Effect of hypergravity stimulus on XTH gene expression in Arabidopsis thaliana.

There are several reports indicating that hypergravity and microgravity influence the mechanical properties of cell walls in shoots, resulting in changes in the growth rate. The mechanical properties of cell walls in dicots are mainly determined by the physicochemical properties of xyloglucan, a matrix polysaccharide. An increase in the molecular mass of xyloglucan correlated with a decrease in cell wall extensibility. Hypergravity is known to increase the molecular mass of xyloglucan. The cell wall enzyme, xyloglucan endotransglucosylase/hydrolase (XTH) is involved in xyloglucan metabolism. Using Arabidopsis, it was examined whether or not the expression of XTH genes in the floral stem and rosette leaf is influenced by hypergravity. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the expression of XTH genes changes in response to hypergravity of 300 g.