Longitudinal Electrical Resistance of Maize Roots

Longitudinal resistances of excised roots (R_r), isolated steles(R_stels), and cortical cylinders (R_oortex) of maize seedlingswere measured as a function of the KCl concentration in thebathing medium and as a function of root length. The resistanceswere found to be proportional to root length beyond 1 cm fromthe root tip. R_r was independent, while R_stels and R_oortex showeda marked dependence on [KCl]. The results are analysed in termsof a passive network of parallel resistances. It is concludedthat the symplast is the major determinant of the longitudinalroot resistance.     

Endogenous ABA in Growing Maize Roots: Light Effects

The growth of intact maize (Zea mays L.) roots and the abscisic acid (ABA) content (measured by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry of the root tip were analyzed after a white-light treatment. The decrease of the elongation rate due to the illumination corresponded to a concomitant increase in the ABA found in the root. When selecting roots, on the basis of their growth rate, it was possible to show that the relation between growth and ABA content, previously reported in darkness was conserved after light treatments. Therefore, light decreased the root growth rate while it simultaneously increased the ABA content in the roots. This increase was higher than expected, demonstrating the complexity of the involvement of ABA on root growth.     

3,7-Dichloroquinolinecarboxylic Acid Inhibits Cell-Wall Biosynthesis in Maize Roots

The mode of action of the herbicide 3,7-dichloroquinolinecar-boxylic acid (quinclorac) was examined by measuring incorporation of [14C]glucose, [14C]acetate, [3H]thymidine, and [3H]uridine into maize (Zea mays) root cell walls, fatty acids, DNA, and RNA, respectively. Among the precursors examined, 10 [mu]M quinclorac inhibited [14C]glucose incorporation into the cell wall within 3 h. Fatty acid and DNA biosynthesis were subsequently inhibited, whereas RNA biosynthesis was unaffected. In contrast to the cellulose synthesis inhibitor 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile, quinclorac strongly inhibited cellulose and a hemicellulose fraction presumed to be glucuronoarabinoxylan. However, the synthesis of (1->3),(1->4)-[beta]-D-glucans was only slightly inhibited. The degree of inhibition was time- and dose-dependent. By 4 h after treatment, the concentration that inhibited [14C]glucose incorporation into the cell wall, cellulose, and the sensitive hemicellulose fraction by 50% was about 15, 5, and 20 [mu]M, respectively. Concomitant with an inhibition of [14C]glucose incorporation into the cell wall, quinclorac treatment led to a marked accumulation of radioactivity in the cytosol. The increased radioactivity was found mostly in glucose and fructose. However, total levels of glucose, fructose, and uridine diphosphate-glucose were not changed greatly by quinclorac. These data suggest that quinclorac acts primarily as a cell-wall biosynthesis inhibitor in a susceptible grass by a mechanism that is different from that of 2,6-dichlorobenzonitrile.     

耐铝的和对铝敏感的玉米自交系根系的有机酸分泌

对玉米不同耐铝自交系在含A1^3 (0.1mmol/L)的完全营养液和A1C13 14．3μmol/L CaCl2 227．5μmol/L溶液等两种溶液中根系有机酸的分泌特征进行了研究。铝胁迫下,耐铝自交系Z1的生长与正常偏离不大,表现出较强的耐铝性,而铝敏感自交系Z2的生长则受到明显抑制。2种自交系根系分泌的有机酸种类包括苹果酸、柠檬酸、琥珀酸、马米酸、乙酸和草酸等,以苹果酸为主;其分泌量随铝处理时间而异。在两种溶液中,铝胁迫均可显著增加Z1苹果酸分泌量,且根系内苹果酸含量也显著增加。铝胁迫下,Z1根系NADP—苹果酸脱氢酶活性显著增加。从对试验结果分析得出：根系分泌苹果酸可能是玉米耐铝自交系适应酸性土壤逆境的生理特性之一,而分泌的苹果酸可能是在根系中通过PEP→4OAA→苹果酸途径合成的。     

