β-Cyclocitral is a conserved root growth regulator.
Journal Article (Journal Article)
Natural compounds capable of increasing root depth and branching are desirable tools for enhancing stress tolerance in crops. We devised a sensitized screen to identify natural metabolites capable of regulating root traits in Arabidopsis β-Cyclocitral, an endogenous root compound, was found to promote cell divisions in root meristems and stimulate lateral root branching. β-Cyclocitral rescued meristematic cell divisions in ccd1ccd4 biosynthesis mutants, and β-cyclocitral-driven root growth was found to be independent of auxin, brassinosteroid, and reactive oxygen species signaling pathways. β-Cyclocitral had a conserved effect on root growth in tomato and rice and generated significantly more compact crown root systems in rice. Moreover, β-cyclocitral treatment enhanced plant vigor in rice plants exposed to salt-contaminated soil. These results indicate that β-cyclocitral is a broadly effective root growth promoter in both monocots and eudicots and could be a valuable tool to enhance crop vigor under environmental stress.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Dickinson, AJ; Lehner, K; Mi, J; Jia, K-P; Mijar, M; Dinneny, J; Al-Babili, S; Benfey, PN
Published Date
- May 2019
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 116 / 21
Start / End Page
- 10563 - 10567
PubMed ID
- 31068462
Pubmed Central ID
- PMC6534974
Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)
- 1091-6490
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0027-8424
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1073/pnas.1821445116
Language
- eng