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Fungal elicitor-induced retardation and its restoration of root growth in tobacco seedlings

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Abstract

In this study, we investigated responses of growing and intact tobacco (N. tabacum cv Xanthi) seedlings to a fungal elicitor, a xylanase from Trichoderma viride (TvX). In addition to the induction of defense gene expression, TvX treatment caused the retardation of growth of seedlings. In the TvX-treated seedlings, growth of primary roots was markedly reduced through repression of cell division and longitudinal cell elongation in a meristematic zone and an elongation zone, respectively. However, cell differentiation to form vascular bundles and root hairs continued. In the TvX-treated root cap, disappearance of starch granules in columella cells and aggregation of border cells were observed. Furthermore, the TvX-induced growth retardation was restored after removal of the elicitor, resulting in a plastic alteration of root architecture. Therefore, the fungal elicitor might act as an environmental cue that regulates root growth and development as well as the ordinary defense responses in plant seedlings. These findings suggest a novel aspect of plant growth regulation via a plant–microbe interaction in the rhizosphere.

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Abbreviations

BCHN:

Class I basic chitinase

CDPK:

Calcium-dependent protein kinase

EIX:

Ethylene inducing xylanase

HR:

Hypersensitive reaction

TvX:

Xylanase from Trichoderma viride

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Eisho Nishino (Chiba University) for kind suggestion about the microscopic observations and Ms. Yuko Nakayma for her technical assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bioproduction Research Institute, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), Tsukuba Central 6, 1-1-1 Higashi, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8566, Japan

    Yoshio Kawaguchi, Toshitsugu Nakano, Hideaki Shinshi & Kaoru Suzuki

  2. Division of Functional Genomics, Advanced Science Research Center, Kanazawa University, 13-1 Takaramachi, Kanazawa, 920-0934, Japan

    Takumi Nishiuchi & Kazuo Yamaguchi

  3. Graduate School of Horticulture, Chiba University, 648 Matsudo, Chiba, 271-8510, Japan

    Hiraoki Kodama & Kazuma Nishimura

  4. Graduate School of Science and Technology, Chiba University, 1-33 Yayoi-cho, Inage-ku, Chiba, 263-8522, Japan

    Katsuyoshi Shimamura

  5. Department of Applied Biological Science, Tokyo University of Science, 2641 Yamazaki, Noda, Chiba, 278-8510, Japan

    Yoshio Kawaguchi & Kazuyuki Kuchitsu

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  1. Yoshio Kawaguchi
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  2. Takumi Nishiuchi
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  3. Hiraoki Kodama
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  9. Hideaki Shinshi
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  10. Kaoru Suzuki
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Correspondence to Kaoru Suzuki.

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Kawaguchi, Y., Nishiuchi, T., Kodama, H. et al. Fungal elicitor-induced retardation and its restoration of root growth in tobacco seedlings. Plant Growth Regul 66, 59–68 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-011-9629-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10725-011-9629-3

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