TY - JOUR
T1 - Red-light-regulated growth
T2 - Changes in the abundance of indoleacetic acid in the maize (Zea mays L.) mesocotyl
AU - Barker-Bridgers, Michele
AU - Ribnicky, David M.
AU - Cohen, Jerry D.
AU - Jones, Alan M.
PY - 1998/1/1
Y1 - 1998/1/1
N2 - The etiolated maize (Zea mays L.) shoot has served as a model system to study red light (R)-regulated growth. Previous studies have shown that R inhibition of maize mesocotyl elongation involves a change in the auxin economy. Shown here is that R causes an increased tension in the epidermis relative to the inner tissue indicating that the growth of the epidermis is preferentially inhibited by R irradiation. This observation, taken together with previous indirect estimates of auxin within the epidermis, has prompted the hypothesis that R mediates the inhibition of mesocotyl elongation by preferentially decreasing auxin in the epidermis, a tissue which constrains the growth of the organ. We tested this hypothesis using gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectrometry analysis of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels in both the apical 1 cm of the mesocotyl and the corresponding epidermis of etiolated and 4-h, R-irradiated seedlings. Red light irradiation caused a 1.4-fold reduction in free IAA within the whole section of the apical mesocotyl. However, within the peeled mesocotyl epidermis, R irradiation caused at least a 1.9-fold reduction in free IAA. To determine if the nearly twofold decrease in epidermal auxin occurring after R is physiologically significant, IAA was differentially applied to opposite sides of shoots. A twofold difference in IAA application rate caused asymmetrical growth. Thus, the twofold R-induced decrease in free IAA level in the epidermis, a difference sufficient to affect growth, and the rapid R-induced change in growth rate in the epidermis are consistent with the hypothesis that R causes growth of the mesocotyl to decrease by preferentially regulating the free IAA level in the mesocotyl epidermis.
AB - The etiolated maize (Zea mays L.) shoot has served as a model system to study red light (R)-regulated growth. Previous studies have shown that R inhibition of maize mesocotyl elongation involves a change in the auxin economy. Shown here is that R causes an increased tension in the epidermis relative to the inner tissue indicating that the growth of the epidermis is preferentially inhibited by R irradiation. This observation, taken together with previous indirect estimates of auxin within the epidermis, has prompted the hypothesis that R mediates the inhibition of mesocotyl elongation by preferentially decreasing auxin in the epidermis, a tissue which constrains the growth of the organ. We tested this hypothesis using gas chromatography-selected ion monitoring-mass spectrometry analysis of free indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) levels in both the apical 1 cm of the mesocotyl and the corresponding epidermis of etiolated and 4-h, R-irradiated seedlings. Red light irradiation caused a 1.4-fold reduction in free IAA within the whole section of the apical mesocotyl. However, within the peeled mesocotyl epidermis, R irradiation caused at least a 1.9-fold reduction in free IAA. To determine if the nearly twofold decrease in epidermal auxin occurring after R is physiologically significant, IAA was differentially applied to opposite sides of shoots. A twofold difference in IAA application rate caused asymmetrical growth. Thus, the twofold R-induced decrease in free IAA level in the epidermis, a difference sufficient to affect growth, and the rapid R-induced change in growth rate in the epidermis are consistent with the hypothesis that R causes growth of the mesocotyl to decrease by preferentially regulating the free IAA level in the mesocotyl epidermis.
KW - Auxin
KW - Growth Epidermis
KW - Indole-3-acetic acid
KW - Red light
KW - Zea (mesocotyl)
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0031915379&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.1007/s004250050248
DO - 10.1007/s004250050248
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:0031915379
VL - 204
SP - 207
EP - 211
JO - Planta
JF - Planta
SN - 0032-0935
IS - 2
ER -