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At least 253 records · Page 14Linked to original sources
PubMed2000

POLTERGEIST functions to regulate meristem development downstream of the CLAVATA loci.

Mutations at the CLAVATA loci (CLV1, CLV2 and CLV3) result in the accumulation of undifferentiated cells at the shoot and floral meristems. We have isolated three mutant alleles of a novel locus, POLTERGEIST (POL), as suppressors of clv1, clv2 and clv3 phenotypes. All pol mutants were nearly indistinguishable from wild-type plants; however, pol mutations provided recessive, partial suppression of meristem defects in strong clv1 and clv3 mutants, and nearly complete suppression of weak clv1 mutants. pol mutations partially suppressed clv2 floral and pedicel defects in a dominant fashion, and almost completely suppressed clv2 phenotypes in a recessive manner. These observations, along with dominant interactions observed between the pol and wuschel (wus) mutations, indicate that POL functions as a critical regulator of meristem development downstream of the CLV loci and redundantly with WUS. Consistent with this, pol mutations do not suppress clv3 phenotypes by altering CLV1 receptor activation.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2002

[An easy introduction to organismal and cellular mechanisms for graviperception].

In this review paper, organismal and also cellular mechanisms for perception of gravity are explained. A statolith and a number of hair cells which surround the statolith is a basic structure of statocysts for detecting the direction of gravity or tilting of the body in various animals. The vestibular system of vertebrate was explained, especially on the process from the body-tilting to impulse frequencies which travel to brain. For the cellular responses to gravity, contribution of various organella (??) and cytoskeleton are introduced. Such cellular responses may change when the gravity values become less or null. Gravity perception mechanisms of plants are also explained.

Animals↗
PubMed1984

Growth, graviresponsiveness and abscisic-acid content of Zea mays seedlings treated with fluridone.

Ten-d-old seedlings of Zea mays L. cv. Tx 5855 treated with 1-methyl-3-phenyl-5-(3-[trifluoromethyl]phenyl)-4-(1H)-pyridinone (Fluridone) were analyzed for abscisic acid (ABA) content using high-performance liquid chromatography with an analysis sensitivity of 2.5 ng ABA g-1 fresh weight (FW). Seedlings were divided into three portions: leaves, detipped roots, and root tips (terminal 1.5 mm). Control plants (water treatment only; no Fluridone) were characterized by the following amounts of ABA: leaves, 0.114 +/- 0.024 (standard deviation) microgram ABA g-1 FW; detipped roots, 0.260 +/- 0.039 +/- microgram ABA g-1 FW; root tips, no ABA detected. We did not detect any ABA in tissues of Fluridone-treated plants. Primary roots of treated and untreated seedlings were strongly graviresponsive, with no significant differences between the curvatures or the growth rates of primary roots of Fluridone-treated and control seedlings. These results indicate that 1) Fluridone completely inhibits ABA synthesis, and 2) ABA is not necessary for positive gravitropism by primary roots of Zea mays.

Abscisic Acid↗
PubMed2002

Induction of premature mitosis in root meristem cells of Vicia faba and Pisum sativum by various agents is correlated with an increased level of protein phosphorylation.

The intra-S-phase checkpoint response to hydroxyurea (HU)-mediated arrest of DNA replication was analysed in root meristems of two legumes, Pisum sativum and Vicia faba. The obtained results suggest that a molecular signal which invokes mechanisms allowing the cells to override the S-M dependency control system may be generated by caffeine (CF) and a number of alternative, yet related chemical agents, benzyl-6-aminopurine (BAP), 2-aminopurine (2-AP), and 6-dimethylaminopurine (DMAP). A variety of aberrant mitotic divisions included chromosomal breaks and gaps, lost and lagging chromatids and chromosomes, acentric fragments, chromosome bridges and micronuclei. Furthermore, similar effects induced by sodium vanadate, an inhibitor of protein phosphatases, extend the number of inhibitors capable of inducing premature chromosome condensation (PCC) in root meristem cells, as well as the range of possible regulatory pathways leading to the transition from S-phase arrest towards abnormal mitosis. Until preprophase, FITC-conjugated monoclonal antibodies (alpha-Y(a)b-FITC) that specifically recognize phosphorylated form of threonine indicate no evident cell cycle-dependent changes in an overall phosphorylation status of root meristem cells in the control plants. Irrespective of the stage of interphase, alpha-Y(p)ab-FITC was localized basically in the cytoplasm, whereas nuclear staining was considerably weaker, with a significant fluorescence confined merely to nucleolar regions. The intensity of alpha-Y(p)ab-FITC staining in HU/CF-treated seedlings was found higher than that in the control plants (with the exception of G2 cells), suggesting a general increase in the level of protein phosphorylation, a physiological response mediated probably by an enhanced activity of the cdc-like protein kinase(s).