Regulation of K+ Channels in Maize Roots by Water Stress and Abscisic Acid

Root cortical and stelar protoplasts were isolated from maize (Zea mays L.) plants that were either well watered or water stressed, and the patch-clamp technique was used to investigate their plasma membrane K⁺ channel activity. In the root cortex water stress did not significantly affect inward- or outward-rectifying K⁺ conductances relative to those observed in well-watered plants. In contrast, water stress significantly reduced the magnitude of the outward-rectifying K⁺ current in the root stele but had little effect on the inward-rectifying K⁺ current. Pretreating well-watered plants with abscisic acid also significantly affected K⁺ currents in a way that was consistent with abscisic acid mediating, at least in part, the response of roots to water stress. It is proposed that the K⁺ channels underlying the K⁺ currents in the root stelar cells represent pathways that allow K⁺ exchange between the root symplasm and xylem apoplast. It is suggested that the regulation of K⁺ channel activity in the root in response to water stress could be part of an important adaptation of the plant to survive drying soils.     

Exploring the Radial and Longitudinal Aeration of Primary Maize Roots by Means of Clark-Type Oxygen Microelectrodes

Clark-type oxygen microelectrodes were used to measure the radial and longitudinal oxygen distribution in aerenchymatous and nonaerenchymatous primary roots of intact maize seedlings. A radial intake of oxygen from the rooting medium was restricted by embedding the roots in 1% agar causing aeration to be largely dependent upon longitudinal internal transport from the shoot. In both root types, oxygen concentrations declined with distance from the base, and were lower in the stele than in the cortex. Also, the bulk of the oxygen demand was met internally by transport from the shoots, but a little oxygen was received by radial inward diffusion from the surrounding agar, and in some positions the hypodermal layers received oxygen from both the agar and the cortex. Near to the base, the oxygen partial pressure difference between the cortex and the center of the stele could be as much as 6–8 kPa. Nearer to the tip, the differences were smaller but equally significant. In the nonaerenchymatous roots, cortical oxygen partial pressures near the apex were becoming very low (< 1 kPa) as root lengths approached 100 mm, and towards the center of the stele values reached 0.1 kPa or lower. However, the data indicated that respiratory activity did not decline until the cortical oxygen pressure was less than 2 kPa. Mathematical modeling based on Michaelis–Menten kinetics supported this and suggested that the respiratory decline would be mostly restricted to the stele until cortical oxygen pressures approached very low values. At a cortical oxygen pressure of 0.75 kPa, it was shown that respiratory activity in the pericycle and phloem might remain as high as 80–100% of maximum even though in the center of the stele it could be less than 1% of maximum. Aerenchyma production resulted in increases in oxygen concentration throughout the roots with cortical partial pressures of ca. 5–6 kPa and stelar values of ca. 3–4 kPa near the tips of 100 mm long roots. In aerenchymatous roots, there was some evidence of a decline in the oxygen permeability of the epidermal–hypodermal cylinder close to the apex; a decline in stelar oxygen permeability near the base was indicated for both root types. There was some evidence that the mesocotyl and coleoptile represented a very significant resistance to oxygen transport to the root.     

The Effects of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid on Ion Uptake by Maize Roots

The effects of the synthetic auxin and herbicide 2,4-dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (2,4-D) on K^$ and Cl^– uptake and H^$ release by youngexcised maize roots has been studied. Brief exposure to 2,4-D(0.01 mmol dm^–3) at pH 3.5 causes a large depolarizationof the electrical potential across the root plasma membranesand converts K^$ uptake to K^$ leakage into the bathing solution.These results can be explained by the increased H^$ permeabilityof the membranes induced by the weak acid 2,4-D. The depolarizationresults in a less favourable electrochemical potential gradientfor K^$ uptake across these membranes. These effects are notrelated to the auxin properties of 2,4-D as the nonauxin 3,5-dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (3,5-D) gives rise to similar effects. The relative depolarizationsinduced by a range of weak acids appear to be unrelated to theiroil/water partition coefficients. In contrast, on bathing the roots for longer periods in solutions(pH > 5) containing 2,4-D (0.01 mmol dm^–3) K^$ and Cl^–uptake and H^$ release are inhibited. These effects are not shownwith 3,5-D suggesting an auxin-linked action for 2,4-D. Alsothe electrical potential across the plasma membranes is onlyslightly depolarized so that a change in the electrochemicalpotential gradient cannot be invoked to explain the loweredion fluxes. The evidence is consistent with the removal of anenergy supply to a metabolically linked K^–/H^– exchangemechanism in the plasma membranes. It is likely that both modes of action would operate to lowerion uptake under soil-grown conditions, the former becomingmore manifest in acidic soils.     

