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Elongation Zone (elongation + zone)

Distribution by Scientific Domains

Life Sciences	100%

Selected Abstracts

Spatial and Temporal Quantitative Analysis of Cell Division and Elongation Rate in Growing Wheat Leaves under Saline Conditions

JOURNAL OF INTEGRATIVE PLANT BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2008
Yuncai Hu
Abstract Leaf growth in grasses is determined by the cell division and elongation rates, with the duration of cell elongation being one of the processes that is the most sensitive to salinity. Our objective was to investigate the distribution profiles of cell production, cell length and the duration of cell elongation in the growing zone of the wheat leaf during the steady growth phase. Plants were grown in loamy soil with or without 120 mmol/L NaCl in a growth chamber, and harvested at day 3 after leaf 4 emerged. Results show that the elongation rate of leaf 4 was reduced by 120 mmol/L NaCl during the steady growth phase. The distribution profile of the lengths of abaxial epidermal cells of leaf 4 during the steady growth stage shows a sigmoidal pattern along the leaf axis for both treatments. Although salinity did not affect or even increased the length of the epidermal cells in some locations in the growth zone compared to the control treatment, the final length of the epidermal cells was reduced by 14% at 120 mmol/L NaCl. Thus, we concluded that the observed reduction in the leaf elongation rate derived in part from the reduced cell division rate and either the shortened cell elongation zone or shortened duration of cell elongation. This suggests that more attention should be paid to the effects of salinity on those properties of cell production and the period of cell maturation that are related to the properties of cell wall. [source]

Expression of a putative laccase gene, ZmLAC1, in maize primary roots under stress,

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2006
MINGXIANG LIANG
ABSTRACT Laccases are multi-copper-containing glycoproteins and comprise a multi-gene family in plants. However, their physiological functions are still not well understood. We obtained sequence information for a putative laccase gene, ZmLAC1, from maize and studied ZmLAC1 expression in detail. The deduced ZmLAC1 protein was 70% identical to LpLAC5-4, a laccase from ryegrass. ZmLAC1 was expressed in leaves, stems and roots of maize seedlings. In unstressed maize primary roots, a higher ZmLAC1 transcript level was located in the basal region where cell elongation had ceased compared to the apical 5 mm of the roots where cells were rapidly dividing and elongating. A treatment with 300 mm NaCl resulted in a shortened root elongation zone (< 2 mm) and swelling in the apical 5 mm. Associated with the morphological change, the transcript level of ZmLAC1 was enhanced in the apical 5 mm, reaching a level similar to that in the basal region. Other abiotic stresses tested , such as 28.5% polyethylene glycol (PEG), which caused an inhibition of root elongation comparable to 300 mm NaCl , did not affect ZmLAC1 transcript level. Potential roles of ZmLAC1 in the roots responding to NaCl or other high concentration of salts are discussed. [source]

Calcium requirement for ethylene-dependent responses involving 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid oxidase in radicle tissues of germinated pea seeds,

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 5 2003
L. PETRUZZELLI
ABSTRACT The Ca2+ requirements of ethylene-dependent responses were investigated in germinating seeds of Pisum sativum L. using 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) oxidase (Ps-ACO1), ACC synthase (Ps-ACS2) and class I , -1,3-glucanase as molecular markers. Ethylene biosynthesis and responsiveness are localized to the elongation and differentiation zones of the pea radicle. Ethylene treatment induced ectopic root hair formation in the cell elongation zone and promoted root hair elongation growth in the radicles of germinated seeds. Characterized Ca2+ antagonists, including EGTA, lanthanum, verapamil, ruthenium red, W-7, lithium and neomycin, were used to test for the involvement of the apoplastic and the intracellular Ca2+ -pool, the Ca2+/calmodulin complex and the phoshoinositide (PI) cycle in the ethylene responses. Ca2+ release from internal pools, but no appreciabe apoplastic Ca2+, is involved in the transcriptional induction by ethylene of Ps-ACO1 and in ectopic root hair formation in the radicle elongation zone of germinated pea seeds. Furthermore, the Ca2+/calmodulin complex and the PI cycle seem to be involved in these ethylene responses. In contrast, both the intracellular and the apoplastic Ca2+ -pools are required for the negative and positive ethylene responses to the gene expression of PS-ACS2 and class I , -1,3-glucanase, respectively; and, apoplastic Ca2+ also promotes root hair elongation growth. Tissues from adult plants and germinating seeds exhibit temporal and spatial differences in the signal/response coupling by Ca2+ of ethylene-regulated processes. [source]