Antibodies, Monoclonal↗
PubMed1973

Gravity sensing by plants.

A brief description of the effects of gravity on plants, particularly their orientation with reference to its direction, is followed by a presentation of evidence for the operation of specific "gravity sensors", statoliths, subcellular bodies which move or reorient themselves upon reorientation of a plant organ with respect to the direction of the force of gravity. In the singly reacting apical cells of rhizoids of Chara, the statoliths locally regulate the growth of the cell wall simply by blocking or permitting the access of carriers of cell wall material. In multicellular structures (root and stem tips etc.) the statoliths, most likely amyloplasts (starch-containing plastids), must act by creating in the organ a transversal polarity which can be transmitted to the growing region, often several millimetres away. In addition, gravity produces what may be called tonic effects, which quantitatively modify the reaction of the organ to the gravitational stimulation.

Chlorophyta↗
PubMed1973

Effect of free fall on higher plants.

The influence of exposure to the free fall state on the orientation, morphogenesis, physiology, and radiation response of higher plants is briefly summarized. It is proposed that the duration of the space-flight experiments has been too brief to permit meaningful effects of free fall on general biochemistry, growth and development to appear. However, two types of significant effect did occur. The first is on differential growth, i.e. tropism and epinasty, resulting from the absence of a normal geostimulus. For these phenomena it is suggested that ground-based experiments with the clinostat would suffice to mimic the effect of the free fall state. The second is an apparent interaction between the radiation response and some flight condition, yielding an enhanced microspore abortion, a disturbed spindle function, and a stunting of stamen hairs. It is suggested that this apparent interaction may be derived from a shift in the rhythm of the cell cycle, induced by the free fall.

Capsicum↗
PubMed2004

The evaluation of the genotoxicity of two commonly used food colors: Quinoline Yellow (E 104) and Brilliant Black BN (E 151).

Additives, especially colors, are in widespread use in the food industry. With the exception of the quinolines, food colors are relatively weak mutagens and are certified as safe additives despite reports that some people have allergic reactions to them. The number of food additives is still on the increase, and research on their potential mutagenic/carcinogenic activity in vivo is very expensive. Using two different cellular model systems, human lymphocytes in vitro and Vicia faba root tip meristems of in vivo, we evaluated the potential cytological and genotoxic effects of two dyes: Quinoline Yellow (E 104) and Brilliant Black BN (E 151). Two relatively new, very sensitive and rapid tests - the micronucleus and Comet assays - were used in this study. The data provided in this paper showed the genotoxic effects of the two analyzed food colors, and confirmed the diagnostic value of the MN and Comet assays for screening potentially genotoxic substances.

Azo Compounds↗
PubMedDate not supplied

[Colonization of wheat root hairs and roots by agrobacteria].

