Inhibition Of Root Elongation Research Articles

Non-invasive Imaging of Rice Roots in Non-compacted and Compacted Soil.

Roots are the prime organ for nutrient and water uptake and are therefore fundamental to the growth and development of plants. However, physical challenges of a heterogeneous environment and diverse edaphic stresses affect root growth in soil. Compacted soil is a serious global problem, causing inhibition of root elongation, which reduces surface area and impacts resource foraging. Visualisation and quantification of roots in soil is difficult due to this growth substrate's opaque nature; however, non-destructive imaging technologies are now becoming more widely available to plant and soil scientists working to address this challenge. We have recently developed an integrated approach, combining X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) and confocal microscopy to image roots grown in compacted soil conditions from a plant to a cellular scale. The method is suited to visualize cellular responses of root tips grown in both non-compacted and compacted soils. This protocol presents a fully integrated workflow, including soil column preparation, creation of compaction conditions, plant growth, imaging, and quantification of root adaptive responses at a cellular scale.

Cd胁迫下SA和NO互作对小麦幼苗根生长和叶绿素含量的影响

以"陇春27"号水培小麦幼苗为研究材料，外源添加水杨酸（SA）、一氧化氮（NO）清除剂（carboxy-PTIO，c-PTIO）、NO供体硝普钠（SNP）、硝酸还原酶（NR）抑制剂钨酸盐（Tungstate）及NO合成酶（NOS）抑制剂（L-NAME）进行不同预处理，分析其在镉（Cd）胁迫下根的生长和叶片叶绿素含量的变化，探讨SA和NO互作对小麦幼苗Cd胁迫的缓解机制。结果表明：随着Cd处理时间的延长，小麦幼苗根中SA含量显著降低，NO含量则呈现先增加（6 h和12 h）后减少（24 h和48 h）的趋势；Cd胁迫抑制了小麦幼苗根的生长，减少了叶片叶绿素的含量，而一定浓度的SA或SNP预处理可以缓解Cd胁迫对小麦幼苗根长的抑制作用，增加叶绿素的含量。c-PTIO、L-NAME和Tungstate单独预处理显著抑制了小麦幼苗根的生长，减少了NO的含量，但不影响叶绿素含量。SA400+L-NAME预处理可以缓解Cd胁迫对小麦幼苗根长的抑制作用以及叶绿素和NO含量的减少作用；SA400+c-PTIO或SA400+Tungstate预处理可增加Cd胁迫下叶绿素的含量，但对根的伸长无影响。进一步研究发现，Cd胁迫抑制了NR的活性，而SA400预处理可以使Cd胁迫下NR的活性增强，不同处理对NOS的活性均无影响。综上所述，Cd胁迫导致小麦幼苗根内源SA含量降低和NO含量先升高再降低；外源添加SA或SNP预处理缓解了Cd胁迫对根生长的抑制和叶绿素含量降低的作用；外源SA通过影响NO的产生从而提高小麦幼苗对Cd胁迫的耐受性，最终缓解了Cd对小麦幼苗的毒害作用。;Soil pollution of heavy metals is very severe in China, especially the cadmium pollution. Excessive cadmium not only causes severe damage to the growth and development of plants, leading to disorders of their physiological functions, reduced photosynthesis, and reduced organic matter accumulation and so on, but also greatly endangers human health. In this research, the growth of roots and the content of chlorophyll in the seedlings of wheat (Triticum aestivum L. cv. Longchun 27) were analyzed after being pretreated with exogenous salicylic acid (SA), nitric oxide (NO) scavenger (Carboxy-PTIO, c-PTIO), NO donor sodium nitratol (SNP), nitrate reductase (NR) inhibitor (Tungstate), NO synthase inhibitor (L-NAME) and then being treated with 100 μmol/L CdCl₂, to explore the mitigation mechanism of SA and NO interaction on Cd-induced phytotoxicity. The results showed that with the prolongation of cadmium treatment time, the content of SA decreased gradually, when the treatment time was extended to 24h, the SA content no longer changed, but the content of NO increased firstly (6 h and 12 h), then decreased (24 h and 48 h) in the roots of wheat seedlings. Cd stress significantly inhibited the root growth and reduced the chlorophyll content of the leaves. However, pretreatment with suitable SA or SNP could moderate the inhibition of Cd stress on the growth of roots and increase the content of chlorophyll in wheat seedlings. The single pretreatment of c-PTIO, L-NAME and Tungstate restrained the growth of roots significantly and reduced the content of NO, but had little effect on the content of chlorophyll. The pretreatment of SA400+L-NAME could alleviate the inhibition of root elongation and the reduction of chlorophyll as well as NO content in wheat seedlings were induced by Cd stress; the pretreatment SA400+c-PTIO or SA400+Tungstate could augment the content of chlorophyll, but there was no effect on root elongation under Cd stress. Further studies showed that Cd stress significantly weaken NR activity, while the pretreatment of SA400 could increase the NR activity of wheat seedlings roots under Cd stress; NOS activity was not affected by different treatments. In summary, Cd stress caused the decrease of endogenous SA content and the first increase of NO content and then decrease of wheat seedlings; the pretreatment with exogenous SA or SNP reduced the inhibition of root growth and the decrease of chlorophyll content by Cd stress; exogenous SA improved the tolerance of wheat seedlings to Cd stress by affecting the production of NO, ultimately, the phytotoxic effects of Cd on wheat seedlings were alleviated.

