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Updated: Aug 15, 2025
09:23
Lateral Root Inducible System in Arabidopsis and Maize
Published on: January 14, 2016
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Folate shapes plant root architecture by affecting auxin distribution
Ying Li1,2, Jinying Luo1, Rong Chen1
1Key Laboratory of Horticultural Plant Biology, MOE, and Key Laboratory of Horticultural Crop Biology and Genetic Improvement (Central Region), MOA, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430070, China.
The Plant Journal : for Cell and Molecular Biology
|January 1, 2023
Summary
Folate (vitamin B9) is crucial for plant root development. This study identifies a new gene, AtFolB2, essential for folate biosynthesis and root growth, revealing folate
Area of Science:
- Plant Biology
- Molecular Genetics
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Folate (vitamin B9) is vital for plant growth, particularly root development.
- The precise molecular mechanisms underlying folate's role in root development remain largely unelucidated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the function of the AtFolB2 gene in Arabidopsis thaliana's folate biosynthesis pathway.
- To elucidate the role of folate in regulating plant root architecture and development.
Main Methods:
- Characterization of a novel Arabidopsis root defective mutant, folb2.
- Positional cloning to identify the mutated gene (AtFolB2).
- Analysis of gene expression, folate compound levels, and auxin transport.
Main Results:
- The folb2 mutant exhibits severe primary root defects and impaired root apical meristems.
- A mutation in AtFolB2, encoding a dihydroneopterin aldolase, significantly reduces folate levels and phenocopies mutant traits.
- Exogenous folate application rescues the root phenotype, confirming folate's essential role.
Conclusions:
- AtFolB2 is critical for folate biosynthesis and consequently for proper plant root development in Arabidopsis.
- Folate influences root structure by promoting rootward auxin transport and potentially modulating auxin signaling pathways.
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