Formation of extracellular structures in pure culture and in interaction with wheat root surface was studied by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The effect of various factors (growth temperature as well as pretreatment of agrobacteria with kalanchoe extract, acetosyringone, and centrifugation) on formation of extracellular structures was tested. The data on Agrobacterium tumefaciens (wild strain C58 and mutants LBA2525 (virB2::lacZ) and LBA288 (without Ti plasmid)) adhesion to wheat root surface and root hairs after pretreatment of agrobacteria with inducer of virulence genes (vir) acetosyringone were obtained. Formation of agrobacterial cell aggregates on wheat root hair tips was demonstrated. The proportion of root hairs with agrobacterial aggregates on the root hair tip insignificantly changed after pretreatment with acetosyringone but considerably increased after treatment of A. tumefaciens C58 and LBA2525 with kalanchoe leaf extract. The most active colonization of root hairs and formation of agrobacterial aggregates on hair root tips was observed at 22 degrees C. The capacity of agrobacteria for adhesion on monocotyledon surface could be changed by pretreatment of bacteria with various surface-active substances. Bacterial cells subjected to centrifugation had a decreased capacity for attachment to both wheat root surface and root hairs. The relationship between the capacity for adhesion and pile production in agrobacteria was considered.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens↗
PubMed1999

Early root cap development and graviresponse in white clover (Trifolium repens) grown in space and on a two-axis clinostat.

White clover (Trifolium repens) was germinated and grown in microgravity aboard the Space Shuttle (STS-60, 1994; STS-63, 1995), on Earth in stationary racks and in a slow-rotating two-axis clinostat. The objective of this study was to determine if normal root cap development and early plant gravity responses were dependent on gravitational cues. Seedlings were germinated in space and chemically fixed in orbit after 21, 40, and 72 h. Seedlings 96 h old were returned viable to earth. Germination and total seedling length were not dependent on gravity treatment. In space-flown seedlings, the number of cell stories in the root cap and the geometry of central columella cells did not differ from those of the Earth-grown seedlings. The root cap structure of clinorotated plants appeared similar to that of seedlings from microgravity, with the exception of three-day rotated plants, which displayed significant cellular damage in the columella region. Nuclear polarity did not depend on gravity; however, the positions of amyloplasts in the central columella cells were dependent on both the gravity treatment and the age of the seedlings. Seedlings from space, returned viable to earth, responded to horizontal stimulation as did 1 g controls, but seedlings rotated on the clinostat for the same duration had a reduced curvature response. This study demonstrates that initial root cap development is insensitive to either chronic clinorotation or microgravity. Soon after differentiation, however, clinorotation leads to loss of normal root cap structure and plant graviresponse while microgravity does not.

Fabaceae↗
PubMed1977

Some features of secretory systems in plants.

Recent work on secretion in plants is reviewed, with emphasis on the anatomy and physiology of root cap cells in higher plants, the stalked glands of Drosera capensis, and the secretory mechanism of Dionaea muscipula. Cells of the root cap of higher plants switch from a geo-perceptive role to one of mucilage secretion at maturation. Features of this process, the role of the Golgi and the pathway for mucilage distribution are reviewed. In contrast, the stalked glands of the leaves of Drosera capensis are much longer lived and have a complex anatomy. The mechanisms for mucilage secretion, protein absorption and the role of the cell membranes in the internal secretion of the protein are described, using data from X-ray microscopv. The secretion of fluid and protein by Dionaea is stimulated by various nitrogen-containing compounds. Uric acid, often excreted by captured insects, is particularly effective in this respect.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2000

Plant cells on earth and in space.

Two quite different types of plant cells are analysed with regard to transduction of the gravity stimulus: (i) Unicellular rhizoids and protonemata of characean green algae; these are tube-like, tip-growing cells which respond to the direction of gravity. (ii) Columella cells located in the center of the root cap of higher plants; these cells (statocytes) perceive gravity. The two cell types contain heavy particles or organelles (statoliths) which sediment in the field of gravity, thereby inducing the graviresponse. Both cell types were studied under microgravity conditions (10(-4) g) in sounding rockets or spacelabs. From video microscopy of living Chara cells and different experiments with both cell types it was concluded that the position of statoliths depends on the balance of two forces, i.e. the gravitational force and the counteracting force mediated by actin microfilaments. The actomyosin system may be the missing link between the gravity-dependent movement of statoliths and the gravity receptor(s); it may also function as an amplifier.

Actins↗
PubMed1997

Modulation of statolith mass and grouping in white clover (Trifolium repens) growth in 1-g, microgravity and on the clinostat.

