Photopolarization of Fucus zygotes is determined by time sensitive vectorial addition of environmental cues during axis amplification

Fucoid zygotes have been extensively used to study cell polarization and asymmetrical cell division. Fertilized eggs are responsive to different environmental cues (e.g., light, gravity) for a long period before the polarity is fixed and the cells germinate accordingly. First, it is commonly believed that the direction and sense of the polarization vector are established simultaneously as indicated by the formation of an F-actin patch. Secondly, upon reorientation of the zygote, a new polar gradient is formed and it is assumed that the position of the future rhizoid pole is only influenced by the latter. Here we tested these two hypotheses investigating photopolarization in Fucus zygotes by reorienting zygotes 90 degrees relative to a unilateral light source at different time points during the first cell cycle. We conclude that fixation of direction and sense of the polarization vector is indeed established simultaneously. However, the experiments yielded a distribution of polarization axes that cannot be explained if only the last environmental cue is supposed to determine the polarization axis. We conclude that our observations, together with published findings, can only be explained by assuming imprinting of the different polarization vectors and their integration as a vectorial sum at the moment of axis fixation. This way cells will average different serially perceived cues resulting in a polarization vector representative of the dynamic intertidal environment, instead of betting exclusively on the perceived vector at the moment of axis fixation

Arabidopsis lectin EULS3 is involved in ABA signaling in roots

The Arabidopsis thaliana lectin ArathEULS3 is upregulated in particular stress conditions and upon abscisic acid (ABA) treatment. ABA is a plant hormone important for plant growth and stress responses. During stress ABA is perceived by PYR/PYL/RCAR receptors, inhibiting protein phosphatases PP2Cs thereby enabling SNRK2s kinases to start downstream phosphorylation cascades and signaling. PYL9, one of the ABA receptors was identified as an interacting partner for ArathEULS3. Promoter::GUS activity studies revealed the expression of ArathEULS3 in the central root cylinder and the cells flanking young lateral root primordia, and showed enhanced expression in root tips after ABA treatment. Transcript levels for ArathEULS3 increased after exposure to ABA and osmotic treatments. ArathEULS3 CRISPR KO mutants served as a tool to expand the knowledge on the role of ArathEULS3 in plant development. KO lines revealed a longer root system compared to WT plants, and showed reduced sensitivity to ABA, salt, and osmotic conditions. Additionally it was noted that the KO mutants had more emerged lateral roots when grown in high osmotic conditions. Together these data suggest that ArathEULS3 may be an important player in ABA responses in roots

A pHantastic ammonium response

Plant roots have to orchestrate their growth pattern to access available nutrients. Root architecture is governed by auxin that locally steers growth and development of lateral roots, thereby increasing the uptake capacity. A new mechanism for ammonium acquisition by influencing cellular auxin import has been defined

Pericyclic versus endodermal lateral roots : which came first?

Digging into the limited literature on lateral root (LR) formation in early vascular plants, we came to the novel conclusion that the pericycle, rather than the endodermis as commonly assumed, represents the ancestral tissue that was evolutionarily recruited to form LRs

Lateral Root Initiation and the Analysis of Gene Function Using Genome Editing with CRISPR in Arabidopsis

Lateral root initiation is a post-embryonic process that requires the specification of a subset of pericycle cells adjacent to the xylem pole in the primary root into lateral root founder cells. The first visible event of lateral root initiation in Arabidopsis is the simultaneous migration of nuclei in neighbouring founder cells. Coinciding cell cycle activation is essential for founder cells in the pericycle to undergo formative divisions, resulting in the development of a lateral root primordium (LRP). The plant signalling molecule, auxin, is a major regulator of lateral root development; the understanding of the molecular mechanisms controlling lateral root initiation has progressed tremendously by the use of the Arabidopsis model and a continual improvement of molecular methodologies. Here, we provide an overview of the visible events, cell cycle regulators, and auxin signalling cascades related to the initiation of a new LRP. Furthermore, we highlight the potential of genome editing technology to analyse gene function in lateral root initiation, which provides an excellent model to answer fundamental developmental questions such as coordinated cell division, growth axis establishment as well as the specification of cell fate and cell polarity.</jats:p

Transverse sectioning of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves using resin embedding

The leaf is the major functional part of the shoot performing the bulk of photosynthetic activity. Its development is relatively plastic allowing the plant to adapt to environmental changes by modifying leaf size and anatomy. Moreover, a leaf is made up of various distinct cell layers, each having specialized functions. To understand functional adaptation and the development of the leaf it is essential to obtain cross sections throughout leaf development and at maturity (Kalve et al., 2014). Here, we describe a protocol for transverse sectioning of Arabidopsis thaliana leaves using resin embedding. This protocol provides a reliable platform to yield high quality images of cross sections allowing study of development of various tissue layers across the transversal axis of the leaf. As this method is an adaptation of the protocol developed for the Arabidopsis root tip by Beeckman and Viane (1999) and De Smet et al. (2004), it can easily be modified to accommodate other organs and species

Widely tunable silicon-on-insulator ring resonators with a liquid crystal cladding

Silicon-On-Insulator ring resonators can be widely tuned with a cladding layer of Liquid Crystals. Reorientation of the director with an electric field results in a tuning range of more than 30nm

Wide tuning of silicon-on-insulator ring resonators with a liquid crystal cladding

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The dynamic nature and regulation of the root clock

Plants explore the soil by continuously expanding their root system, a process that depends on the production of lateral roots (LRs). Sites where LRs can be produced are specified in the primary root axis through a pre-patterning mechanism, determined by a biological clock that is coordinated by temporal signals and positional cues. This ‘root clock’ generates an oscillatory signal that is translated into a developmental cue to specify a set of founder cells for LR formation. In this Review, we summarize recent findings that shed light on the mechanisms underlying the oscillatory signal and discuss how a periodic signal contributes to the conversion of founder cells into LR primordia. We also provide an overview of the phases of the root clock that may be influenced by endogenous factors, such as the plant hormone auxin, and by exogenous environmental cues. Finally, we discuss additional aspects of the root-branching process that act independently of the root clock