title: D-Root: a system for cultivating plants with the roots in darkness or under different light conditions.
abstract: In nature roots grow in the dark and away from light (negative phototropism). However, most current research in root biology has been carried out with the root system grown in the presence of light. Here, we have engineered a device, called Dark-Root (D-Root), to grow plants in vitro with the aerial part exposed to the normal light/dark photoperiod while the roots are in the dark or exposed to specific wavelengths or light intensities. D-Root provides an efficient system for cultivating a large number of seedlings and easily characterizing root architecture in the dark. At the morphological level, root illumination shortens root length and promotes early emergence of lateral roots, therefore inducing expansion of the root system. Surprisingly, root illumination also affects shoot development, including flowering time. Our analyses also show that root illumination alters the proper response to hormones or abiotic stress (e.g. salt or osmotic stress) and nutrient starvation, enhancing inhibition of root growth. In conclusion, D-Root provides a growing system closer to the natural one for assaying Arabidopsis plants, and therefore its use will contribute to a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in root development, hormonal signaling and stress responses.
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.|Dpto. de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
authors: Javier
authors: J
authors: Silva-Navas
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Universidad Politecnica de Madrid, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.
authors: Miguel A
authors: MA
authors: Moreno-Risueno
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.
authors: Concepción
authors: C
authors: Manzano
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.|Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Extremadura, Badajoz, 06006, Spain.
authors: Mercedes
authors: M
authors: Pallero-Baena
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.
authors: Sara
authors: S
authors: Navarro-Neila
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.
authors: Bárbara
authors: B
authors: Téllez-Robledo
authors: CIPAV (Centro de Investigación en Producción Animal y Vegetal), Timac Agro Int-Roullier Group, Polígono Arazuri-Orcoyen, C/C n 32, Orcoyen, 31160, Spain.
authors: Jose M
authors: JM
authors: Garcia-Mina
authors: CIPAV (Centro de Investigación en Producción Animal y Vegetal), Timac Agro Int-Roullier Group, Polígono Arazuri-Orcoyen, C/C n 32, Orcoyen, 31160, Spain.
authors: Roberto
authors: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9197-5895
authors: R
authors: Baigorri
authors: Dpto. de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Madrid, 28040, Spain.
authors: Francisco Javier
authors: FJ
authors: Gallego
authors: Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP) INIA-UPM, Instituto Nacional de Investigación y Tecnología Agraria y Alimentaria, Campus de Montegancedo, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Madrid, 28223, Spain.
authors: Juan C
authors: JC
authors: del Pozo
mesh_terms: D003624:Darkness; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant / Q000235:genetics / Q000528:radiation effects; D008027:Light; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000502:physiology / Q000528:radiation effects
keywords: abiotic stress; hormone response; light; reactive oxygen species; root development; technical Advance