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Plant Physiol, June 2000, Vol. 123, pp. 665-670
Kinetics of Constant Gravitropic Stimulus Responses in
Arabidopsis Roots Using a Feedback System1,2
Jack L.
Mullen,*
Chris
Wolverton,
Hideo
Ishikawa, and
Michael L.
Evans
Department of Plant Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus,
Ohio 43210-1293
The study of gravitropism is hindered by the fact that as a root
responds, the gravitational stimulus changes. Using a feedback system
to connect a rotating stage platform to a video digitizer system, we
were able to maintain a constant angle of gravistimulation to
Arabidopsis roots for long time periods. The rate of curvature approximated the sine rule for angles of stimulation between 20° and
120°. For a given angle of stimulation, the rate of curvature also
remained constant, with no observed diminishment of the response. Although previous reports of Arabidopsis root gravitropism suggest latent periods of approximately 30 min, using a smooth mechanical stage
to reorient the root, we observed a mean time lag of approximately 10 min. This more rapid onset of curvature can, in part, be explained by
reduced mechanical perturbation during the process of gravistimulation. This suggests that mechanical stimulation associated with rapid root
re-orientation may confound investigations of early gravitropic events.
1
This work was supported by the National
Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA; grant nos. NAG5-6385 and
NAG2-1190), by the NASA/National Science Foundation Joint Program in
Plant Biology, Network for Research on Plant Sensory Systems (grant no.
IBN-9421856), and by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (Japan).
2
This paper is dedicated to the memory of Paul B. Green
whose exceptional creativity in the design of novel equipment for plant growth studies and whose exemplary approaches to quantitative plant
biology have been an inspiration to the authors.
*
Corresponding author; e-mail mullen.37{at}osu.edu; fax
614-292-6345.
© 2000 American Society of Plant Physiologists
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