• Journal of Life Science
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• v.21 no.7
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• pp.969-975
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• 2011

We focused on relationship between phytohormones and AtEXPA3 gene in gravitropic response of A. thaliana. RT-PCR analysis shows that AtEXPA3 was highly expressed in actively developing tissues such as leaf, rosette, root and flower tissues. AtEXPA3 gene expression was enhanced by gravistimulation, BR and IAA. Furthermore, decreased gravitropism was observed when treatment of AVG, an ethylene biosynthetic inhibitor, suggesting that ethylene has a gravistimulating effect itself as well as BRs and IAA. Inhibition of gravitropism in AtEXPA3 RNAi mutant suggests that BR, auxin and ethylene are playing roles as regulators of AtEXPA3. In addition, altered gravitropism in BRs signaling mutant (decreased in bri1-301, bak1, and increased BRI-GFP) indicated that BRs signaling mediated the gravitropism. In conclusion, gravitropic responses of Arabidopsis root resulting from root growth were mediated by increased expression of AtEXPA3 gene, which is stimulated by phytohormones.

• Journal of Plant Biology
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• v.39 no.4
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• pp.287-293
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• 1996

The effect of taxol and ethyl-N-phenylcarbamate (EPC) on the growth and gravitropism of maize roots and coleoptiles was studied. Taxol is known to promote the assembly of microtubules (MTs) and stabilizes MTs by preventing depolymerization. EPC, on the contrary, is an anti-microtubule drug that promotes disassembly of MTs. Taxol, at 1 $\mu$M, inhibited gravitropic response of maize roots to about 40%, but did not inhibit growth; at 10 $\mu$M, it inhibited the gravitropic response of coleoptile segments of maize by approximately 50%, but did not inhibit growth, while 0.5 mM EPC inhibited both the gravitropic response and growth of maize roots by approximately 50%. Taxol, which inhibited the gravitropic response of maize roots and coleoptile segments, had no effect on either the polar or the bilateral transport of auxin. These results indicated that MT polymerization could not occur normally with taxol or EPC, so that if there was any abnormal rearrangement of MT, the gravitropic response was inhibited, which resulted from the inhibition of neither growth nor auxin transport. This results suggested that gravitropic response was related to the MT arrangement, and that both straight growth and the differential growth in gravitropic response could be regulated by different mechanisms.

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.91-91
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• 2002

• Proceedings of the Botanical Society of Korea Conference
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• 2002.04a
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• pp.93-93
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• 2002

• 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.

• Proceedings of the Zoological Society Korea Conference
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• 2003.08a
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• pp.184.1-184
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• 2003

No Abstract, See Full Text

• 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 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.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.87-91
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• 2012

Phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), a known tumor-promoting phorbol ester, activates the signal transduction enzyme protein kinase C (PKC) in animal cells. We investigated the effect of PMA on the regulation of gravitropism via ethylene production in primary roots of maize. PMA stimulated root growth and the gravitropic response in a concentration-dependent manner at $10^{-6}$ M and $10^{-4}$ M over 8 hrs. These effects were prevented by treatment with staurosporine (STA), a potent inhibitor of PKC. These results support the possibility that the gravitropic response might be regulated through protein kinases that are involved in the signal transduction system. Ethylene is known to play a role in the regulation of root growth and gravitropism. Ethylene production was increased by about 26% and 37% of the control rate in response to $10^{-6}$ M and $10^{-4}$ M PMA, respectively. PMA also stimulated the activity of ACC synthase (ACS), which converts the S-adenosyl-L-methionine (AdoMet) to 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) in the ethylene production pathway. These effects on ethylene production were also prevented by STA treatment. These results suggest that the root gravitropic response in maize is regulated through protein kinases via ethylene production.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.681-686
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• 2012

Light, one of the environmental stimuli, is fundamental to the growth and development of plants. Red and far-red light are sensed using the phytochrome family of plant photoreceptors. To investigate the effect of light on root growth and gravitropism, we used the Arabidopsis phytochrome mutants grown in several light conditions. The root growth of $phyA$ reared in all light conditions except white light and was stimulated compared to the WT. The stimulation of root growth was obvious in $phyA$ grown in red light. On the other hand, the root growth of $phyB$ grown in all light conditions decreased, and the lowest rate of decrease was observed in $phyAB$ grown in white and red light. The gravitropic response of $phyA$ was stimulated compared to the WT when it was grown in all light conditions except far-red light. $PhyAB$ grown in all light conditions showed the inhibition of gravitropic response. The transcript level of ACS, one of the enzymes regulating ethylene biosynthesis, increased in $phyA$ grown in white and red light, but not in $phyA$ grown in far-red light. In conclusion, these results suggested that the $P_{fr}$ form of $phyB$ regulates the root growth and gravitropism.