2018 journal article

Exposure to heavy metal stress triggers changes in plasmodesmatal permeability via deposition and breakdown of callose

JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY, 69(15), 3715–3728.

By: R. O'Lexy*, K. Kasai*, N. Clark n, T. Fujiwara*, R. Sozzani n & K. Gallagher*

co-author countries: Japan 🇯🇵 United States of America 🇺🇸
author keywords: Callose; copper; iron; nutrient stress; plasmodesmata; root development
MeSH headings : Arabidopsis / drug effects; Arabidopsis / physiology; Arabidopsis Proteins / genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins / metabolism; Glucan 1,3-beta-Glucosidase / genetics; Glucan 1,3-beta-Glucosidase / metabolism; Glucans / metabolism; Glucosyltransferases / genetics; Glucosyltransferases / metabolism; Metals, Heavy / toxicity; Permeability / drug effects; Plant Roots / drug effects; Plant Roots / physiology; Plasmodesmata / drug effects; Plasmodesmata / metabolism
Source: Web Of Science
Added: August 6, 2018

Both plants and animals must contend with changes in their environment. The ability to respond appropriately to these changes often underlies the ability of the individual to survive. In plants, an early response to environmental stress is an alteration in plasmodesmatal permeability with accompanying changes in cell to cell signaling. However, the ways in which plasmodesmata are modified, the molecular players involved in this regulation, and the biological significance of these responses are not well understood. Here, we examine the effects of nutrient scarcity and excess on plasmodesmata-mediated transport in the Arabidopsis thaliana root and identify two CALLOSE SYNTHASES and two β-1,3-GLUCANASES as key regulators of these processes. Our results suggest that modification of plasmodesmata-mediated signaling underlies the ability of the plant to maintain root growth and properly partition nutrients when grown under conditions of excess nutrients.