Modification by ethylene of the cell growth pattern in different tissues of etiolated lupine hypocotyls

The influence of ethylene on growth in etiolated lupine (Lupinus albus L.) hypocotyls was studied in ethephon-treated plants. Ethephon reduced the length and increased the diameter of hypocotyls. At the end of the hypocotyl growth period (14 days), the fresh weight was reduced by 53%, and the dry weight was reduced by 16%. Thus, ethylene reduced water uptake in the tissues to a greater extent than the incorporation of new materials. Light microscopic measurements showed that the thickness of tissues was stimulated by ethylene, the vascular cylinder and cortex exhibiting greater increases (55 and 45%, respectively) than pith (26%) or epidermis (12%). Ethephon modified the cell growth pattern, stimulating lateral cell expansion and cell wall thickness, while reducing cell elongation. The response to ethylene varied in the different tissues and was higher in cortex and pith cells than in the epidermis cells. The ethylene-induced cell expansion in the cortex varied according to the localization of cells in the tissue: the central and subepidermal layers showed little change, whereas the innermost layers exhibited the greatest increase. Electron microscopy revealed that ethylene increased both the rough endoplasmic reticulum and dictyosomes, suggesting that ethylene stimulated the secretion of cell wall materials. In untreated seedlings, the pattern of cell growth was similar in cells from the epidermis, cortex, and pith. The final cell size varied along the hypocotyl, the cells becoming shorter and broader the closer to the basal zones of the organ.