Expression of OsFRDL1, a MATE gene family member, indicates its involvement in aluminum response in rice

In soils under acidic conditions, Aluminum (Al) is solubilized to its ionic form, which is toxic to plants. Al rapidly inhibits root elongation, water and nutrient uptake, resulting in crop yield reduction. Members of the MATE family are responsible for citrate transport and Al detoxification in different species. In rice, the OsFRDL1 gene (MATE family) is homologous to the HvAACT1 and SbMATE, which are involved in Al tolerance in barley and sorghum, respectively. Silencing OsFRDL1 showed that it is not involved in Al tolerance in rice. However, the OsFRDL1 expression was not accessed in rice genotypes contrasting for Al tolerance. Thus, in this study, four Brazilian rice genotypes were evaluated in response to Al treatment in different time of exposition and OsFRDL1 expression was analyzed. The analyzed cultivars displayed different responses to Al dose x time. Al affected root growth in all analyzed genotypes, however, a minor negative effect that only occurred after 72 and 48 hours of exposure was detected in Farroupilha and BRS Curinga cultivars, respectively. In contrast, BR-IRGA 410 and IAS 12-9 showed a negative effect in root growth from the first hours of exposure to Al. Two cultivars differing in Al tolerance were used for gene expression analysis. The expression of OsFRDL1 was highly increased in Al-tolerant cultivar Farroupilha than in the Al-sensitive cultivar BR IRGA 410. This results indicates that OsFRDL1 is regulated by Al. This finding suggests that OsFRDL1 is involved in Al stress response, however seems to be insufficient in controlling Al tolerance.

Overexpression of the ribosomal S30 subunit leads to indole-3-carbinol tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Indole-3-carbinol (I3C), a hydrolysis product of indole-3-methylglucosinolate, is toxic to herbivorous insects and pathogens. In mammals, I3C is extensively studied for its properties in cancer prevention and treatment. Produced in Brassicaceae, I3C reversibly inhibits root elongation in a concentration-dependent manner. This inhibition is partially explained by the antagonistic action of I3C on auxin signaling through TIR1. To further elucidate the mode of action of I3C in plants, we have identified and characterized a novel Arabidopsis mutant tolerant to I3C, ICT1. This mutant was identified following screening of the Full-length cDNA Over-eXpression library (FOX) seed collection for root growth in the presence of exogenous I3C. ICT1 carries the AT2G19750 gene, which encodes an S30 ribosomal protein. Overexpression, but not knockout, of the S30 gene causes tolerance to I3C. The tolerance is specific to I3C, since ICT1 did not exhibit pronounced tolerance to other indole or benzoxazinoid molecules tested. ICT1 maintains I3C-induced antagonism of auxin signaling, indicating that the tolerance is due to an auxin-independent mechanism. Transcript profiling experiments revealed that ICT1 is transcriptionally primed to respond to I3C treatment.

Actin filaments mediated root growth inhibition by changing their distribution under UV-B and hydrogen peroxide exposure in Arabidopsis

BackgroundUV-B signaling in plants is mediated by UVR8, which interacts with transcriptional factors to induce root morphogenesis. However, research on the downstream molecules of UVR8 signaling in roots is still scarce. As a wide range of functional cytoskeletons, how actin filaments respond to UV-B-induced root morphogenesis has not been reported. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of actin filaments on root morphogenesis under UV-B and hydrogen peroxide exposure in Arabidopsis.ResultsA Lifeact-Venus fusion protein was used to stain actin filaments in Arabidopsis. The results showed that UV-B inhibited hypocotyl and root elongation and caused an increase in H2O2 content only in the root but not in the hypocotyl. Additionally, the actin filaments in hypocotyls diffused under UV-B exposure but were gathered in a bundle under the control conditions in either Lifeact-Venus or uvr8 plants. Exogenous H2O2 inhibited root elongation in a dose-dependent manner. The actin filaments changed their distribution from filamentous to punctate in the root tips and mature regions at a lower concentration of H2O2 but aggregated into thick bundles with an abnormal orientation at H2O2 concentrations up to 2 mM. In the root elongation zone, the actin filament arrangement changed from lateral to longitudinal after exposure to H2O2. Actin filaments in the root tip and elongation zone were depolymerized into puncta under UV-B exposure, which showed the same tendency as the low-concentration treatments. The actin filaments were hardly filamentous in the maturation zone. The dynamics of actin filaments in the uvr8 group under UV-B exposure were close to those of the control group.ConclusionsThe results indicate that UV-B inhibited Arabidopsis hypocotyl elongation by reorganizing actin filaments from bundles to a loose arrangement, which was not related to H2O2. UV-B disrupted the dynamics of actin filaments by changing the H2O2 level in Arabidopsis roots. All these results provide an experimental basis for investigating the interaction of UV-B signaling with the cytoskeleton.

Nitric oxide reduces the aluminum-binding capacity in rice root tips by regulating the cell wall composition and enhancing antioxidant enzymes

Plant cell wall, the first interface or barrier for toxic ions entering into protoplast, suffers from risk. Nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in plant growth and responses to abiotic stresses, however, it is not clear whether NO is connected with the response of cell wall to aluminum (Al) tolerance in rice (Oryza sativa L.). In this study, we found that the application of 50 µM Al induces nitrate reductase (NR) activity and endogenous NO production, but not nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in two rice genotypes. Pretreatment with 100 µM NO donor (sodium nitroprusside, SNP) reduced Al-induced inhibition of root elongation by 32.3% and 91.7%, and Al accumulation in root-tip by 38.4% and 44.3% in Nipponbare and Zhefu802, respectively. The addition of SNP significantly decreased Al-induced accumulation of pectin, hemicellulose 1 and hemicellulose 2 by 43.1%, 13.1% and 19.2% in Zhefu802 and by 16.9%, 13.4% and 14.0% in Nipponbare, compared with roots treated with Al alone, as well as pectin methylesterase (PME) activity. Therefore, the content of Al absorbed in cell walls was decreased, indicating that the Al-induced structure damage to cell walls was alleviated. Furthermore, the activities of peroxidase (POD), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) treated by Al were all increased by SNP pretreatment, and the lipid peroxidation and damage to plasma membrane of root tips detected with Schiff’s reagent and Evans blue reduced. In contrast, the effect was abolished when NO scavenger (cPTIO), and NR inhibitor (NaN3), were added. These results indicated that by regulating the Al-binding capacity to cell walls and lipid peroxidation, the structure of cell walls can be stabilized and that Al toxicity in rice can be alleviated with increased NO.

Auxin and Its Interaction With Ethylene Control Adventitious Root Formation and Development in Apple Rootstock.

Adventitious root (AR) formation is indispensable for vegetative asexual propagation. Indole-3-butyric acid (IBA) functioned indirectly as precursor of IAA in regulating AR formation. Ethylene affects auxin synthesis, transport, and/or signaling processes. However, the interactions between auxin and ethylene that control AR formation in apple have not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of IBA and its interaction with ethylene on AR development in apple. The results revealed that IBA stimulated the formation of root primordia, increased the number of ARs, and upregulated expression of genes (MdWOX11, MdLBD16, and MdLBD29) involved in AR formation. Comparison of different periods of IBA application indicated that IBA was necessary for root primordium formation, while long time IBA treatment obviously inhibited root elongation. RNA-seq analysis revealed that many plant hormone metabolism and signal transduction related genes were differentially expressed. IBA stimulated the production of ethylene during AR formation. Auxin inhibiting ARs elongation depended on ethylene. Together, our results suggest that the inhibitory role of auxin on AR elongation in apples is partially mediated by stimulated ethylene production.

Predicting the combined toxicity of binary metal mixtures (Cu–Ni and Zn–Ni) to wheat

In order to investigate and model toxicity and interactions between metals in mixtures, inhibition of wheat root elongation in response to additions of single-metals of copper (Cu), zinc (Zn), and nickel (Ni) and of binary mixed-metal combinations of Cu–Ni and Zn–Ni was tested, using water culture experiments under different Mg concentrations and pH values. A biotic ligand model (BLM) of single-metal Cu, Zn, and Ni was established. The results showed that the toxicity of Cu, Zn or Ni in isolation decreased with increasing Mg concentration whereas the effects of pH on Cu, Zn, or Ni toxicity were related not only to free Cu2+, Zn2+, and Ni2+ concentrations, but also to inorganic metal complexes. In binary mixtures, the two metals in the Cu–Ni mixture showed a weakly antagonistic effect, whereas the two metals in the Zn–Ni mixture showed greater antagonism. Using data from single-metal Cu, Zn, and Ni BLMs, combined with the toxicity index and the overall amounts of metal ions bound to the biotic ligands, one simple model was developed. This model consisted of the toxic unit (TUM, no competition included) and two extended BLMs, BLM-TUf (f as a function of TU, including competition between Mg2+ and metal ions) and BLM-fmix (including the competition between Mg2+ and metal ions, as well as between free metal ions). They were then used to predict the joint toxicity of Cu–Ni and Zn–Ni binary mixtures to wheat. Both of the extended BLMs could provide more accurate predictions of toxic effects of Cu–Ni and Zn–Ni than TUM. BLM-fmix performed best for the Zn–Ni binary mixture (r2 = 0.93; root-mean-square error, RMSE = 9.87). On the other hand, for the Cu–Ni mixture, the predictive effect based on BLM-TUf (r2 = 0.93; RMSE = 9.60) was similar to that of BLM-fmix (r2 = 0.93; RMSE = 9.56). The results provide a theoretical basis for the evaluation and remediation of soils contaminated with mixtures of heavy metals.

Decreased endogenous nitric oxide contributes to sulfur dioxide derivative-alleviated cadmium toxicity in foxtail millet roots

Cadmium (Cd) is an environmental pollutant that is highly toxic to animals and plants. Although sulfur dioxide (SO2) has recently been considered as a novel bio-regulator, whether and how SO2 regulates Cd-induced phytotoxicity in plant roots is largely unknown. In this study, SO2 derivatives (Na2SO3/NaHSO3, M/M = 3:1) were used to investigate the beneficial roles and detailed mechanisms of SO2 in the alleviation of Cd-induced root growth suppression in foxtail millet seedlings. Our results showed that exogenously applied SO2 derivatives (0.5 mM) reversed Cd inhibition of root elongation. Cd-induced endogenous nitric oxide (NO) production downregulated the enzyme activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and peroxidase (POD), as well as corresponding transcript levels, and increased the expression of genes involved in Cd uptake (SiNRAMP1, SiNRAMP6, SiIRT1, and SiIRT2) in foxtail millet roots. Upon Cd exposure, SO2 derivative application reduced NO generation by inhibiting nitrate reductase (NR) and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activities, thus resulting in increased activities of SOD and POD and suppressed Cd uptake-related gene expression, which in turn reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation and decreased Cd content in the roots. This study suggested a beneficial role of SO2 derivatives in protecting foxtail millet roots against Cd toxicity by decreasing endogenous NO; this might be applicable to enhancing crop tolerance to Cd pollutants.

Gibberellins modulate local auxin biosynthesis and polar auxin transport by negatively affecting flavonoid biosynthesis in the root tips of rice

As critical signalling molecules, both gibberellin (GA) and auxin play essential roles in regulating root elongation, and many studies have been shown that auxin influences GA biosynthesis and signalling. However, the mechanism by which GA affects auxin in root elongation is still unknown. In this study, root elongation and DR5-GUS activity were analyzed in rice seedlings. Paclobutrazol-induced short root phenotypes could be partially reversed by co-treatment with IAA, and the inhibition of root elongation caused by naphthylphthalamic acid could be partially reversed when plants were co-treated with GA. DR5-GUS activity was increased in the presence of GA and was reduced at the root tip of paclobutrazol-treated seedlings, indicating that GA could regulate local auxin biosynthesis and polar auxin transport (PAT) in rice root tips. Our RNA-seq analysis showed that GA was involved in the regulation of flavonoid biosynthesis. Flavonoid accumulation level in ks1 root tips was significantly increased and negatively correlated with GA content in GA- and PAC-treated seedlings. GA also rescued the decreased DR5-GUS activity induced by quercetin in rice root tips, confirming that flavonoids act as an intermediary in GA-mediated auxin biosynthesis and PAT. Based on RNA-seq and qPCR analyses, we determined that GA regulates local auxin biosynthesis and polar auxin transport by modulating the expression of OsYUCCA6 and PIN. Our findings provide valuable new insights into the interactions between GA and auxin in the root tips of rice.

Impact of potassium deficiency on cotton growth, development and potential microRNA-mediated mechanism

The goal of this study was to investigate the impact of potassium deficiency on cotton seedling growth and development at the individual, physiological, biochemical, and molecular levels. Potassium is an important plant nutrient; our results show that potassium deficiency significantly affected cotton seedling growth and development, evidenced by reduced plant height, and total areas of the leaves and roots as well as further reduced both fresh and dry biomass of the entire plants. Potassium deficiency also significantly inhibited root and leaf respiration and leaf photosynthesis. Compared with the controls, potassium deficiency significantly inhibited root elongation and total root surface areas that further inhibited cotton seedlings to uptake nutrients from the medium. Potassium deficiency induced aberrant expression of both microRNAs (miRNAs) and their protein-coding targets. These miRNAs regulate plant root development as well as response to abiotic stresses. Potassium deficiency altered the expression of miRNAs that regulate the expression of protein-coding genes controlling root development and response to potassium deficiency. miRNAs regulate root development and further control plant development in cotton seedlings under potassium deficiency. In summary, potassium deficiency significantly affected the cotton seedling photosynthesis and respiration that resulted in inhibition of cotton seedling growth and development potentially due to the miRNA-mediated mechanism.

Enhanced Polar Auxin Transport in Tomato Polycotyledon Mutant Seems to be Related to Glutathione Levels

Glutathione-dependent root growth in Arabidopsis is linked to polar auxin transport (PAT). Arabidopsis mutants with reduced glutathione (GSH) levels also show reduced PAT. To gain an insight into the relationship between PAT and GSH level, we analyzed tomato polycotyledon mutant, pct1-2, which has enhanced PAT. Microarray analysis of gene expression in pct1-2 mutant revealed underexpression of several genes related to glutamate and glutathione metabolism. In consonance with microarray analysis, enzymatic as well as in vivo assay revealed higher glutathione levels in the early phase of pct1-2 seedling growth than WT. The inhibition of auxin transport by 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) reduced both GSH level and PIN1 expression in pct1-2 root tips. The reduction of in vivo GSH accumulation in pct1-2 root tips by buthionine sulfoximine (BSO) stimulated elongation of the short root of pct1-2 mutant akin to TIBA. The rescue of the short root phenotype of the pct1-2 mutant was restricted to TIBA and BSO. The other auxin transport inhibitors 1-N-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA), 2-[4-(diethylamino)-2-hydroxybenzoyl] benzoic acid (BUM), 3-chloro-4-hydroxyphenylacetic acid (CHPAA), brefeldin and gravacin inhibited root elongation in both WT and pct1-2 mutant. Our results indicate a relationship between PAT and GSH levels in tomato akin to Arabidopsis. Our work also highlights that TIBA rescues the short root phenotype of the pct1-2 mutant by acting on a PAT component distinct from the site of action of other PAT inhibitors.

