title: The electrical network of maize root apex is gravity dependent.
abstract: Investigations carried out on maize roots under microgravity and hypergravity revealed that gravity conditions have strong effects on the network of plant electrical activity. Both the duration of action potentials (APs) and their propagation velocities were significantly affected by gravity. Similarly to what was reported for animals, increased gravity forces speed-up APs and enhance synchronized electrical events also in plants. The root apex transition zone emerges as the most active, as well as the most sensitive, root region in this respect.
authors.affiliation: LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Masi
authors.affiliation: 1] LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy [2] CNR, National Institute of Optics (INO), L.go E. Fermi 6, 50125 Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: Marzena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ciszak
authors.affiliation: 1] LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy [2] LINV@Kitakyushu Research Center, University of Kitakyushu, 808-0135 Hibikino, Wakamatsu-ku, Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan.
authors.forename: Diego
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Comparini
authors.affiliation: LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Monetti
authors.affiliation: LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Camilla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pandolfi
authors.affiliation: LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Azzarello
authors.affiliation: LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mugnai
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Cell Biology, Institute of Cellular and Molecular Botany (IZMB), University of Bonn, Kirschallee 1, D-53115 Bonn, Germany.
authors.forename: Frantisek
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Baluška
authors.affiliation: LINV, Department of Agrifood Production and Environmental Sciences (DISPAA), University of Florence, viale delle Idee 30, 50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mancuso
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000502:physiology; D055724:Electrophysiological Phenomena; D006112:Gravitation; D018519:Meristem / Q000502:physiology*; D008839:Microelectrodes; D011336:Probability; D003313:Zea mays / Q000502:physiology*