Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 19, 2025
09:23
Lateral Root Inducible System in Arabidopsis and Maize
Published on: January 14, 2016
14.2K
Root isoprene formation alters lateral root development
Maja Miloradovic van Doorn1, Juliane Merl-Pham2, Andrea Ghirardo1
1Research Unit Environmental Simulation, Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany.
Plant, Cell & Environment
|June 5, 2020
Summary
Isoprene protects plants from stress. In poplar roots, isoprene regulates reactive oxygen species (ROS) and influences lateral root development, revealing new belowground functions for this volatile compound.
Area of Science:
- Plant Physiology
- Molecular Biology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Isoprene is a volatile organic compound known to protect aboveground plant tissues from abiotic stress.
- Its role in belowground plant tissues, particularly roots, remains largely unexplored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the novel functions of isoprene in the belowground tissues of poplar plants.
- To understand the involvement of isoprene in root development and stress response.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Populus x canescens isoprene synthase (PcISPS) promoter reporter plants.
- Treatment of roots with auxin and salt to observe PcISPS promoter activity.
- Characterization of isoprene non-emitting transgenic poplar roots.
- Proteomic analysis of fine root tissues.
- Inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase activity.
Main Results:
- PcISPS promoter activity was detected in specific root regions, including vascular tissue, differentiation zone, and root cap, increasing with auxin/salt treatment and lateral root (LR) development.
- Isoprene non-emitting roots showed increased superoxide accumulation and enhanced LR formation.
- Inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase suppressed LR development, implicating ROS.
- Proteomic analysis revealed altered levels of redox balance, signaling, and development proteins in isoprene non-emitting roots.
Conclusions:
- Isoprene plays a significant role in regulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) in poplar root tissues.
- Isoprene influences lateral root development, likely through ROS-mediated signaling pathways.
- These findings uncover new functions for isoprene in coordinating plant-internal signaling and development in roots.
Related Concept Videos
03:02Primary and Secondary Growth in Roots and Shoots
59.7K
Vascular plants, which account for over 90% of the Earth’s vegetation, all undergo primary growth—which lengthens roots and shoots. Many land plants, notably woody plants, also undergo secondary growth—which thickens roots and shoots.
59.7K
02:19Morphogenesis
29.9K
Plant morphogenesis—the development of a plant’s form and structure—involves several overlapping developmental processes, including growth and cell differentiation. Precursor cells differentiate into specific cell types, which are organized into the tissues and organ systems that make up the functional plant.
29.9K
02:26Responses to Gravity and Touch
41.5K
Gravitropism: Plant Responses to Gravity
41.5K
02:36Meristems and Plant Growth
48.6K
Plants grow throughout their lives; this is called indeterminate growth, and it distinguishes plants from most animals. Although certain parts of plants stop growing (e.g., leaves and flowers), others grow continuously—like roots and stems.
48.6K
02:04Regulation of Transpiration by Stomata
30.6K
During photosynthesis, plants acquire the necessary carbon dioxide and release the produced oxygen back into the atmosphere. Openings in the epidermis of plant leaves is the site of this exchange of gasses. A single opening is called a stoma—derived from the Greek word for “mouth.” Stomata open and close in response to a variety of environmental cues.
30.6K
01:17Radical Chain-Growth Polymerization: Chain Branching
2.3K
The skeletal structure of polymers synthesized via radical polymerization is always branched. For example, the polymerization of ethylene by radical polymerization results in a low-density grade of polyethylene with a heavily branched skeletal structure. Here, the radical site abstracts hydrogen from the growing chain, and the radical site shifts from the end (a primary carbon center) to anywhere within the growing chain (a secondary carbon center). Consequently, the part of the chain from the...
2.3K