Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 14, 2026

Lateral Root Inducible System in Arabidopsis and Maize
Published on: January 14, 2016
Dynamic control of lateral root positioning
Barbara K Möller1, Wei Xuan2, Tom Beeckman1
1Department of Plant Systems Biology, VIB, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium; Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Technologiepark 927, B-9052 Ghent, Belgium.
Abstract:
In dicot root systems, lateral roots are in general regularly spaced along the longitudinal axis of the primary root to facilitate water and nutrient uptake. Recently, recurrent programmed cell death in the root cap of the growing root has been implicated in lateral root spacing. The root cap contains an auxin source that modulates lateral root patterning. Periodic release of auxin by dying root cap cells seems to trigger lateral root specification at regular intervals. However, it is currently unclear through which molecular mechanisms auxin restricts lateral root specification to specific cells along the longitudinal and radial axes of the root, or how environmental signals impact this process.
Related Concept Videos
Responses to Gravity and Touch
Root-Locus Method
This system can be represented by a block...
Plotting and Calibrating the Root Locus
The maximum gain occurs at the breakaway points between open-loop poles on the real axis, while the minimum gain is...
Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots
Meristems and Plant Growth
Water and Mineral Acquisition