Current models of gravity perception in higher plants focus on the buoyant weight of starch-filled amyloplasts as the initial gravity signal susceptor (statolith). However, no tests have yet determined if statolith mass is regulated to increase or decrease gravity stimulus to the plant. To this end, the root caps of white clover (Trifolium repens) grown in three gravity environments with three different levels of gravity stimulation have been examined: (i) 1-g control with normal static gravistimulation, (ii) on a slow clinostat with constant gravistimulation, and (iii) in the stimulus-free microgravity aboard the Space Shuttle. Seedlings were germinated and grown in the BioServe Fluid Processing Apparatus and root cap structure was examined at both light and electron microscopic levels, including three-dimensional cell reconstruction from serial sections. Quantitative analysis of the electron micrographs demonstrated that the starch content of amyloplasts varied with seedling age but not gravity condition. It was also discovered that, unlike in starch storage amyloplasts, all of the starch granules of statolith amyloplasts were encompassed by a fine filamentous, ribosome-excluding matrix. From light micrographic 3-D cell reconstructions, the absolute volume, number, and positional relationships between amyloplasts showed (i) that individual amyloplast volume increased in microgravity but remained constant in seedlings grown for up to three days on the clinostat, (ii) the number of amyloplasts per cell remained unchanged in microgravity but decreased on the clinostat, and (iii) the three-dimensional positions of amyloplasts were not random. Instead amyloplasts in microgravity were grouped near the cell centers while those from the clinostat appeared more dispersed. Taken together, these observations suggest that changing gravity stimulation can elicit feedback control over statolith mass by changing the size, number, and grouping of amyloplasts. These results support the starch-statolith theory of graviperception in higher plants and add to current models with a new feedback control loop as a mechanism for modulation of statolith responsiveness to inertial acceleration.

Fabaceae↗
PubMed1999

Gravisensing in roots.

The mode of gravisensing in higher plants is not yet elucidated. Although, it is generally accepted that the amyloplasts (statoliths) in the root cap cells (statocytes) are responsible for susception of gravity. However, the hypothesis that the whole protoplast acts as gravisusceptor cannot be dismissed. The nature of the sensor that is able to transduce and amplify the mechanical energy into a biochemical factor is even more controversial. Several cell structures could potentially serve as gravireceptors: the endoplasmic reticulum, the actin network, the plasma membrane, or the cytoskeleton associated with this membrane. The nature of the gravisusceptors and gravisensors is discussed by taking into account the characteristics of the gravitropic reaction with respect to the presentation time, the threshold acceleration, the reciprocity rule, the deviation from the sine rule, the movement of the amyloplasts, the pre-inversion effect, the response of starch free and intermediate mutants and the effects of cytochalasin treatment. From this analysis, it can be concluded that both the amyloplasts and the protoplast could be the gravisusceptors, the former being more efficient than the latter since they can focus pressure on limited areas. The receptor should be located in the plasma membrane and could be a stretch-activated ion channel.

Gravitation↗
PubMed2004

Novel regulation of aquaporins during osmotic stress.

Aquaporin protein regulation and redistribution in response to osmotic stress was investigated. Ice plant (Mesembryanthemum crystallinum) McTIP1;2 (McMIPF) mediated water flux when expressed in Xenopus leavis oocytes. Mannitol-induced water imbalance resulted in increased protein amounts in tonoplast fractions and a shift in protein distribution to other membrane fractions, suggesting aquaporin relocalization. Indirect immunofluorescence labeling also supports a change in membrane distribution for McTIP1;2 and the appearance of a unique compartment where McTIP1;2 is expressed. Mannitol-induced redistribution of McTIP1;2 was arrested by pretreatment with brefeldin A, wortmannin, and cytochalasin D, inhibitors of vesicle trafficking-related processes. Evidence suggests a role for glycosylation and involvement of a cAMP-dependent signaling pathway in McTIP1;2 redistribution. McTIP1;2 redistribution to endosomal compartments may be part of a homeostatic process to restore and maintain cellular osmolarity under osmotic-stress conditions.

