Tropic Responses Research Articles

Reactive Oxygen Species Tune Root Tropic Responses.

The default growth pattern of primary roots of land plants is directed by gravity. However, roots possess the ability to sense and respond directionally to other chemical and physical stimuli, separately and in combination. Therefore, these root tropic responses must be antagonistic to gravitropism. The role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in gravitropism of maize and Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) roots has been previously described. However, which cellular signals underlie the integration of the different environmental stimuli, which lead to an appropriate root tropic response, is currently unknown. In gravity-responding roots, we observed, by applying the ROS-sensitive fluorescent dye dihydrorhodamine-123 and confocal microscopy, a transient asymmetric ROS distribution, higher at the concave side of the root. The asymmetry, detected at the distal elongation zone, was built in the first 2 h of the gravitropic response and dissipated after another 2 h. In contrast, hydrotropically responding roots show no transient asymmetric distribution of ROS Decreasing ROS levels by applying the antioxidant ascorbate, or the ROS-generation inhibitor diphenylene iodonium attenuated gravitropism while enhancing hydrotropism. Arabidopsis mutants deficient in Ascorbate Peroxidase 1 showed attenuated hydrotropic root bending. Mutants of the root-expressed NADPH oxidase RBOH C, but not rbohD, showed enhanced hydrotropism and less ROS in their roots apices (tested in tissue extracts with Amplex Red). Finally, hydrostimulation prior to gravistimulation attenuated the gravistimulated asymmetric ROS and auxin signals that are required for gravity-directed curvature. We suggest that ROS, presumably H2O2, function in tuning root tropic responses by promoting gravitropism and negatively regulating hydrotropism.

A Strategy to Validate the Role of Callose-mediated Plasmodesmal Gating in the Tropic Response.

The plant hormone auxin plays an important role in many growth and developmental processes, including tropic responses to light and gravity. The establishment of an auxin gradient is a key event leading to phototropism and gravitropism. Previously, polar auxin transport (PAT) was shown to establish an auxin gradient in different cellular domains of plants. However, Han et al. recently demonstrated that for proper auxin gradient formation, plasmodesmal callose-mediated symplasmic connectivity between the adjacent cells is also a critical factor. In this manuscript, the strategy to elucidate the role of particular genes, which can affect phototropism and gravitropism by altering the symplasmic connectivity through modulating plasmodesmal callose synthesis, is discussed. The first step is to screen aberrant tropic responses from 3-day-old etiolated seedlings of mutants or over-expression lines of a gene along with the wild type. This preliminary screening can lead to the identification of a range of genes functioning in PAT or controlling symplasmic connectivity. The second screening involves the sorting of candidates that show altered tropic responses by affecting symplasmic connectivity. To address such candidates, the movement of a symplasmic tracer and the deposition of plasmodesmal callose were examined. This strategy would be useful to explore new candidate genes that can regulate symplasmic connectivity directly or indirectly during tropic responses and other developmental processes.

Phospholipid composition and a polybasic motif determine D6 PROTEIN KINASE polar association with the plasma membrane and tropic responses.

Polar transport of the phytohormone auxin through PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin efflux carriers is essential for the spatiotemporal control of plant development. The Arabidopsis thaliana serine/threonine kinase D6 PROTEIN KINASE (D6PK) is polarly localized at the plasma membrane of many cells where it colocalizes with PINs and activates PIN-mediated auxin efflux. Here, we show that the association of D6PK with the basal plasma membrane and PINs is dependent on the phospholipid composition of the plasma membrane as well as on the phosphatidylinositol phosphate 5-kinases PIP5K1 and PIP5K2 in epidermis cells of the primary root. We further show that D6PK directly binds polyacidic phospholipids through a polybasic lysine-rich motif in the middle domain of the kinase. The lysine-rich motif is required for proper PIN3 phosphorylation and for auxin transport-dependent tropic growth. Polybasic motifs are also present at a conserved position in other D6PK-related kinases and required for membrane and phospholipid binding. Thus, phospholipid-dependent recruitment to membranes through polybasic motifs might not only be required for D6PK-mediated auxin transport but also other processes regulated by these, as yet, functionally uncharacterized kinases.

