• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.2 s.82
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• pp.174-178
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• 2007

Treatment of malformin A1 is known to increase ethylene production 130% at 4 hr and 56% at 8 hr after treatment in maize root compared to untreated plants. The ethylene production by malformin A1 was maximum level at 4 hr and slowly decreased up to 8 hr. Calcium ion regulators such as A23187 (calcium ionophore) and verapamil (calcium channel blocker) stimulated ethylene production. Treatment of both calcium ion regulators increased about 30% of ethylene production at 4 hr, and 20% at 8 hr. Both calcium ion regulators did not stimulate malformin A1-induced ethylene production at 4 hr as malformin A1 itself did. However, the treatment of calcium ion regulators with malformin A1 maintains the ethylene production for 8 hr. These results suggested that the proper concentration of calcium might need to confer the effect of malformin A1 on the ethylene production. Malformin A1 suppressed the gravitropic curvature of maize root about 58% at 4 hr and 42% at 8 hr compared to control plant. Verapamil inhibited the gravitropic curvature about 54% at 4 hr and 23% at 8 hr compared to control, respectively. But A23187 could not. In addition, verapamil showed more inhibition in malformin A1-induced gravitropic curvature than A23187 in malformin A1 induced. These data suggested that calcium ion regulators affect the malformin A1-induced ethylene production and gravitropic curvature, and give the evidence that calcium ion play an important role in gravitropic curvature in maize root.

• Korean Journal of Plant Resources
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.597-603
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• 2018

Inhibitory effect of colchicine on growth and gravitropic responses in Arabidopsis root was explored to find whether there was an involvement of ethylene production. It has been known that cytoskeleton components are implicated in sedimentation of statoliths to respond to gravitropism and growth. The root growth was inhibited by 25% and 40% over control for 8 hr treatment of colchicine at a concentration of $10^{-5}M$ and $10^{-7}M$, respectively. The roots treated with colchicine at the concentration of $10^{-7}M$ showed the same pattern as control in 3 hr, however, gravitropic response was decreased in the next 5 hr. The colchicine treatment at the concentration of $10^{-5}M$ inhibited the gravitropic response resulting in $60^{\circ}$ of curvature. In order to better understand the role of colchicine, the production of ethylene was measured with and without the treatment of colchicine. Colchicine increased the ethylene production by 20% when compared to control via the activation of ACC oxidase and ACC synthase activity. These results suggest that the inhibition of the growth and gravitropic responses of Arabidopsis roots by the treatment of colchicine could be attributed to the rearrangement of microtubule, and increase of ethylene production.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.18 no.8
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• pp.1164-1168
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• 2008

We investigated gravitropic responses in the primary root of maize (Zea mays) seedlings which were exposed to salt stress. The maize roots salt-stressed with higher than 100 mM NaCl or KCl started to reveal enhanced gravitropic curvature after 2 hours form the gravi-stimulation. Such a promotion was not caused by sodium phosphate, but invoked by potassium phosphate, indicating the active component is $K^{+}$. Because NaCl increased gravitropic curvature, despite that $Na^{+}$ did not played any role, we evaluated the role for $Cl^{-}$ by comparing the effects of $MgCl_2$ and $MgSO_4$. The enhancement of the curvature only with $MgCl_2$ revealed that $Cl^{-}$ played a role in the gravi-response, indicating the involvement of anion channels. These results suggest that both of $K^{+}$ and $Cl^{-}$ play roles in the regulation of osmosis that is required for cell expansion in gravitropism as well as in nyctinasty and stomatal opening.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.9-16
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• 2018

Light is essential to the growth and development of plants, and it is perceived by phytochromes, which are one of the photoreceptors that regulate physiological responses in plants. Ethylene regulates the dormancy, senescence, growth, and development of organs in plants. This research focused on the interaction of phytochromes and ethylene to control hypocotyl growth and gravitropism using phytochrome mutants of Arabidopsis, phyA, phyB, and phyAB, under three light conditions: red (R) light, farred (FR) light, and white light. The mutant phyAB exhibited the most stimulation of gravitropic response of all three phytochrome mutants and wild type (WT) in all three light conditions. Moreover, phyB in the R light condition showed more negative gravitropism than phyA. However, phyB in the FR light condition showed less curvature than phyA. The hypocotyl growth pattern was similar to the gravitropic response in several light conditions. To explain the mechanism of the regulation of gravitropic response and growth, we measured the ethylene production and activities of in vitro ACS and ACO. Ethylene production was reduced in all the mutants grown in white light in comparison to the WT. Ethylene production increased in the phyA grown in R light and phyB grown in FR light in comparison to the other mutants. The ACS activity coincided with the ethylene production in the phyA and the phyB grown in R light and FR light, respectively. These results suggest that the Pfr form of phyB in R light and the Pr form of phyA in FR light increased ethylene production via increasing ACS activity.

• Korean Journal of Plant Tissue Culture
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.345-350
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• 1995

Root gravitropism was investigated in the pea (Pisum sativum L.) mutant ageotropum lacking normal gravitropic response. Exogenous ethylene treatment inhibited gravitropic response in the normal (wild type) pea rook, but had no significant effect to restore the unresponsiveness in the mutant Neither inhibitors of ethylene biosynthesis nor antagonists of ethylene action were able to bring about the development of gravioopic curvature in the ageotropum roots. Auxin action seems to be normal since asymmetric application of agar blocks containing auxin to the mutant roots caused normal gravitropic response to occur. Endogenous as well as auxin-induced ethylene production in tissue segments of the mutant root was about equal to that of the wild type. However no appreciable lateral transport of labeled auxin was observed in glavistimulated mutant roots whereas typical auxin asymetry was apparent in the wild type roots under the same conditions. It is concluded that the mutant has a defect in either gravity perception or its transduction, but not in the effector system involving auxin action.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.257-262
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• 1994

The tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) mutant diageotropica (dgt) lacking normal gravitropic response is known to be less sensitive to auxin compared with its isogenic parent VFN8. Straight growth as well as ethylene production in response to added auxin in hypocotyl segments of dgt was negligible. However, there was no significant difference between the two genotypes in auxin transport in petiole segments and its inhibition by the phytotropin N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid(NPA). Kinetic parameters of NPA binding to microsomal membranes were also non-distinguishable between the two. Its petiolar explants treated with ethylene developed epinastic curvature with the magnitude of response increased about 3 folds over non-mutant wild type. Ethylene-induced epinasty in both dgt and VFN8 was nullified by treatment of explants with the ethylene autagonist 2,5-norbonadiene. Lateral transport of 3H-IAA toward the upper side of ethylene-treated petioles in dgt, however, was not significantly more pronounced than in VFN8, the implications being that auxin sensitivity in the mutant was restored, or even rised above the wild type, by ethylene.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.17 no.7 s.87
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• pp.990-995
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• 2007

We tested the effect of sodium tungstate, which disturbs the molybdenum cofactor formation, on the activities of aldehyde oxidase(AO) and the growth of maize(Zea mays) primary roots. As reported in other plants, sodium tungstate inhibited AO also in the maize root concentration-dependently. The inhibitory effect of sodium tungstate was observed only when the inhibitor was applied to the living plants. Application of tungstate to the extracted protein did not show any effect. Western analysis revealed slightly decreased level of AO protein in the presence of tungstate, indicating a positive feedback of gene regulation by the product. We also tested the effects of tungstate on the root growth. The elongation of primary root and the development of lateral roots, which are sensitive to the absolute level of auxin, were decreased in the presence of sodium tungstate. However, the gravitropic curvature of the primary root, which is dependent on the relative amount of auxin at both sides, was unaffected. These data suggested the decrease of auxin biosynthesis by the application of tungstate. However, the level of free IAA was unaffected by tungstate application. We discuss the possible explanations for the observed results.