Annals of Botany 2008 101(2):NP; doi:10.1093/aob/mcm325
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ContentSnapshots
Space and time in the plant cell wall (Viewpoint)
Effects of cell
wall spacing, pH and heat on creep of sunflower hypocotyls reveal
distinct extension processes operating over different timescales.
These are taken by
Thompson (pp. 203–211) to indicate
tissue-specific cell wall behaviour in growing tissues, guard
cells and abscission cells.
Seed recalcitrance (Review)
Metabolic activity
of recalcitrant seeds with high water content is discussed by
Berjak and Pammenter (pp. 213–228). It is a major factor
underlying their desiccation sensitivity. Deficiencies in factors
conferring desiccation tolerance contribute to the inability
of recalcitrant seeds to tolerate slow dehydration. Drying rate
is shown to be critical in achieving successful embryonic axis
cryopreservation.
Ethylene and the submergence escape (Review)
Many species that
succeed in flood-prone areas elongate their leaves or stems
at an accelerated rate when submerged.
Jackson (pp. 229–248) evaluates the evidence for invoking entrapped ethylene in this
escape mechanism, reviews the physiological and molecular basis
for the effect, and discusses likely directions of future work.
Differential abscission zone activation of Aux/IAA genes by two auxins
The auxin 2,4-D
is more effective than NAA in reducing floret bud abscission
in
Cestrum elegans cut flowers
(Abebie et al., pp. 249–259).
Use of differential activation of six
Ce-Aux/IAA genes as a
measure of free-auxin levels shows that effectiveness can be
related to the extent of acropetal auxin transport.
Broomrape controls IAA flow during infection of its host
Broomrape (
Orobanche aegyptiaca) is shown to manipulate its host by acting as a sink
for auxin (IAA). Based on infection characteristics in
Arabidopsis thaliana,
Bar-Nun et al. (pp. 261–265) suggest that disrupting
IAA action or flow by chemical means is a promising approach
for controlling infection in the field.
DNA repair in seeds and pollen at Chernobyl
Boubriak et al. (pp. 267–276) report DNA repair and adaptation in pollen and embryos from
Betula verrucosa and
Oenothera biennis growing in different
radionuclide fall-out sites around Chernobyl exposed to chronic
/β irradiation. At sites with high levels of
-emitters,
DNA repair still remains impaired.
Surface mucilage helps repair embryo DNA of desert-adapted seeds
Repair of damaged
DNA of seed embryos of two species of
Artemisia is demonstrated
by
Huang et al. (pp. 277–283) to be promoted by hydration
from dew captured during the desert night by pectinaceous surface
mucilage.
Abscission-zone cells as ethylene targets
McManus (pp. 285–292) shows that the separation process of leaf abscission requires
the generation of a signal (or signals) from remote tissues
that act in concert with ethylene. Once evoked, abscission cells
maintain a developmental memory such that control mechanisms
mediated by ethylene/auxin prior to separation are retained
by the cells after separation.
Seed germination strategy of an inland xero-halophyte
Seed germination
is critical for survival in salt deserts.
Qu et al. (pp. 293–299) show that seed and early seedling stages of
Halocnemum strobilaceum are highly salt tolerant. Physiological responses typical of
the Mediterranean salt steppe of Spain are found to differ from
those of the inland cold salt desert of north-west China.
Ethylene influences on senescence and necrosis
Using transgenic
Nicotiana sylvestris plants exhibiting a silenced or constitutive
ethylene response,
Yang et al. (pp. 301–310) show the
gas to play an important role in organ senescence and tissue
necrosis. This novel material is a useful resource for exploring
how senescence processes are regulated in plants.
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