Title:
|
Molecular characterisation of root gravitropism in Arabidopsis thaliana
|
Plants respond to environmental signals by following growth responses termed
tropisms. like gravity, light and touch. Root gravitropism, for example, is the
response by which the primary root orients its growth according to the gravity
vector. There is a lot of genetic and molecular evidence that support the crucial
role of the phytohormone auxin during root gravitropism. For example mutations
in genes' encoding aux in synthesis, signalling and transport proteins resulted in
agravitropic or partially agravitropic phenotypes. Two novel auxin biosensors,
DII-VENUS and DR5:VENUS had been used to monitor auxin abundance and
auxin response respectively in mutants affecting the above mentioned aux in
processes, Results reflected the powers of these 2 reporters combined as they \,,,'ere
able to reflect a tight relation between the root tip bending and the formation of an
auxin gradient following a 90° gravistimulus, They were also able to uncover
unexpected effects on auxin homeostasis in arj7arf19 that were validated by gas
chromatography- based studies.
Despite the wealth of information describing a lot of auxin mutants, there are a lot
of genes that had not been characterised yet. So, a transcriptomics approach was
followed to discover some of these genes, Results showed thai over 500 genes
were observed to be differentially expressed following a gravity stimulus over an 8
hours time course. Many of these genes were shown to be expressed in an
ARF7/ARFI9 dependant manner. Functional studies identified several mutants
which had slower rate of bending following a 90° gravistimulus: AT5G47540
(similar to M025 protein; unknown function), AT2G27660 (Del -domain
containing protein, zinc ion binding: unknown function) and AT2G25900
(ATCTH; Transcription factor containing a CCCH-type zinc ion binding domain).
Although a lot of work has been done on root gravitropism in A. Ihaliana, the
natural variation within this model system was not explored a lot. So, the
Gravitropic Set Angle (GSA) - or the angle at which the root normally grows with
respect to the gravity vector - for the Arabidopsis ecotype, from the Cape Verde
islands (Cvi) was studied in comparison with the laboratory strain Landsberg
erecta (Ler-l). The GSA phenotype in the Cvi ecotype shows a skewing of the
primary root to the left at an angle of about 90°, Using Near Isogenic Lines
(NILs), this root trait was shown to be controlled by a Cvi-0 region on
chromosome 2. This region was mapped to a region between 11. 16 Mb and 11.28
Mb.
|