PIEZO ion channel is required for root mechanotransduction in Arabidopsis thaliana.

ABSTRACT: Plant roots adapt to the mechanical constraints of the soil to grow and absorb water and nutrients. As in animal species, mechanosensitive ion channels in plants are proposed to transduce external mechanical forces into biological signals. However, the identity of these plant root ion channels remains unknown. Here, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana PIEZO1 (PZO1) has preserved the function of its animal relatives and acts as an ion channel. We present evidence that plant PIEZO1 is expressed in the columella and lateral root cap cells of the root tip, which are known to experience robust mechanical strain during root growth. Deleting PZO1 from the whole plant significantly reduced the ability of its roots to penetrate denser barriers compared to wild-type plants. pzo1 mutant root tips exhib

SUBMITTER: Mousavi SAR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8158017 | biostudies-literature | 2021 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature