What is the threshold amount of starch necessary for full gravitropic sensitivity ?

Abstract

In preparation for microgravity experiments, we studied the kinetics of gravitropism in seedlings of wild-type (WT) Arabidopsis and three starch-deficient mutants. One of these mutants is starchless (ACG 21) while the other two are intermediate starch mutants (ACG 20 and ACG 27). In root cap cells, ACG 20 and 27 have 51% and 60% of the WT amount of starch, respectively. However, in endodermal cells of the hypocotyl, ACG 20 has a greater amount of starch than ACG 27. WT roots and hypocotyls were much more responsive to gravity than were the respective organs of the starchless mutant, and the intermediate starch mutants exhibited reduced gravitropism but had responses that were close to that of the WT. In roots, ACG 27 (more starch) was more responsive than ACG 20 (less starch), while in hypocotyls, ACG 20 (more starch) had a greater response than ACG 27 (less starch). Taken together, our data are consistent with the starch-statolith hypothesis for gravity perception in that the degree of graviresponsiveness is proportional to the total mass of plastids per cell. These results also suggest that (in roots) 51–60% starch is close to the threshold amount of starch needed for full gravitropism and that the gravity sensing system is “overbuilt.”