Aquaporins↗
PubMed1990

Correlation of Pectolytic Enzyme Activity with the Programmed Release of Cells from Root Caps of Pea (Pisum sativum).

In many plant species, the daily release of hundreds to thousands of healthy cells from the root cap into the soil is a normal process, whose function is unknown. We studied the separation of the cells in pea (Pisum sativum) using an aeroponic system in which separated cells were retained on the root until they were washed off for counting. We found that cell separation is a developmentally regulated, temperature-sensitive process that appears to be regulated independently of root growth. No cells were released from very young roots. When plants were grown aeroponically, cell numbers increased with increasing root length to a mean of 3400 cells per root, at which point the release of new cells ceased. The process could be reset and synchronized by washing the root in water to remove shed cells. Cell separation from the root cap was correlated with pectolytic enzyme activity in root cap tissue. Because these cells that separate from the root cap ensheath the root as it grows and thus provide a cellular interface between the root surface and the soil, we propose to call the cells "root border cells."

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Mechanotransduction molecules in the plant gravisensory response: amyloplast/statolith membranes contain a beta 1 integrin-like protein.

It has been hypothesized that the sedimentation of amyloplasts within root cap cells is the primary event in the plant gravisensory-signal transduction cascade. Statolith sedimentation, with its ability to generate weighty mechanical signals, is a legitimate means for organisms to discriminate the direction of the gravity vector. However, it has been demonstrated that starchless mutants with reduced statolith densities maintain some ability to sense gravity, calling into question the statolith sedimentation hypothesis. Here we report on the presence of a beta 1 integrin-like protein localized inside amyloplasts of tobacco NT-1 suspension culture, callus cells, and whole-root caps. Two different antibodies to the beta 1 integrin, one to the cytoplasmic domain and one to the extracellular domain, localize in the vicinity of the starch grains within amyloplasts of NT-1. Biochemical data reveals a 110-kDa protein immunoprecipitated from membrane fractions of NT-1 suspension culture indicating size homology to known beta 1 integrin in animals. This study provides the first direct evidence for the possibility of integrin-mediated signal transduction in the perception of gravity by higher plants. An integrin-mediated pathway, initiated by starch grain sedimentation within the amyloplast, may provide the signal amplification necessary to explain the gravitropic response in starch-depleted cultivars.

Gravity Sensing↗
PubMed2006

Gravitational biology within the German Space Program: goals, achievements, and perspectives.

Gravity plays an important role for the evolution, orientation and development of organisms. Most of us, however, tend to overlook its importance because--due to its constant presence from the beginning of evolution some 4 billion years ago--this environmental parameter is almost hardwired into our interpretation of reality. This negligence of gravity is the more surprising as we all have our strong fights with this factor, especially during the very early and again during the late phases of our lives. On the other hand, scientists have been fascinated to observe the effects of gravity especially on plants and microorganisms for more than a hundred years, since Darwin and Sachs demonstrated the role of the root cap for downward growing plants. Different experimental approaches are nowadays available in order to change the influence of gravity and to study the corresponding influences on the physiology of biological systems. With the advent of spaceflight, a long-term nearly nullification of gravity is possible. Utilisation of this so-called "microgravity" condition for research in life sciences thus became an important asset in the space programs of various space agencies around the world. The German Space Life Sciences Program is managed--like all other space programs and activities in Germany--by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) in its role as space agency for Germany. Within the current space program, approved by the German government in May 2001, the overall goal for its life sciences part was defined as to gain scientific knowledge and to disclose new application potential by research under space conditions, especially by utilising the microgravity environment of the International Space Station. Three main scientific fields have been identified in collaboration with the scientific community: integrative human physiology, biotechnological applications of the microgravity environment, and fundamental biology of gravity and radiation responses (i.e., gravitational and radiation biology). In the present contribution, specific goals as well as achievements and perspectives of research in gravitational biology are given. In addition, some information is provided on spaceflight opportunities available.

Animals↗