Immunolocalization of PIN and ABCB Transporters in Plants.

PIN auxin efflux carriers and ABCB auxin transporters are important for polar auxin transport, organogenesis and long distance auxin transport. Along with the auxin influx symporter AUX1, they are essential for tropic responses such as gravitropism and phototropism where lateral redistribution of auxin is required for the tropic response to occur. Immunolocalization of plant membrane transporters is an effective technique to determine the transporters' subcellular localization patterns in the tissues of interest, especially when fluorescent protein fusions of the protein of interest are not available. Immunolocalization is also a valuable tool for validation of the localization of fluorescent protein fusions when the fusions are available. Here we describe the procedures to prepare plant tissue samples and fix them for whole mount or embedding and sectioning. We focus on immunolocalizations of PINs and ABCBs in Arabidopsis and maize tissues. In addition, we describe treatments of roots with inhibitors of cellular trafficking: brefeldin A (BFA), a fungal compound that blocks exocytosis; wortmannin, a fungal compound that inhibits phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase and induces fusion of pre-vacuolar compartments and multi-vascular bodies; and oryzalin, a fungal compound that depolymerizes microtubules. Inhibitor treatments are performed prior to fixation and affect the localization patterns of PINs and ABCBs, giving insight into cell type -specific trafficking mechanisms. The procedures described for Arabidopsis and maize can be easily adapted for other herbaceous plants.

Auxin-Mediated Transcriptional System with a Minimal Set of Components Is Critical for Morphogenesis through the Life Cycle in Marchantia polymorpha.

The plant hormone auxin regulates many aspects of plant growth and development. Recent progress in Arabidopsis provided a scheme that auxin receptors, TIR1/AFBs, target transcriptional co-repressors, AUX/IAAs, for degradation, allowing ARFs to regulate transcription of auxin responsive genes. The mechanism of auxin-mediated transcriptional regulation is considered to have evolved around the time plants adapted to land. However, little is known about the role of auxin-mediated transcription in basal land plant lineages. We focused on the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, which belongs to the earliest diverging lineage of land plants. M. polymorpha has only a single TIR1/AFB (MpTIR1), a single AUX/IAA (MpIAA), and three ARFs (MpARF1, MpARF2, and MpARF3) in the genome. Expression of a dominant allele of MpIAA with mutations in its putative degron sequence conferred an auxin resistant phenotype and repressed auxin-dependent expression of the auxin response reporter proGH3:GUS. We next established a system for DEX-inducible auxin-response repression by expressing the putatively stabilized MpIAA protein fused with the glucocorticoid receptor domain (MpIAAmDII-GR). Repression of auxin responses in proMpIAA:MpIAAmDII-GR plants caused severe defects in various developmental processes, including gemmaling development, dorsiventrality, organogenesis, and tropic responses. Transient transactivation assays showed that the three MpARFs had different transcriptional activities, each corresponding to their phylogenetic classifications. Moreover, MpIAA and MpARF proteins interacted with each other with different affinities. This study provides evidence that pleiotropic auxin responses can be achieved by a minimal set of auxin signaling factors and suggests that the transcriptional regulation mediated by TIR1/AFB, AUX/IAA, and three types of ARFs might have been a key invention to establish body plans of land plants. We propose that M. polymorpha is a good model to investigate the principles and the evolution of auxin-mediated transcriptional regulation and its roles in land plant morphogenesis.

Higher Plants in Space: Microgravity Perception, Response, and Adaptation

Microgravity is a major abiotic stress in space. Its effects on plants may depend on the duration of exposure. We focused on two different phases of microgravity responses in space. When higher plants are exposed to short-term (seconds to hours) microgravity, such as on board parabolic flights and sounding rockets, their cells usually exhibit abiotic stress responses. For example, Ca 2+-, lipid-, and pH-signaling are rapidly enhanced, then the production of reactive oxygen species and other radicals increase dramatically along with changes in metabolism and auxin signaling. Under long-term (days to months) microgravity exposure, plants acclimatize to the stress by changing their metabolism and oxidative response and by enhancing other tropic responses. We conclude by suggesting that a systematic analysis of regulatory networks at the molecular level of higher plants is needed to understand the molecular signals in the distinct phases of the microgravity response and adaptation.

