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Alterations in the Cytoskeleton Accompany Aluminum-Induced Growth
Inhibition and Morphological Changes in Primary Roots of
Maize1
Elison B. Blancaflor2,
David L. Jones2, and
Simon Gilroy*
Biology Department, 208 Mueller Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State
University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (E.B.B., S.G.); and School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales,
Bangor, Gwynedd, United Kingdom (D.L.J.)
Although
Al is one of the major factors limiting crop production, the mechanisms
of toxicity remain unknown. The growth inhibition and swelling of roots
associated with Al exposure suggest that the cytoskeleton may be a
target of Al toxicity. Using indirect immunofluorescence microscopy,
microtubules and microfilaments in maize (Zea mays
L.) roots were visualized and changes in their organization and stability correlated with the symptoms of Al toxicity.
Growth studies showed that the site of Al toxicity was associated with
the elongation zone. Within this region, Al resulted in a
reorganization of microtubules in the inner cortex. However, the
orientation of microtubules in the outer cortex and epidermis remained
unchanged even after chronic symptoms of toxicity were manifest.
Auxin-induced reorientation and cold-induced depolymerization of
microtubules in the outer cortex were blocked by Al pretreatment. These
results suggest that Al increased the stability of microtubules in
these cells. The stabilizing effect of Al in the outer cortex coincided
with growth inhibition. Reoriented microfilaments were also observed in
Al-treated roots, and Al pretreatment minimized cytochalasin B-induced
microfilament fragmentation. These data show that reorganization and
stabilization of the cytoskeleton are closely associated with Al
toxicity in maize roots.
1
This work was supported by grants from the
National Science Foundation (to S.G.), the North Atlantic Treaty
Organization (to D.L.J. and S.G.), the Royal Society, and the Nuffield
Foundation (to D.L.J.).
2
These authors contributed equally to the paper.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail sxg12{at}email.psu.edu; fax
1-814-865-9131.
Plant Physiol. (1998) 118: 159-172
Copyright Clearance Center: 0032-0889/98/118//14
© 1998 American Society of Plant Physiologists
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