Dual-flow-RootChip reveals local adaptations of roots towards environmental asymmetry at the physiological and genetic levels.
New Phytol
; 217(3): 1357-1369, 2018 02.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29125191
ABSTRACT
Roots grow in highly dynamic and heterogeneous environments. Biological activity as well as uneven nutrient availability or localized stress factors result in diverse microenvironments. Plants adapt their root morphology in response to changing environmental conditions, yet it remains largely unknown to what extent developmental adaptations are based on systemic or cell-autonomous responses. We present the dual-flow-RootChip, a microfluidic platform for asymmetric perfusion of Arabidopsis roots to investigate root-environment interactions under simulated environmental heterogeneity. Applications range from investigating physiology, root hair development and calcium signalling upon selective exposure to environmental stresses to tracing molecular uptake, performing selective drug treatments and localized inoculations with microbes. Using the dual-flow-RootChip, we revealed cell-autonomous adaption of root hair development under asymmetric phosphate (Pi) perfusion, with unexpected repression in root hair growth on the side exposed to low Pi and rapid tip-growth upregulation when Pi concentrations increased. The asymmetric root environment further resulted in an asymmetric gene expression of RSL4, a key transcriptional regulator of root hair growth. Our findings demonstrate that roots possess the capability to locally adapt to heterogeneous conditions in their environment at the physiological and transcriptional levels. Being able to generate asymmetric microenvironments for roots will help further elucidate decision-making processes in root-environment interactions.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Assunto principal:
Adaptação Fisiológica
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Arabidopsis
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Raízes de Plantas
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Microfluídica
Tipo de estudo:
Prognostic_studies
Idioma:
En
Revista:
New Phytol
Assunto da revista:
BOTANICA
Ano de publicação:
2018
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
Suíça