Department of Plant Pathology, University of California, One Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
Published: January 2011
AI Article Synopsis
Article Abstract
Root hairs play important roles in the interaction of plants with their environment. Root hairs anchor the plant in the soil, facilitate nutrient uptake from the rhizosphere, and participate in symbiotic plant-microbe interactions. These specialized cells grow in a polar fashion which gives rise to their elongated shape, a process mediated in part by a family of small GTPases known as Rops. RopGEFs (GEF, guanine nucleotide exchange factor) activate Rops to effect tip growth in Arabidopsis pollen and root hairs, but the genes mediating tip growth in legumes have not yet been characterized. In this report we describe the Rop and RopGEF gene families from the model legume Medicago truncatula and from the crop legume soybean. We find that one member of the M. truncatula gene family, MtRopGEF2, is required for root hair development because silencing this gene by RNA interference affects the cytosolic Ca2+ gradient and subcellular structure of root hairs, and reduces root hair growth. Consistent with its role in polar growth, we find that a GFP::MtRopGEF2 fusion protein localizes in the apex of emerging and actively growing root hairs. The amino terminus of MtRopGEF2 regulates its ability to interact with MtRops in yeast, and regulates its biological activity in vivo.
Microbial pathogens and other parasites can modify the development of their hosts, either as a target or a side effect of their virulence activities. The plant-pathogenic bacterium Ralstonia solanacearum, causal agent of the devastating bacterial wilt disease, is a soilborne microbe that invades host plants through their roots and later proliferates in xylem vessels. In this work, we studied the early stages of R.
Background And Aims: Metformin is a widely used oral agent for controlling diabetes mellitus, but it also has other therapeutic benefits for various conditions. In addition, conventional oral metformin, and topical metformin have been used in, in-vitro studies in the treatment of acne, psoriasis, wound healing, and and so forth. While topical metformin has shown promising results in animal studies, there is limited data on its effectiveness in humans.
When plants are exposed to drought stress, there is a trade-off between plant growth and stress responses. Here, we identified a signaling mechanism for the initial steps of the drought-growth trade-off. Phosphoproteomic profiling revealed that Raf13, a B1 subgroup Raf-like kinase, is dephosphorylated under drought conditions.
Background: The mutualistic beneficial relationship between legume plants and rhizobia enables the growth of plants in nitrogen-limiting conditions. Rhizobia infect legumes through root hairs and trigger nodule organogenesis in the cortex. The plant hormone cytokinin plays a pivotal role in regulating both rhizobial infection and the initiation of nodule development.
By providing adaptive advantages to plants, desert microorganisms are emerging as promising solutions to mitigate the negative and abrupt effects of climate change in agriculture. Among these, pseudomonads, commonly found in soil and in association with plants' root system, have been shown to enhance plant tolerance to salinity and drought, primarily affecting root system architecture in various hosts. However, a comprehensive understanding of how these bacteria affect plant responses at the cellular, physiological and molecular levels is still lacking.
