Root Development and Adaptations

A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Physiology and Metabolism".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2025 | Viewed by 2151

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Department of Botany, School of Biology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece
Interests: histone acetylation; plant development; plant molecular genetics; epigenetics
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Dear Colleagues,

Plants have root systems that not only anchor them to the soil, but also absorb nutrients and water required for their growth. Through evolution, plant root systems have been able to adapt to various environmental cues, such as soil composition, competition with other root systems, and abiotic and biotic stresses, as well as interact with beneficial organisms in the rhizosphere. Root architecture and responses to different environmental conditions are diverse and phenotypically variable. Using Arabidopsis as a model system has improved our understanding of molecular signaling involved in root apical meristem action, pattern formation, root growth rate, and the degree of branching. Given the actual root system diversity and complexity inherent among plant species, new discoveries have enriched our understanding of several aspects of control in root development in diverse species and their role within plant adaptation.

Dr. Konstantinos E. Vlachonasios
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • root development
  • root apical meristem
  • gravitropism
  • root branching
  • root pattern formation
  • root architecture
  • gene expression
  • molecular mechanisms
  • epigenetic modifications
  • abiotic stress responses
  • rhizosphere
  • biotic stress responses

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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17 pages, 3891 KiB  
Article
Xylooligosaccharides Enhance Lettuce Root Morphogenesis and Growth Dynamics
by Meng Kong, Jiuxing He, Juan Wang, Min Gong, Qiuyan Huo, Wenbo Bai, Jiqing Song, Jianbin Song, Wei Han and Guohua Lv
Plants 2024, 13(12), 1699; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13121699 - 19 Jun 2024
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Abstract
Enhancing root development is pivotal for boosting crop yield and augmenting stress resilience. In this study, we explored the regulatory effects of xylooligosaccharides (XOSs) on lettuce root growth, comparing their impact with that of indole-3-butyric acid potassium salt (IBAP). Treatment with XOS led [...] Read more.
Enhancing root development is pivotal for boosting crop yield and augmenting stress resilience. In this study, we explored the regulatory effects of xylooligosaccharides (XOSs) on lettuce root growth, comparing their impact with that of indole-3-butyric acid potassium salt (IBAP). Treatment with XOS led to a substantial increase in root dry weight (30.77%), total root length (29.40%), volume (21.58%), and surface area (25.44%) compared to the water-treated control. These enhancements were on par with those induced by IBAP. Comprehensive phytohormone profiling disclosed marked increases in indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), zeatin riboside (ZR), methyl jasmonate (JA-ME), and brassinosteroids (BRs) following XOS application. Through RNA sequencing, we identified 3807 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the roots of XOS-treated plants, which were significantly enriched in pathways associated with manganese ion homeostasis, microtubule motor activity, and carbohydrate metabolism. Intriguingly, approximately 62.7% of the DEGs responsive to XOS also responded to IBAP, underscoring common regulatory mechanisms. However, XOS uniquely influenced genes related to cutin, suberine, and wax biosynthesis, as well as plant hormone signal transduction, hinting at novel mechanisms of stress tolerance. Prominent up-regulation of genes encoding beta-glucosidase and beta-fructofuranosidase highlights enhanced carbohydrate metabolism as a key driver of XOS-induced root enhancement. Collectively, these results position XOS as a promising, sustainable option for agricultural biostimulation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Root Development and Adaptations)
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Review

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18 pages, 656 KiB  
Review
Roles of Histone Acetylation and Deacetylation in Root Development
by Christos Tersenidis, Stylianos Poulios, George Komis, Emmanuel Panteris and Konstantinos Vlachonasios
Plants 2024, 13(19), 2760; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13192760 - 1 Oct 2024
Viewed by 844
Abstract
Roots are usually underground plant organs, responsible for anchoring to the soil, absorbing water and nutrients, and interacting with the rhizosphere. During root development, roots respond to a variety of environmental signals, contributing to plant survival. Histone post-translational modifications play essential roles in [...] Read more.
Roots are usually underground plant organs, responsible for anchoring to the soil, absorbing water and nutrients, and interacting with the rhizosphere. During root development, roots respond to a variety of environmental signals, contributing to plant survival. Histone post-translational modifications play essential roles in gene expression regulation, contributing to plant responses to environmental cues. Histone acetylation is one of the most studied post-translational modifications, regulating numerous genes involved in various biological processes, including development and stress responses. Although the effect of histone acetylation on plant responses to biotic and abiotic stimuli has been extensively reviewed, no recent reviews exist focusing on root development regulation by histone acetylation. Therefore, this review brings together all the knowledge about the impact of histone acetylation on root development in several plant species, mainly focusing on Arabidopsis thaliana. Here, we summarize the role of histone acetylation and deacetylation in numerous aspects of root development, such as stem cell niche maintenance, cell division, expansion and differentiation, and developmental zone determination. We also emphasize the gaps in current knowledge and propose new perspectives for research toward deeply understanding the role of histone acetylation in root development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Root Development and Adaptations)
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Planned Papers

The below list represents only planned manuscripts. Some of these manuscripts have not been received by the Editorial Office yet. Papers submitted to MDPI journals are subject to peer-review.

Title: Transcriptome Analysis Reveals the Mechanisms of xylo-oligosaccharide Spraying on Root Development and Growth of Lettuce
Authors: Meng Kong 1; Juan Wang 1; Jiuxing He 1; Qiuyan Huo 1; Yawen Jiang 1; Xi Yang 1; Wei Han 2; Guohua Lv 1
Affiliation: 1 Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing 100081, China. 2 Shandong Agri-tech Extension Center, Jinan 250013, China.
Abstract: Xylo-oligosaccharides (XOS) are xylose polymers produced by the degradation of lignocellulose and have potential applications in the field of plant growth regulation. However, the role of XOS in plant growth regulation is still not well understood, especially its regulatory mechanism on plant root growth. Xylo-oligosaccharide with 50 mg L-1 was used to explore the molecular mechanism of XOS on lettuce growth. The result shows that XOS has a significant promoting effects on lettuce growth. Compared to the control group, the above-ground and underground biomass as well as the adventitious root length of lettuce after treated with XOS were increased by 37.6%, 46.9% and 36.8% respectively. Transcriptome sequencing reveal significant alterations in gene expression across various biological pathways in lettuce leaves treated with XOS, including circadian rhythm, pyruvate metabolism, photosynthetic carbon fixation, and thiamine metabolism. In addition, In the root system, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) is mainly enriched in key pathways such as starch and sucrose metabolism, plant hormone signal transduction, and phenylpropanoid biosynthesis. Besides, several candidate genes are identified that may play pivotal roles in regulating lettuce growth, such as the ACS coding gene, CK2α coding gene, SAUR gene, etc. In conclusion, multiple genes have been identified as potential mechanism underlying xylo-oligosaccharide-regulated lettuce growth, offering insights into the molecular events involved.

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