Plant Physiol.
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Plant Physiology Preview
Published on May 8, 2008; 10.1104/pp.108.118562

OPEN ACCESS ARTICLE
This Article
Free via Open Access: OA
Right arrow Full Text (Plant Physiology Preview (PDF))
Right arrow Supplemental Data
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Ward, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Raghothama, K. G.
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Ward, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Raghothama, K. G.
Agricola
Right arrow Articles by Ward, J. T.
Right arrow Articles by Raghothama, K. G.

Received March 1, 2008
Accepted April 23, 2008

The Effect of Iron on the Primary Root Elongation of Arabidopsis during Phosphate Deficiency

James T. Ward , Brett Lahner , Elena Yakubova , David E. Salt , and Kashchandra G. Raghothama *

Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907-1165

* Corresponding author; email: kraghoth{at}purdue.edu.

Root architectures differences have been linked to the survival of plants on phosphate-deficient soils, as well as to the improved yields of phosphate-efficient crop cultivars. To understand how these differences arise, we have studied the root architectures of phosphate-deficient Arabidopsis thaliana (Col-0) plants. A striking aspect of the root architecture of these plants is that their primary root elongation is inhibited when grown on phosphate-deficient media. Here we present evidence suggesting that this inhibition is a result of iron toxicity. When the iron concentration in phosphate-deficient medium is reduced, we observe elongation of the primary root without an increase in phosphate availability or a corresponding change in the expression of phosphate-deficiency regulated genes. Recovery of the primary root elongation is associated with larger plant weights, improved ability to take up phosphate from the media, and increased tissue phosphate content. This suggests that manipulating iron availability to a plant could be a valuable strategy for improving a plant's ability to tolerate phosphate deficiency.






HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH
ASPB Publications PLANT PHYSIOLOGY THE PLANT CELL
Copyright © 2008 by the American Society of Plant Biologists