Nickel Toxicity and Distribution in Maize Roots

A new histochemical method for Ni determination has been developed and employed to study the pattern of Ni distribution in plant tissues. Two-day-old seedlings of maize (Zea mays L.) were transferred onto 15, 20, 25, and 35 M Ni(NO₃)₂ solutions in the presence of 3 mM Ca(NO₃)₂, and Ni localization in shoot and root tissues was investigated at days 2 and 7 of the incubation. Following two days of incubation, Ni was found in all root tissues, and its content increased with the period of exposure and from the tip to the root base. Independent of root region and tissue, Ni content in the protoplasts exceeded that in the cell walls. Ni penetrated the endodermal barrier and accumulated in the endodermis and pericycle to the highest concentration. Ni accumulation in the pericycle restricted root branching. Ni did not affect the final cell length, and the inhibition of root growth resulted from suppressed cell division. In the shoots, Ni content was below the level discerned by the dimethylglyoximine method; we therefore conclude that maize belongs to excluder plants, with their root systems functioning as a barrier limiting heavy metal intake by aboveground organs. The pattern of Ni transport differs from that of Cd and Pb; this difference stands for specific toxic effects of Ni, including an arrest of root branching.     

Water Transport in Isolated Maize Roots

A simple model has been devised which predicts the concentration,C^x_s, of salt (e.g. KCl) in the exudate from isolated roots asa function of the salt concentration, C⁰_s, in the medium. Thechief assumption, made in deriving the relationship betweenC^x_s and C⁰₅, is that the exudation of water, J, from the rootsconsists of two components (one being osmotic, Ø, inorigin and the other, Ø⁰, flowing in the absence of anosmotic gradient). The exudation of salt, J_s, calculated asJ C^x_s, was found to be dependent on C⁰_s. Our investigationson maize roots were concerned with estimations of L_p and Ø^vand determinations of C^x_s as a function of C⁰_s. Satisfactoryagreement between prediction and experiment was found in thesepreliminary studies. It is considered that water movement inisolated roots can be explained by a simple osmotic model withthe additional possibility that a relatively small non-osmoticwater flow occurs.     

Light-Regulated Gravitropism in Seedling Roots of Maize

Red light-induced changes in the gravitropism of roots of Zea mays variety Merit is a very low fluence response with a threshold of 10⁻⁹ moles per square meter and is not reversible by far red light. Blue light also affects root gravitropism but the sensitivity of roots to blue is 50 to 100 times less than to an equal fluence of red. In Z. mays Merit we conclude that phytochrome is the sole pigment associated with light-induced changes in root gravitropism.     

Calcium and Rhizodermal Differentiation in Primary Maize Roots

Rhizodermal differentiation of maize (Zea mays L. cv. LG 11)roots cultured in humid air was influenced by a pretreatmentfor 2 h in CaCl₂ or CaSO₄ solutions. This increased the numberof hair-producing roots and the density of hairs. Ethylene glycol-bis-(ß-aminoethylether)N,N'-tetraacetic acid (EGTA) was inhibitory. Root hairsemerged in the part of the cell nearer to the tip. Trichoblastswere shorter and elongated more slowly than atrichoblasts. Theelongation of the lower part of the trichoblast was less thanthat of the upper part. Key words: Cell length, cell number, hair position     

Xyloglucan Endotransglycosylase Activity, Microfibril Orientation and the Profiles of Cell Wall Properties Along Growing Regions of Maize Roots