Strategies of seedlings to overcome their sessile nature: auxin in mobility control.

Plants are sessile organisms that are permanently restricted to their site of germination. To compensate for their lack of mobility, plants evolved unique mechanisms enabling them to rapidly react to ever changing environmental conditions and flexibly adapt their postembryonic developmental program. A prominent demonstration of this developmental plasticity is their ability to bend organs in order to reach the position most optimal for growth and utilization of light, nutrients, and other resources. Shortly after germination, dicotyledonous seedlings form a bended structure, the so-called apical hook, to protect the delicate shoot meristem and cotyledons from damage when penetrating through the soil. Upon perception of a light stimulus, the apical hook rapidly opens and the photomorphogenic developmental program is activated. After germination, plant organs are able to align their growth with the light source and adopt the most favorable orientation through bending, in a process named phototropism. On the other hand, when roots and shoots are diverted from their upright orientation, they immediately detect a change in the gravity vector and bend to maintain a vertical growth direction. Noteworthy, despite the diversity of external stimuli perceived by different plant organs, all plant tropic movements share a common mechanistic basis: differential cell growth. In our review, we will discuss the molecular principles underlying various tropic responses with the focus on mechanisms mediating the perception of external signals, transduction cascades and downstream responses that regulate differential cell growth and consequently, organ bending. In particular, we highlight common and specific features of regulatory pathways in control of the bending of organs and a role for the plant hormone auxin as a key regulatory component.

Auxin and plant morphogenesis - a model of regulation

In the presented model cells of the plant body form a spatial medium in which three-dimensional morphogenic waves of auxin are propagated. Points in the same phase of oscillation form isophasic surfaces and the vectors of wave propagation form a three-dimensional vector field. The vectors in the case of local inhomogeneities of the medium deviate from organ polarity, providing positional information recognized by cells. Models of functioning of such a supracellular oscillatory system in regulation of tissue differentiation, tropic responses and plant form are discussed.

ISOLATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF INDOLE ACETIC ACID PRODUCING PLANT GROWTH PROMOTING RHIZOBACTERIA FROM RHIZOSPHERIC SOIL OF WITHANIA SOMNIFERA

Indole acetic acid (IAA) production is a major property of rhizosphere bacteria that plays a central role in plant growth and development as a regulator of cell division , cell differentiation , cell expansion, lateral root formation, flowering, and tropic responses. The present study deals with isolation, functional characterization and iden tification of IAA producing rhizo bacteria from the rhizosphere. The present study deals with the emerging need to protect medicinal plants that r epresent our natural resources. A total ten bacterial isolates were recovered from rhizospheric soil associated with Withania somnifera , recognized as bacillus spp. by morphotpic and biochemical characterization and tested for indole acetic acid production . Out of ten rhizobacterial isolates, six were selected as efficient Producers of IAA. The amount of indole acetic acid produ ced was detected in the presence of different concentration of tryptophan, which lead to the elevation in indole acetic acid produc tion as compared in the absence of tryptophan. The IAA production was further confirmed by thin layer chromatography (TLC). The impact of PGPR was evaluated on Withania somnifera seeds that showed significant elevation in germination %, root and shoot leng th as compared to the untreated seeds. Out of the chosen PGPR, WSNb3, WSNb5 and WSNb6 were showed to be the best to produce IAA . Subsequently, effect on plant growth was tested by towel paper assay. In conclusion the study suggests the IAA producing bacter ia may be efficient biofertilizer inoculants to promote plant growth and protecting the medicinal plants for the future generation.

Light and gravity signals synergize in modulating plant development.

Tropisms are growth-mediated plant movements that help plants to respond to changes in environmental stimuli. The availability of water and light, as well as the presence of a constant gravity vector, are all environmental stimuli that plants sense and respond to via directed growth movements (tropisms). The plant response to gravity (gravitropism) and the response to unidirectional light (phototropism) have long been shown to be interconnected growth phenomena. Here, we discuss the similarities in these two processes, as well as the known molecular mechanisms behind the tropistic responses. We also highlight research done in a microgravity environment in order to decouple two tropisms through experiments carried out in the absence of a significant unilateral gravity vector. In addition, alteration of gravity, especially the microgravity environment, and light irradiation produce important effects on meristematic cells, the undifferentiated, highly proliferating, totipotent cells which sustain plant development. Microgravity produces the disruption of meristematic competence, i.e., the decoupling of cell proliferation and cell growth, affecting the regulation of the cell cycle and ribosome biogenesis. Light irradiation, especially red light, mediated by phytochromes, has an activating effect on these processes. Phytohormones, particularly auxin, also are key mediators in these alterations. Upcoming experiments on the International Space Station will clarify some of the mechanisms and molecular players of the plant responses to these environmental signals involved in tropisms and the cell cycle.

PLETHORA gradient formation mechanism separates auxin responses.

During plant growth, dividing cells in meristems must coordinate transitions from division to expansion and differentiation, thus generating three distinct developmental zones: the meristem, elongation zone and differentiation zone. Simultaneously, plants display tropisms, rapid adjustments of their direction of growth to adapt to environmental conditions. It is unclear how stable zonation is maintained during transient adjustments in growth direction. In Arabidopsis roots, many aspects of zonation are controlled by the phytohormone auxin and auxin-induced PLETHORA (PLT) transcription factors, both of which display a graded distribution with a maximum near the root tip. In addition, auxin is also pivotal for tropic responses. Here, using an iterative experimental and computational approach, we show how an interplay between auxin and PLTs controls zonation and gravitropism. We find that the PLT gradient is not a direct, proportionate readout of the auxin gradient. Rather, prolonged high auxin levels generate a narrow PLT transcription domain from which a gradient of PLT protein is subsequently generated through slow growth dilution and cell-to-cell movement. The resulting PLT levels define the location of developmental zones. In addition to slowly promoting PLT transcription, auxin also rapidly influences division, expansion and differentiation rates. We demonstrate how this specific regulatory design in which auxin cooperates with PLTs through different mechanisms and on different timescales enables both the fast tropic environmental responses and stable zonation dynamics necessary for coordinated cell differentiation.

Light-dependent gravitropism and negative phototropism of inflorescence stems in a dominant Aux/IAA mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana, axr2.

Gravitropism and phototropism of the primary inflorescence stems were examined in a dominant Aux/IAA mutant of Arabidopsis, axr2/iaa7, which did not display either tropism in hypocotyls. axr2-1 stems completely lacked gravitropism in the dark but slowly regained it in light condition. Though wild-type stems showed positive phototropism, axr2 stems displayed negative phototropism with essentially the same light fluence-response curve as the wild type (WT). Application of 1-naphthaleneacetic acid-containing lanolin to the stem tips enhanced the positive phototropism of WT, and reduced the negative phototropism of axr2. Decapitation of stems caused a small negative phototropism in WT, but did not affect the negative phototropism of axr2. p-glycoprotein 1 (pgp1) pgp19 double mutants showed no phototropism, while decapitated double mutants exhibited negative phototropism. Expression of auxin-responsive IAA14/SLR, IAA19/MSG2 and SAUR50 genes was reduced in axr2 and pgp1 pgp19 stems relative to that of WT. These suggest that the phototropic response of stem is proportional to the auxin supply from the shoot apex, and that negative phototropism may be a basal response to unilateral blue-light irradiation when the levels of auxin or auxin signaling are reduced to the minimal level in the primary stems. In contrast, all of these treatments reduced or did not affect gravitropism in wild-type or axr2 stems. Tropic responses of the transgenic lines that expressed axr2-1 protein by the endodermis-specific promoter suggest that AXR2-dependent auxin response in the endodermis plays a more crucial role in gravitropism than in phototropism in stems but no significant roles in either tropism in hypocotyls.

D6 PROTEIN KINASE Activates Auxin Transport-Dependent Growth and PIN-FORMED Phosphorylation at the Plasma Membrane

The directed cell-to-cell transport of the phytohormone auxin by efflux and influx transporters is essential for proper plant growth and development. Like auxin efflux facilitators of the PIN-FORMED (PIN) family, D6 PROTEIN KINASE (D6PK) from Arabidopsis thaliana localizes to the basal plasma membrane of many cells, and evidence exists that D6PK may directly phosphorylate PINs. We find that D6PK is a membrane-bound protein that is associated with either the basal domain of the plasma membrane or endomembranes. Inhibition of the trafficking regulator GNOM leads to a rapid internalization of D6PK to endomembranes. Interestingly, the dissociation of D6PK from the plasma membrane is also promoted by auxin. Surprisingly, we find that auxin transport-dependent tropic responses are critically and reversibly controlled by D6PK and D6PK-dependent PIN phosphorylation at the plasma membrane. We conclude that D6PK abundance at the plasma membrane and likely D6PK-dependent PIN phosphorylation are prerequisites for PIN-mediated auxin transport.

Systems analysis of auxin transport in the Arabidopsis root apex.

Auxin is a key regulator of plant growth and development. Within the root tip, auxin distribution plays a crucial role specifying developmental zones and coordinating tropic responses. Determining how the organ-scale auxin pattern is regulated at the cellular scale is essential to understanding how these processes are controlled. In this study, we developed an auxin transport model based on actual root cell geometries and carrier subcellular localizations. We tested model predictions using the DII-VENUS auxin sensor in conjunction with state-of-the-art segmentation tools. Our study revealed that auxin efflux carriers alone cannot create the pattern of auxin distribution at the root tip and that AUX1/LAX influx carriers are also required. We observed that AUX1 in lateral root cap (LRC) and elongating epidermal cells greatly enhance auxin's shootward flux, with this flux being predominantly through the LRC, entering the epidermal cells only as they enter the elongation zone. We conclude that the nonpolar AUX1/LAX influx carriers control which tissues have high auxin levels, whereas the polar PIN carriers control the direction of auxin transport within these tissues.

Proper PIN1 Distribution Is Needed for Root Negative Phototropism in Arabidopsis

Plants can be adapted to the changing environments through tropic responses, such as light and gravity. One of them is root negative phototropism, which is needed for root growth and nutrient absorption. Here, we show that the auxin efflux carrier PIN-FORMED (PIN) 1 is involved in asymmetric auxin distribution and root negative phototropism. In darkness, PIN1 is internalized and localized to intracellular compartments; upon blue light illumination, PIN1 relocalize to basal plasma membrane in root stele cells. The shift of PIN1 localization induced by blue light is involved in asymmetric auxin distribution and root negative phototropic response. Both blue-light-induced PIN1 redistribution and root negative phototropism is mediated by a BFA-sensitive trafficking pathway and the activity of PID/PP2A. Our results demonstrate that blue-light-induced PIN1 redistribution participate in asymmetric auxin distribution and root negative phototropism.

Cdc42 GTPase dynamics control directional growth responses.

Polarized cells reorient their direction of growth in response to environmental cues. In the fungus Candida albicans, the Rho-family small GTPase, Cdc42, is essential for polarized hyphal growth and Ca(2+) influx is required for the tropic responses of hyphae to environmental cues, but the regulatory link between these systems is unclear. In this study, the interaction between Ca(2+) influx and Cdc42 polarity-complex dynamics was investigated using hyphal galvanotropic and thigmotropic responses as reporter systems. During polarity establishment in an applied electric field, cathodal emergence of hyphae was lost when either of the two Cdc42 apical recycling pathways was disrupted by deletion of Rdi1, a guanine nucleotide dissociation inhibitor, or Bnr1, a formin, but was completely restored by extracellular Ca(2+). Loss of the Cdc42 GTPase activating proteins, Rga2 and Bem3, also abolished cathodal polarization, but this was not rescued by Ca(2+). Expression of GTP-locked Cdc42 reversed the polarity of hypha emergence from cathodal to anodal, an effect augmented by Ca(2+). The cathodal directional cue therefore requires Cdc42 GTP hydrolysis. Ca(2+) influx amplifies Cdc42-mediated directional growth signals, in part by augmenting Cdc42 apical trafficking. The Ca(2+)-binding EF-hand motif in Cdc24, the Cdc42 activator, was essential for growth in yeast cells but not in established hyphae. The Cdc24 EF-hand motif is therefore essential for polarity establishment but not for polarity maintenance.

