title: The Primary Root of Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench) as a Model System to Study Brassinosteroid Signaling in Crops.
abstract: Roots anchor plants to the soil and are essential for a successful plant growth and adaptation to the environment. Research on the primary root in the plant model system Arabidopsis thaliana has yielded important advances in the molecular and cellular understanding of root growth and development. Several studies have uncovered how the hormones brassinosteroids (BRs) control cell cycle and differentiation programs through different cell-specific signaling pathways that are key for root growth and development. Currently, an important challenge resides in the translation of the current knowledge on Arabidopsis roots into agronomically valuable species to improve the agricultural production and to meet the food security goals of the millennium. In this chapter, we characterize the primary root apex of the cereal Sorghum bicolor (L. Moench) (sorghum), analyze the physiological response of sorghum roots to BRs, and examine the phylogeny of the BRASSINOSTEROID INSENSITIVE1-like receptor family in Arabidopsis and its orthologous genes in sorghum. Overall, we support the use of sorghum as a suitable crop model species for the study of BR signaling in root growth and development. The methods presented enable any laboratory worldwide to use sorghum primary roots as a favorite organ for the study of growth and development in crops.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Institut Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries-Universitat Autonóma de Barcelona-Universitat de Barcelona (CSIC-IRTA-UABUB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blasco-Escámez
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Institut Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries-Universitat Autonóma de Barcelona-Universitat de Barcelona (CSIC-IRTA-UABUB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Fidel
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lozano-Elena
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Institut Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries-Universitat Autonóma de Barcelona-Universitat de Barcelona (CSIC-IRTA-UABUB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Norma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fàbregas
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Genetics, Centre for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG), Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-Institut Recerca i Tecnologia Agroalimentàries-Universitat Autonóma de Barcelona-Universitat de Barcelona (CSIC-IRTA-UABUB), 08193, Barcelona, Spain. ana.cano@cragenomica.es.
authors.forename: Ana I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Caño-Delgado
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D060406:Brassinosteroids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D018507:Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008867:Microtomy / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D010802:Phylogeny; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D011419:Propidium; D020033:Protein Isoforms / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism; D036226:Seedlings / Q000187:drug effects / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism; D015398:Signal Transduction; D045868:Sorghum / Q000145:classification / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development; D013260:Steroids, Heterocyclic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016610:Tissue Embedding / Q000379:methods
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; C494334:BRL1 protein, Arabidopsis; D060406:Brassinosteroids; D020033:Protein Isoforms; D011956:Receptors, Cell Surface; D013260:Steroids, Heterocyclic; D011419:Propidium; D011494:Protein Kinases; C108270:BRI1 protein, Arabidopsis; C023623:brassinolide
keywords: BRI1-like receptors; Brassinosteroid; Hormone; Root development; Sorghum