Occurrence of endogenous hormones in the roots of Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) seedlings subjected to aluminum stress under the influence of acid deposition

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is perceived as a potential threat to the integrity of forest ecosystems. The detrimental effects of acidic deposition on trees are caused by mobilization of Al in soils. To better understand how roots adapt to acidic deposition releasing toxic Al including the endogenous hormones {{abscisic acid (ABA), gibberellic acid (GA3), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and zeatin riboside (ZR)}}, chemistry {{Ca/Al ratio, and base saturation (BS)}}, and growth rate, with the 100-day-old Masson pine (Pinus massoniana Lamb.) seedlings as research target, we studied the responses of the hormones to rhizospheric Al concentrations and their relationships between pine growth rates and Ca/Al ratios in the simulated soil solutions and forested soils differing in BS. In a hydroponic culture, after the seedlings were exposed to the simulated soil solutions containing 0 (control), 50, 100, 150, 200 µM Al at pH 4.0, ABA formed in the roots increased significantly with the time and intensity of Al exposure. ABA concentrations were positively correlated with rhizospheric Al concentrations (r = 0.92), whereas the opposite trend was seen for GA3 (r = −0.77). Simultaneously, IAA and ZR did not change with the increasing Al concentrations. Increasing of either Al concentration or exposure time caused an inhibition of root elongation and seedling growth. Moreover, in a field soil culture, the seedlings were grown for 60 days (d) in either A horizon soils with a BS above 17% or B horizon soils with a BS below 7%. Evident regional variation of ABA concentrations was observed in the pine roots, which declined in the order: Jin Yun Shan > Nan Shan > Tie Shan Ping, as well as B horizon soil > A horizon soil. Also, ABA concentrations were negatively correlated with soil Ca/Al ratios (r = −0.67). The opposite trends were simultaneously observed for GA3, IAA and ZR (r = 0.45, 0.25 and 0.18, respectively). Based on the laboratory and field results, under the influence of acid deposition, ABA, and GA3 may play an important synergic role in regulating Al resistance of Masson pine as an Al-stress signal.

Nitric oxide alleviates cadmium- but not arsenic-induced damages in rice roots

Nitric oxide (NO) has signalling roles in plant stress responses. Cadmium (Cd) and arsenic (As) soil pollutants alter plant development, mainly the root-system, by increasing NO-content, triggering reactive oxygen species (ROS), and forming peroxynitrite by NO-reaction with the superoxide anion. Interactions of NO with ROS and peroxynitrite seem important for plant tolerance to heavy metal(oid)s, but the mechanisms underlying this process remain unclear. Our goal was to investigate NO-involvement in rice (Oryza sativa L.) root-system after exposure to Cd or As, to highlight possible differences in NO-behaviour between the two pollutants. To the aim, morpho-histological, chemical and epifluorescence analyses were carried out on roots of different origin in the root-system, under exposure to Cd or As, combined or not with sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a NO-donor compound. Results show that increased intracellular NO levels alleviate the root-system alterations induced by Cd, i.e., inhibition of adventitious root elongation and lateral root formation, increment in lignin deposition in the sclerenchyma/endodermis cell-walls, but, even if reducing As-induced endodermis lignification, do not recover the majority of the As-damages, i.e., enhancement of AR-elongation, reduction of LR-formation, anomalous tissue-proliferation. However, NO decreases both Cd and As uptake, without affecting the pollutants translocation-capability from roots to shoots. Moreover, NO reduces the Cd-induced, but not the As-induced, ROS levels by triggering peroxynitrite production. Altogether, results highlight a different behaviour of NO in modulating rice root-system response to the toxicity of the heavy metal Cd and the metalloid As, which depends by the NO-interaction with the specific pollutant.

