific molecular components involved in auxin-regulated developmental processes and offer new opportunities to discover novel molecular players involved in the auxin response.

scholarly journals High throughput phenotyping of root growth dynamics, lateral root formation, root architecture and root hair development enabled by PlaRoM

2009 ◽  
Vol 36 (11) ◽  
pp. 938 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nima Yazdanbakhsh ◽  
Joachim Fisahn
Keyword(s):  
Root Growth ◽  
Growth Kinetics ◽  
Lateral Root ◽  
Root Architecture ◽  
Imaging Techniques ◽  
Plant Root ◽  
Primary Root ◽  
Growth Media ◽  
Root Extension ◽  
Lateral Root Development

Plant organ phenotyping by non-invasive video imaging techniques provides a powerful tool to assess physiological traits and biomass production. We describe here a range of applications of a recently developed plant root monitoring platform (PlaRoM). PlaRoM consists of an imaging platform and a root extension profiling software application. This platform has been developed for multi parallel recordings of root growth phenotypes of up to 50 individual seedlings over several days, with high spatial and temporal resolution. PlaRoM can investigate root extension profiles of different genotypes in various growth conditions (e.g. light protocol, temperature, growth media). In particular, we present primary root growth kinetics that was collected over several days. Furthermore, addition of 0.01% sucrose to the growth medium provided sufficient carbohydrates to maintain reduced growth rates in extended nights. Further analysis of records obtained from the imaging platform revealed that lateral root development exhibits similar growth kinetics to the primary root, but that root hairs develop in a faster rate. The compatibility of PlaRoM with currently accessible software packages for studying root architecture will be discussed. We are aiming for a global application of our collected root images to analytical tools provided in remote locations.

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