A series of physical and chemical analyses were made on theexpanding zone of maize seedling roots grown in hydroponics.Comparison of longitudinal profiles of local relative elementalgrowth rate and turgor pressure indicated that cell walls becomelooser in the apical 5 mm and then tighten 5–10 mm fromthe root tip. Immersion of roots in 200 mol m^–3 mannitol(an osmotic stress of 0·48 MPa) rapidly and evenly reducedturgor pressure along the whole growing region. Growth was reducedto a greater extent in the region 5–10 mm from the roottip than in the apical region. This indicated rapid wall-looseningin the root tip, but not in the more basal regions. Following 24 h immersion in 400 mol m^–3 mannitol (an osmoticstress of 0·96 MPa) turgor had recovered to pre-stressedvalues. Under this stress treatment, growth was reduced in theregion 4–10 mm from the root tip, despite the recoveryof turgor, indicating a tightening of the wall. In the rootapex, local relative elemental growth rate was unchanged incomparison to control tissue, showing that wall properties herewere similar to the control values. Cellulose microfibrils on the inner face of cortical cell wallsbecame increasingly more parallel to the root axis along thegrowth profile of both unstressed and stressed roots. Orientationdid not correlate with the wall loosening in the apical regionof unstressed roots, or with the tightening in the region 5–10mm from the root tip following 24 h of osmotic stress. Longitudinal profiles of the possible wall-loosening enzymexyloglucan endotransglycosylase (XET) had good correspondencewith an increase in wall loosening during development. In thezone of wall tightening following osmotic stress, XET activitywas decreased per unit dry weight (compared with the unstressedcontrol), but not per unit fresh weight. Key words: Osmotic stress, turgor, growth, cell wall properties, microfibrils, XET     

Gas and Liquids in Intercellular Spaces of Maize Roots

Oils are spontaneously absorbed by gas-filled intercellularspaces (IS) in maize root cortex. The network of these spacesin living root sections was imaged by confocal laser scanningmicroscopy using a fluorescent solution of Nile red in oil.The gas volume fraction (GVF) of root segments was quantifiedby the increase in weight (differentiated zones) or tissue density(2–3 mm root tips) due to complete vacuum infiltration.Cooling to 6 °C or inhibition of oxidative phosphorylationdiminished the GVF of root tips but did not significantly affectthe GVF of differentiated root zones. The threshold pressuredifference for measurable infiltration of isolated root segmentsis lower (10 to 15  kPa) than the threshold for infiltrationof comparable zones of attached roots or of detached roots withthe cut surface sealed (>60 kPa). In the absence of an opencut, pressure-driven infiltration of the root cortex is acceleratedby microscopic fissures within the epidermal/hypodermal barrier.The GVF of the root cortex was reduced after transferring rootsfrom sugar solutions (0.1 to 0.3M ) to water. This points toefficient water transport from the medium to sugar-containingcortical cell walls through epidermal and hypodermal protoplasts.When 2-cm-long primary roots were vacuum infiltrated in situand then allowed to grow on aerated mineral medium for a further5 d, cortical IS of the originally infiltrated root bases remainedfilled with liquid but the subsequently grown apical root zoneshad a normal GVF. Copyright 1999 Annals of Botany Company Apoplastic and protoplasmic route, maize, infiltration, intercellular spaces, oil absorption, confocal laser scanning microscope, water transport, Zea mays L.     

The Radial and Longitudinal Path of Ion Movement in Roots

The existence of a barrier to lateral outward diffusion of ions from roots was demonstrated quantitatively and by autoradiography. Ions applied to the apical zone were excreted through the basal cut end with no lateral outward diffusion from the central zone. The ions moving through the conducting tissues showed no leakage to the external solution regardless whether the treatment roots came from seedlings grown under low or high salt conditions. However, when dinitrophenol (DNP) was also applied to the central zone in the external salt solution, leakage of apically applied calcium occurred from the conducting tissues. Autoradiographic studies with labeled calcium suggested that the endodermal layer was an effective barrier preventing the lateral outward diffusion of ions. The ions moved longitudinally through the stele. In the stelar tissues the autoradiographic studies failed to detect the presence of any radioactive calcium in the central duct and in the mature xylem vessels, although high concentrations of labeled ions were found in the living cells of the stele, particularly the xylem parenchyma. It is suggested that xylem parenchyma cells may be involved in the longitudinal transport of ions.     