Influence of Soil Properties and Aging on Antimony Toxicity for Barley Root Elongation

The study explored the Sb toxicity by investigating the impacts of 10% and 20% effective concentrations (EC10 and EC20, respectively) of Sb on the inhibition of barley root elongation in 21 Chinese soils with a wide range of physicochemical properties after aging for 3months. The results demonstrated that various soil properties profoundly influenced the Sb toxicity which was ranged from 201-2506mgSbkg-1 to 323-2973mgSbkg-1 under EC10 and EC20, respectively. Soil sand fraction was a significant soil factor responsible for elevating Sb bioavailability. The bioavailable Sb concentration accounted for 2.08%-11.94% of total Sb content in all 21 soil samples and the decreased Sb bioavailability in this study was attributed to soil properties including soil clay fraction, amorphous and crystalloid iron, and oxides of manganese and aluminum. The findings would contribute in developing Sb toxicity threshold for establishing standard for Sb regulation in crop production.

Prohydrojasmon prevents spindly growth and induces the expression of an abiotic and biotic stress marker gene, PBZ1p::sGFP, in rice

ABSTRACT Prohydrojasmon (PDJ) is a synthetic derivative of the plant hormone jasmonic acid (JA), which is used in apples, grapes, and mandarin oranges as a plant growth regulator. Here, we show that irrigation of PDJ could prevent spindly growth of rice seedlings in both indica and japonica cultivars. PDJ also inhibited root elongation in hydroponically growing seedlings in various cultivars. The higher dry root weight following PDJ application than the controls was observed in two japonica cultivars. Furthermore, its reduction was slight in comparison with the inhibition of root elongation. Starch degradation in the endosperm of seedlings grown in PDJ solution was slower than those grown in the control. The inhibition of root elongation could be mediated by the combined application of PDJ and appropriate concentrations of a synthetic auxin, NAA (1-Naphthaleneacetic acid). Additionally, we generated transgenic rice carrying sGFP driven by the PBZ1 promoter, a marker gene for abiotic and biotic stress responses. The expression of PBZ1p::sGFP was induced by PDJ treatment in the roots and seeds. PDJ could be used as a plant growth regulator to prevent spindly growth and to induce stress responses in rice seedlings.

Comparative study of alleviation effects of DMTU and PCIB on root growth inhibition in two tall fescue varieties under cadmium stress.

In plants, tolerance to cadmium (Cd) stress is closely related to indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). However, it is unclear whether Cd-resistant and -sensitive varieties respond differently to Cd stress. In this study, the effects of dimethylthiourea (DMTU, a H2O2 scavenger) and p-chlorophenoxy isobutyric acid (PCIB, an IAA signaling inhibitor) on root growth, endogenous hormones and antioxidant system were investigated to decipher how DMTU and PCIB treatments alleviate the inhibition of root elongation in Cd-resistant (Commander) and -sensitive (Crossfire III) tall fescue varieties under Cd stress. Both varieties subjected to 10μM Cd treatments for 12h presented a substantial decrease in root elongation coupled with a reduction in brassinosteroid (BR) and zeatin riboside (ZR) contents, but the changes in IAA and abscisic acid (ABA) contents under Cd stress were opposite in the two varieties. In addition, the H2O2 content and antioxidant enzyme activities significantly increased in both varieties. However, pretreatment with PCIB or DMTU mitigated the inhibition of root elongation caused by Cd, accompanied by the significant changes of aforementioned physiological parameters. PCIB significantly reduced the IAA content in 'Commander', while DMTU significantly increased the IAA content in 'Crossfire III' and effectively relieved the inhibition of root elongation. But both treatments decreased the Cd-induced H2O2 accumulation. These results indicated that DMTU or PCIB can alleviate the Cd-inhibited root elongation in two varieties whose resistance differed under Cd stress, but they presented differences in the response of hormones, especially IAA, which may be due to the different adaptation mechanisms of two varieties in response to Cd stress.

