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Updated: Dec 21, 2025

Lateral Root Inducible System in Arabidopsis and Maize
Published on: January 14, 2016
Auxin action in developing maize coleoptiles: challenges and open questions.
Ulrich Kutschera1,2, Rajnish Khanna1,2
1I-Cultiver, Inc ., San Francisco, CA, USA.
Plant organ growth is explored, highlighting auxin's role. Etiolated grass coleoptiles are key for studying auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA) action and its impact on cell elongation via tissue tension and vacuolar expansion.
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Cellular Biology
- Biophysics
Background:
- Julius Sachs' 1870 work established plant organ growth at the cellular level.
- The etiolated grass coleoptile remains a crucial model for studying plant growth mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To revisit Sachs' fundamental discovery on plant organ growth.
- To analyze auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA) action in etiolated grass coleoptiles.
- To discuss the acid-growth hypotheses and their relation to IAA-induced growth.
Main Methods:
- Review of historical and current research on plant organ growth.
- Analysis of the 'tissue tension' phenomenon in relation to auxin action.
- Examination of vacuolar expansion and cell wall loosening mechanisms.
Main Results:
- IAA-mediated elongation may not require wall acidification.
- Growth regulation might involve glycoprotein secretion and turgor pressure.
- Fusicoccin (Fc) induces organ elongation through proton secretion, supporting the acid-growth hypothesis.
Conclusions:
- Cell elongation is best understood as a systems-level property of the entire organ, not just individual cells.
- Biomechanical features of organs are critical for understanding growth.
- A systems-level approach to plant growth analysis originates from Sachs' foundational work.
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