Spatial separation of light perception and growth response in maize root phototropism

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 9 2002
J. L. Mullen
Abstract Although the effects of gravity on root growth are well known and interactions between light and gravity have been reported, details of root phototropic responses are less documented. We used high-resolution image analysis to study phototropism in primary roots of Zea mays L. Similar to the location of perception in gravitropism, the perception of light was localized in the root cap. Phototropic curvature away from the light, on the other hand, developed in the central elongation zone, more basal than the site of initiation of gravitropic curvature. The phototropic curvature saturated at approximately 10 µmol m,2 s,1 blue light with a peak curvature of 29 ± 4°, in part due to induction of positive gravitropism following displacement of the root tip from vertical during negative phototropism. However, at higher fluence rates, development of phototropic curvature is arrested even if gravitropism is avoided by maintaining the root cap vertically using a rotating feedback system. Thus continuous illumination can cause adaptation in the signalling pathway of the phototropic response in roots. [source]

Non-invasive quantification of endogenous root auxin transport using an integrated flux microsensor technique

THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 6 2010
Eric S. McLamore
Summary Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is a primary phytohormone that regulates multiple aspects of plant development. Because polar transport of IAA is an essential determinant of organogenesis and dynamic tropic growth, methods to monitor IAA movement in vivo are in demand. A self-referencing electrochemical microsensor was optimized to non-invasively measure endogenous IAA flux near the surface of Zea mays roots without the addition of exogenous IAA. Enhanced sensor surface modification, decoupling of acquired signals, and integrated flux analyses were combined to provide direct, real time quantification of endogenous IAA movement in B73 maize inbred and brachytic2 (br2) auxin transport mutant roots. BR2 is localized in epidermal and hypodermal tissues at the root apex. br2 roots exhibit reduced shootward IAA transport at the root apex in radiotracer experiments and reduced gravitropic growth. IAA flux data indicates that maximal transport occurs in the distal elongation zone of maize roots, and net transport in/out of br2 roots was decreased compared to B73. Integration of short term real time flux data in this zone revealed oscillatory patterns, with B73 exhibiting shorter oscillatory periods and greater amplitude than br2. IAA efflux and influx were inhibited using 1- N -naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), and 2-naphthoxyacetic acid (NOA), respectively. A simple harmonic oscillation model of these data produced a correlation between modeled and measured values of 0.70 for B73 and 0.69 for br2. These results indicate that this technique is useful for real-time IAA transport monitoring in surface tissues and that this approach can be performed simultaneously with current live imaging techniques. [source]

The immediate-early ethylene response gene OsARD1 encodes an acireductone dioxygenase involved in recycling of the ethylene precursor S -adenosylmethionine

THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 5 2005
Margret Sauter
Summary Methylthioadenosine (MTA) is formed as a by-product of ethylene biosynthesis from S -adenosyl- l -methionine (AdoMet). The methionine cycle regenerates AdoMet from MTA. In two independent differential screens for submergence-induced genes and for 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC)-induced genes from deepwater rice (Oryza sativa L.) we identified an acireductone dioxygenase (ARD). OsARD1 is a metal-binding protein that belongs to the cupin superfamily. Acireductone dioxygenases are unique proteins that can acquire two different activities depending on the metal ion bound. Ectopically expressed apo-OsARD1 preferentially binds Fe2+ and reconstituted Fe-OsARD1 catalyzed the formation of 2-keto-pentanoate and formate from the model substrate 1,2-dihydroxy-3-ketopent-1-ene and dioxygen, indicating that OsARD1 is capable of catalyzing the penultimate step in the methionine cycle. Two highly homologous ARD genes were identified in rice. OsARD1 mRNA levels showed a rapid, early and transient increase upon submergence and after treatment with ethylene-releasing compounds. The second gene from rice, OsARD2, is constitutively expressed. Accumulation of OsARD1 transcript was observed in the same internodal tissues, i.e. the meristem and elongation zone, which were previously shown to synthesize ethylene. OsARD1 transcripts accumulated in the presence of cycloheximide, an inhibitor of protein synthesis, indicating that OsARD1 is a primary ethylene response gene. Promoter analysis suggests that immediate-early regulation of OsARD1 by ethylene may involve an EIN3-like transcription factor. OsARD1 is induced by low levels of ethylene. We propose that early feedback activation of the methionine cycle by low levels of ethylene ensures the high and continuous rates of ethylene synthesis required for long-term ethylene-mediated submergence adaptation without depleting the tissue of AdoMet. [source]

Touch modulates gravity sensing to regulate the growth of primary roots of Arabidopsis thaliana

THE PLANT JOURNAL, Issue 3 2003
Gioia D. Massa
Summary Plants must sense and respond to diverse stimuli to optimize the architecture of their root system for water and nutrient scavenging and anchorage. We have therefore analyzed how information from two of these stimuli, touch and gravity, are integrated to direct root growth. In Arabidopsis thaliana, touch stimulation provided by a glass barrier placed across the direction of growth caused the root to form a step-like growth habit with bends forming in the central and later the distal elongation zones. This response led to the main root axis growing parallel to, but not touching the obstacle, whilst the root cap maintained contact with the barrier. Removal of the graviperceptive columella cells of the root cap using laser ablation reduced the bending response of the distal elongation zone. Similarly, although the roots of the gravisensing impaired pgm1,1 mutant grew along the barrier at the same average angle as wild-type, this angle became more variable with time. These observations imply a constant gravitropic re-setting of the root tip response to touch stimulation from the barrier. In wild-type plants, transient touch stimulation of root cap cells, but not other regions of the root, inhibited both subsequent gravitropic growth and amyloplast sedimentation in the columella. Taken together, these results suggest that the cells of the root cap sense touch stimuli and their subsequent signaling acts on the columella cells to modulate their graviresponse. This interaction of touch and gravity signaling would then direct root growth to avoid obstacles in the soil while generally maintaining downward growth. [source]

Ion transport in roots: measurement of fluxes using ion-selective microelectrodes to characterize transporter function

PLANT CELL & ENVIRONMENT, Issue 1 2001
I. A. Newman
ABSTRACT The transport of mineral ions into and out of tissues and cells is central to the life of plants. Ion transport and the plasma membrane transporters themselves have been studied using a variety of techniques. In the last 15 years, measurement of specific ion fluxes has contributed to the characterization of transport systems. Progress in molecular genetics is allowing gene identification and controlled expression of transporter molecules. However the molecular expression of transporter gene products must be characterized at the functional level. The ion-selective microelectrode technique to measure specific ion fluxes non-invasively is ideally suited to this purpose. This technique, its theory, its links with others and its application and prospects in plant science, are discussed. Ions studied include hydrogen, potassium, sodium, ammonium, calcium, chloride and nitrate. Applications discussed include: solute ion uptake by roots; gravitropism and other processes in the root cap, meristematic and elongation zones; Nod factor effect on root hairs; osmotic and salt stresses; oscillations; the effects of light and temperature. Studies have included intact roots, leaf mesophyll and other tissues, protoplasts and bacterial biofilms. A multi-ion capability of the technique will greatly assist functional genomics, particularly when coupled with imaging techniques, patch clamping and the use of suitable mutants. [source]