title: Root hair systems biology.
abstract: Plant functional genomic studies have largely measured the response of whole plants, organs and tissues, resulting in the dilution of the signal from individual cells. Methods are needed where the full repertoire of functional genomic tools can be applied to a single plant cell. Root hair cells are an attractive model to study the biology of a single, differentiated cell type because of their ease of isolation, polar growth, and role in water and nutrient uptake, as well as being the site of infection by nitrogen-fixing bacteria. This review highlights the recent advances in our understanding of plant root hair biology and examines whether the root hair has potential as a model for plant cell systems biology.
authors.affiliation: Division of Plant Sciences, National Center for Soybean Biotechnology, C.S. Bond Life Sciences Center, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO 65211, USA. libaultm@missouri.edu
authors.forename: Marc
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Libault
authors.forename: Laurent
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Brechenmacher
authors.forename: Jianlin
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cheng
authors.forename: Dong
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Gary
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Stacey
mesh_terms: D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D009586:Nitrogen Fixation; D059828:Plant Cells; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000166:cytology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D010944:Plants / Q000235:genetics / Q000382:microbiology; D049490:Systems Biology