title: PEG-mediated osmotic stress induces premature differentiation of the root apical meristem and outgrowth of lateral roots in wheat.
abstract: Water stress is one of the major environmental stresses causing growth retardation and yield loss of plants. In the past decades, osmotic adjustment, antioxidant protection, and stomatal movement have been extensively studied, but much less attention has been paid to the study of root system reprogramming to maximize water absorption and survival under water stress. Here, it is shown that polyethylene glycol (PEG)-simulated mild and moderate osmotic stress induced premature differentiation of the root apical meristem (RAM). It is demonstrated that RAM premature differentiation is a conserved adaptive mechanism that is widely adopted by various plants to cope with osmotic stress simulated by PEG 8000, and the occurrence of RAM premature differentiation is directly related to stress tolerance of plants. It is shown that the osmotic stress-induced premature differentiation caused growth cessation of primary roots allowing outgrowth of lateral roots. This work has uncovered a key mechanism for controlling the plastic development of the root system by which plants are capable of survival, growth, or reproduction under water stress.
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China.
authors.forename: Hongtao
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ji
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China.
authors.forename: Ling
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China.
authors.forename: Kexue
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China.
authors.forename: Qingen
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xie
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China.
authors.forename: Zhijuan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China.
authors.forename: Xuhua
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: The State Key Laboratory of Plant Cell & Chromosome Engineering, Center for Agricultural Research Resources, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei 050021, China xli@genetics.ac.cn.
authors.forename: Xia
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D018519:Meristem / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D009997:Osmotic Pressure; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014908:Triticum / Q000737:chemistry / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development
chemical_list: D011092:Polyethylene Glycols
keywords: Lateral roots; PEG 8000; osmotic stress; premature differentiation; root tip; wheat (Triticum aestivum).