Molecular Dynamics in the Acquisition of Rooting Competence

Dear Colleagues,

Adventitious rooting is a crucial step in the vegetative propagation of plants, and it is particularly relevant for woody species and horticultural crops. Adventitious roots originate from tissues other than the main root, including stems, leaves, or hypocotyls. This de novo root regeneration process requires specific cells to modify their transcriptome, pointing towards a root-prone developmental pathway. Therefore, the successful progress of roots depends on a two-step shift: erasing the established gene expression pattern and modifying the determined cellular fate. These changes commonly take place within a narrow time frame, which ends with the initial asymmetric division of the so-called root founder cell.

The current knowledge concerning the molecular basis of adventitious rooting is still fragmented and incomplete. Many factors are known to influence this process. In most systems and in cuttings in particular, wounding is believed to be the primary signal needed to trigger the process, eventually leading to significant changes in gene expression, carbon source–sink relations, and hormone homeostasis. In particular, for many species, an exogenous source of auxin is needed to induce adventitious rooting. Other hormones, such as cytokinins, gibberellins, ethylene and jasmonates, also exert an influence on the process; however, their role is not clearly defined. Most relevantly, each hormone seems to exert a time- and tissue-specific activity, which might also depend on the species under study. Rapid and dynamic changes in their concentration and distribution, the related gene expression, and the putative involvement of epigenetic modifications have yet to be resolved. However, other factors are known to influence the outcome of the process, probably through their interaction with hormones. These factors include reactive oxygen/nitrogen species, microtubule and cell wall remodeling, the chronological and physiological age of the tissues, recalcitrant behavior, and others.

The aim of this Special Issue is to provide a platform for researchers to communicate their results concerning early molecular events in de novo root regeneration. Data from both model and non-model species are welcomed, as this will aid in understanding the potential transferability of results among species. Additionally, the integration of omics data from different sources such as transcriptomics, epigenetics, and metabolomics might facilitate the understanding of this process. Moreover, this integration and its use in systems biology approaches could lead to the development of accurate conceptual models. Overall, this Special Issue will aid in understanding the nature of adventitious rooting, improving current inductive treatments, and increasing the profitability of plant production.

Dr. Conchi Sánchez
Dr. Jesús M. Vielba
Guest Editors

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• adventitious rooting
• cuttings
• phytohormones
• signaling networks
• translational research
• transcriptomics
• recalcitrance
• woody species