Defying Gravity: WEEP promotes negative gravitropism in Prunus persica (peach) shoots and roots by establishing asymmetric auxin gradients.

ABSTRACT: Trees with weeping shoot architectures are valued for their beauty and serve as tremendous resources for understanding how plants regulate posture control. The Prunus persica (peach) weeping phenotype, which has elliptical downward arching branches, is caused by a homozygous mutation in the WEEP gene. Until now, little was known about the function of WEEP protein despite its high conservation throughout Plantae. Here, we present the results of anatomical, biochemical, biomechanical, physiological, and molecular experiments that provide insight into WEEP function. Our data suggest that weeping peach does not have defects in branch structure. Rather, transcriptomes from the adaxial (upper) and abaxial (lower) sides of standard and weeping branch shoot tips revealed flipped expr

SUBMITTER: Kohler AR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10245973 | biostudies-literature | 2023 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature