2018/10/01
Regulation of the pathway for water transport in plants.
Press release
A Rho-based reaction-diffusion system governs cell wall patterning in metaxylem vessels
Yoshinobu Nagashima, Satoru Tsugawa, Atsushi Mochizuki, Takema Sasaki, Hiroo Fukuda, Yoshihisa Oda
Scientific Reports DOI:10.1038/s41598-018-29543-y
Press release (In Japanese only)
The deposition pattern of plant cell walls influences the nature of plant body, such as size, shape, and stiffness. In xylem vessels, cell wall deposition is locally inhibited to form pits, which are tiny caves in cell walls that allow waters move through xylem vessels. Our research group revealed the regulatory mechanism of the pit formation by combining the genetic approach and mathematical approach known as “reaction-diffusion system”. The knowledge obtained in our research may contribute to developing new plants of modified size and stiffness by artificially regulating the deposition pattern of cell walls.
Figure:
(A) Water transport in plants
(B) ROP11 activity determines the amount of pits