Longitudinal Distortions and Transversal Fluctuations of an Actin Filament Sliding on Myosin Molecules

An actin filament sliding on myosin moleculesdemonstrates both longitudinal distortions and transversal fluctuationswith the linear dimension far exceeding the diameter of an actinmonomer. Local swaying of a single actin filament was identified byreading speckled fluorescent markers attached on the filament. Theaccuracy of reading each speckled marker was about 10.4 nm (r.m.s.).Longitudinal distortions of an actin filament at a low ATP concentrationof 20 M were as much as 0.5 m for the average filament lengthof 5.4 m. The magnitude of transversal fluctuations was as much as60 nm, that was independent of the filament length. Both longitudinaldistortions and transversal fluctuations are suggested to play a pivotalrole for facilitating a smooth sliding movement of an actin filament.     

玉米根细胞膜铁氰化钾还原酶

玉米根细胞膜制剂具有明显的ＮＡＤＨ一铁氰Ｊ也钾还原酶（ＦＣＲ）活性。铁氰化钾被还原的同时伴有质子跨膜运输,所形成的△μＨ＋既不受Ｈ＋－ＡＴＰａｓｅ抑制剂的影响,也不需要ＡＴＰ的存在,反应最适ＰＨ为６．５。ＦＣＲ对ＮＡＤＨ和铁氰化钾具有较高的活性反应,（Ｋｍ分别为４２和７０μｍｏｌ／Ｌ,Ｖｍａｘ分别为１．８４和２．１０μｍｏｌ／ｍｇｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｍｉｎ）。而对ＮＡＤＰＨ．只有微弱的反应活性（Ｖｍａｘ为０．０４２μｍｏｌ／ｍｇｐｒｏｔｅｉｎｍｉｎ）。用ＦＣＲ的潜在活性证实在膜的胞质一侧存在底物结合部位。Ｍｇ２＋、Ｍｎ２＋、Ｃａ２＋、Ｋ＋、Ｎａ＋对酶均有一定的激活作用,以Ｍｎ２＋最强、其次为Ｍｇ２＋。     

Hydrotropism and Its Interaction with Gravitropism in Maize Roots

We have partially characterized root hydrotropism and its interaction with gravitropism in maize (Zea mays L.). Roots of Golden Cross Bantam 70, which require light for orthogravitropism, showed positive hydrotropism; bending upward when placed horizontally below a hydrostimulant (moist cheesecloth) in 85% relative humidity (RH) and in total darkness. However, the light-exposed roots of Golden Cross Bantam 70 or roots of a normal maize cultivar, Burpee Snow Cross, showed positive gravitropism under the same conditions; bending downward when placed horizontally below the hydrostimulant in 85% RH. Light-exposed roots of Golden Cross Bantam 70 placed at 70° below the horizontal plane responded positively hydrotropically, but gravitropism overcame the hydrotropism when the roots were placed at 45° below the horizontal. Roots placed vertically with the tip down in 85% RH bent to the side toward the hydrostimulant in both cultivars, and light conditions did not affect the response. Such vertical roots did not respond when the humidity was maintained near saturation. These results suggest that hydrotropic and gravitropic responses interact with one another depending on the intensity of one or both factors. Removal of the approximately 1.5 millimeter root tip blocked both hydrotropic and gravitropic responses in the two cultivars. However, removal of visible root tip mucilage did not affect hydrotropism or gravitropism in either cultivar.     

Temperature Sensing by Primary Roots of Maize

Zea mays L. seedlings, grown on agar plates at 26°C, reoriented the original vertical direction of their primary root when exposed to a thermal gradient applied perpendicular to the gravity vector. The magnitude and direction of curvature can not be explained simply by either a temperature or a humidity effect on root elongation. It is concluded that primary roots of maize sense temperature gradients in addition to sensing the gravitational force.