title: Cortex proliferation in the root is a protective mechanism against abiotic stress.
abstract: Although as an organ the root plays a pivotal role in nutrient and water uptake as well anchorage, individual cell types function distinctly. Cortex is regarded as the least differentiated cell type in the root, but little is known about its role in plant growth and physiology. In recent studies, we found that cortex proliferation can be induced by oxidative stress. Since all types of abiotic stress lead to oxidative stress, this finding suggests a role for cortex in coping with abiotic stress. This hypothesis was tested in this study using the spy mutant, which has an extra layer of cortex in the root. Interestingly, the spy mutant was shown to be hypersensitive to salt and oxidizing reagent applied to the leaves, but it was as tolerant as the wild type to these compounds in the soil. This result lends support to the notion that cortex has a protective role against abiotic stress arising from the soil.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Biological Science; Florida State University ; Tallahassee , FL USA.
authors.forename: Hongchang
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000502:physiology*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C101465:SPY protein, Arabidopsis
keywords: Arabidopsis thaliana; abiotic stress; cortex; reactive oxygen species; root; shoot