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The endodermis—development and differentiation of the plant’s inner skin

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Abstract

Controlling external compound entrance is essential for plant survival. To set up an efficient and selective sorting of nutrients, free diffusion via the apoplast in vascular plants is blocked at the level of the endodermis. Although we have learned a lot about endodermal specification in the last years, information regarding its differentiation is still very limited. A differentiated endodermal cell can be defined by the presence of the “Casparian strip” (CS), a cell wall modification described first by Robert Caspary in 1865. While the anatomical description of CS in many vascular plants has been very detailed, we still lack molecular information about the establishment of the Casparian strips and their actual function in roots. The recent isolation of a novel protein family, the CASPs, that localizes precisely to a domain of the plasma membrane underneath the CS represents an excellent point of entry to explore CS function and formation. In addition, it has been shown that the endodermis contains transporters that are localized to either the central (stele-facing) or peripheral (soil-facing) plasma membranes. These features suggest that the endodermis functions as a polar plant epithelium.

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Abbreviations

AUX1:

AUXIN RESISTANT1

AXR4:

AUXIN RESISTANT 4

BOR1:

BORON EFFLUX CARRIER 1

BOR4:

BORON EFFLUX CARRIER 4

CS:

Casparian strip

CSD:

Casparian strip membrane domain

GFP:

Green fluorescent protein

FM4-64:

N-(3-triethylammoniumpropyl)-4-(6-(4-(diethylamino)phenyl)hexatrienyl)pyridinium dibromide

NIP5; 1:

NOD26-LIKE INTRINSIC PROTEIN 5; 1

NPSN12:

Novel plant snare 12

PEN3:

Penetration resistant 3

PI:

Propidium iodide

PIN:

PINFORMED

PIS1:

Polar auxin transport inhibitor sensitive 1

PM:

Plasma membrane

PP2A:

PROTEIN PHOSPHATASE 2A

SCR:

SCARECROW

SHR:

SHORT ROOT

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Acknowledgments

JA acknowledges Caroline Gutjahr for stimulating discussions. JEMV acknowledges financial support by a Marie-Curie IEF grant. Research in the group of NG is financed by grants from the European Research Council (ERC) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Molecular Biology, University of Lausanne, Quartier Sorge, Lausanne, 1015, Switzerland

    Julien Alassimone, Daniele Roppolo, Niko Geldner & Joop E. M. Vermeer

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  1. Julien Alassimone
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  2. Daniele Roppolo
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  3. Niko Geldner
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  4. Joop E. M. Vermeer
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Correspondence to Joop E. M. Vermeer.

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Alassimone, J., Roppolo, D., Geldner, N. et al. The endodermis—development and differentiation of the plant’s inner skin. Protoplasma 249, 433–443 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00709-011-0302-5

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