Auxin-Callose-Mediated Plasmodesmal Gating Is Essential for Tropic Auxin Gradient Formation and Signaling

In plants, auxin functions as a master controller of development, pattern formation, morphogenesis, and tropic responses. A sophisticated transport system has evolved to allow the establishment of precise spatiotemporal auxin gradients that regulate specific developmental programs. A critical unresolved question relates to how these gradients can be maintained in the presence of open plasmodesmata that allow for symplasmic exchange of essential nutrients and signaling macromolecules. Here we addressed this conundrum using genetic, physiological, and cell biological approaches and identified the operation of an auxin-GSL8 feedback circuit thatregulates the level of plasmodesmal-localized callose in order to locally downregulate symplasmic permeability during hypocotyl tropic response. This system likely involves a plasmodesmal switch that would prevent the dissipation of a forming gradient by auxin diffusion through the symplasm. This regulatory system may represent a mechanism by which auxin could also regulate symplasmic delivery of a wide range of signaling agents.

80. Relationship between tropic responses and benzoxazinoids-induced cell-wall stiffness

80. Relationship between tropic responses and benzoxazinoids-induced cell-wall stiffness

PIN6 is required for nectary auxin response and short stamen development

The PIN family of proteins is best known for its involvement in polar auxin transport and tropic responses. PIN6 (At1g77110) is one of the remaining PIN family members in Arabidopsis thaliana to which a biological function has not yet been ascribed. Here we report that PIN6 is a nectary-enriched gene whose expression level is positively correlated with total nectar production in Arabidopsis, and whose function is required for the proper development of short stamens. PIN6 accumulates in internal membranes consistent with the ER, and multiple lines of evidence demonstrate that PIN6 is required for auxin-dependent responses in nectaries. Wild-type plants expressing auxin-responsive DR5:GFP or DR5:GUS reporters displayed intense signal in lateral nectaries, but pin6lateral nectaries showed little or no signal for these reporters. Further, exogenous auxin treatment increased nectar production more than tenfold in wild-type plants, but nectar production was not increased in pin6 mutants when treated with auxin. Conversely, the auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) reduced nectar production in wild-type plants by more than twofold, but had no significant effect onpin6lines. Interestingly, a MYB57 transcription factor mutant, myb57-2, closely phenocopied the loss-of-function mutant pin6-2. However, PIN6 expression was not dependent on MYB57, and RNA-seq analyses of pin6-2 and myb57-2 mutant nectaries showed little overlap in terms of differentially expressed genes. Cumulatively, these results demonstrate that PIN6 is required for proper auxin response and nectary function in Arabidopsis. These results also identify auxin as an important factor in the regulation of nectar production, and implicate short stamens in the maturation of lateral nectaries.

Differential growth at the apical hook: all roads lead to auxin

The apical hook is a developmentally regulated structure that appears in dicotyledonous seedlings when seeds germinate buried in the soil. It protects the shoot apical meristem and cotyledons from damage while the seedling is pushing upwards seeking for light, and it is formed by differential cell expansion between both sides of the upper part of the hypocotyl. Its apparent simplicity and the fact that it is dispensable when seedlings are grown in vitro have converted the apical hook in one of the favorite experimental models to study the regulation of differential growth. The involvement of hormones –especially auxin—in this process was manifested already in the early studies. Remarkably, a gradient of this hormone across the hook curvature is instrumental to complete its development, similar to what has been proposed for other processes involving the bending of an organ, such as tropic responses. In agreement with this, other hormones—mainly gibberellins and ethylene—and the light, regulate in a timely and interconnected manner the auxin gradient to promote hook development and its opening, respectively. Here, we review the latest findings obtained mainly with the apical hook of Arabidopsis thaliana, paying special attention to the molecular mechanisms for the cross-regulation between the different hormone signaling pathways that underlie this developmental process.