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Plastids and gravitropic sensing.

F D Sack1

  • 1Department of Plant Biology, Ohio State University, Columbus 43210, USA. sack.1@osu.edu

Planta
|September 7, 2001
PubMed
Summary
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Plant gravitropic sensing, crucial for growth, appears to be mediated by the mass of amyloplasts. This plastid-based mechanism is supported by various experimental evidences in plant and algal systems.

Area of Science:

  • Plant Biology
  • Cell Biology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Gravitropism is a fundamental plant response to gravity, essential for directional growth.
  • The precise mechanism and cellular components responsible for gravity sensing remain an area of active research.
  • Gravity sensing has potentially evolved multiple times across different plant and algal lineages.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing data and theories on the identity of the mass involved in gravitropic sensing.
  • To evaluate the role of amyloplasts as the primary gravity-sensing organelles in plants.

Main Methods:

  • Review of scientific literature and experimental data.
  • Analysis of evidence from studies on gravitropism, gravimorphism, gravitaxis, and cytoplasmic streaming.
Keywords:
NASA Discipline Plant BiologyNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

  • Examination of data from wild-type plants and starchless/intermediate starch mutants.
  • Consideration of experiments using magnetophoresis to mimic gravitropism.

    • Main Results:

    • Gravitropic sensing in organs and tip-growing cells appears to rely on the sedimentation of amyloplasts.
    • Evidence includes regulated cell location, specialized cell morphology, correlation with gravitropic competence, mimicry by magnetophoresis, and reduced sensitivity in starchless mutants.
    • In some cases, like Chara internodal cells, the entire cell mass might be involved in sensing.

    Conclusions:

    • The simplest interpretation of the available data strongly suggests that gravitropic sensing is primarily plastid-based.
    • Amyloplasts, due to their density and sedimentation properties, are the most likely candidates for the gravity-sensing mass.
    • Further research is warranted to fully elucidate the intricate mechanisms of gravity perception in plants.