Interaction of SAUR53 and Its Close Homologs with Calmodulin May Play a Role in Early Development in Arabidopsis

Auxin plays crucial roles in modulating various aspects of plant growth and development throughout the plant life cycle. At the molecular level, auxin rapidly upregulates the expression of many genes, including those belong to three primary auxin-responsive (PAR) gene families. Small auxin-up RNA (SAUR) family is the largest among the three PAR gene families and contains 81 genes; however, molecular and physiological functions of most of them are yet to be discovered. Recently, we showed that the ectopic expression of SAUR53 causes hyper-elongation of cells and organs and alters apical hook development in Arabidopsis. Here we show that SAUR53 and its three close homologs, SAUR42, SAUR52, and SAUR69, physically interact with calmodulin (CaM) through their N-terminal CaM-binding domains. Additionally, seedlings of all four SAUR overexpression (SAUR-OX) transgenic lines are less sensitive to CaM inhibitor mediated inhibition of primary root elongation. We also show that CaM inhibitors accelerate the apical hook opening in dark-grown, wild-type seedlings, similar to dark-grown SAUR53-OX seedlings. Collectively, our present work reveals molecular and physiological relationships between SAURs and CaM proteins.

RAP2.3 negatively regulates nitric oxide biosynthesis and related responses through a rheostat-like mechanism in Arabidopsis.

Nitric oxide (NO) is sensed through a mechanism involving the degradation of group-VII ERF transcription factors (ERFVIIs) that is mediated by the N-degron pathway. However, the mechanisms regulating NO homeostasis and downstream responses remain mostly unknown. To explore the role of ERFVIIs in regulating NO production and signaling, genome-wide transcriptome analyses were performed on single and multiple erfvii mutants of Arabidopsis following exposure to NO. Transgenic plants overexpressing degradable or non-degradable versions of RAP2.3, one of the five ERFVIIs, were also examined. Enhanced RAP2.3 expression attenuated the changes in the transcriptome upon exposure to NO, and thereby acted as a brake for NO-triggered responses that included the activation of jasmonate and ABA signaling. The expression of non-degradable RAP2.3 attenuated NO biosynthesis in shoots but not in roots, and released the NO-triggered inhibition of hypocotyl and root elongation. In the guard cells of stomata, the control of NO accumulation depended on PRT6-triggered degradation of RAP2.3 more than on RAP2.3 levels. RAP2.3 therefore seemed to work as a molecular rheostat controlling NO homeostasis and signaling. Its function as a brake for NO signaling was released upon NO-triggered PRT6-mediated degradation, thus allowing the inhibition of growth, and the potentiation of jasmonate- and ABA-related signaling.

Sulfate nutrition improves short-term Al3+-stress tolerance in roots of Lolium perenne L

Trivalent aluminum ions (Al3+) in acidic soils are a major constraint for crop productivity inhibiting root elongation and promoting cell death. Al3+-toxicity has adverse biochemical and physiological effects on plant root growth. Sulfur is an essential macronutrient assimilated from the soil in the form of sulfate. However, the implication of sulfate nutritional status in the modulation of short-term Al3+-tolerance mechanisms in plant roots has not been previously reported. Here, we evaluated the effects of increased sulfate supply on short-term Al3+-toxicity in roots of Lolium perenne, measuring Al, Ca, Mg and S uptake, lipid peroxidation, total SOD activity, and transcriptional levels of Cu/Zn and Fe-SOD genes. First, the nitrogen sulfur ratio (N/S) in the TF nutrient solutions used in this study were computed to confirm that L. perenne plants were grown in sulfate deficiency (120 μM), optimal supply (240 μM), or overdoses conditions (360 μM), without affecting dry root biomass. Sulfate supplementation (>240 μM, and N/S ratio < 16) played a significant protection to Al3+-stress that prevents morphological changes in root tips, inhibits lipid peroxidation and differentially up-regulates total SOD activity, due changes in SOD gene expression. The results support the importance of sulfate nutritional status, on plant tissue homeostasis, enhancing the physiological tolerance mechanisms modulating lipid peroxidation damage induced by short-term Al3+-toxicity.