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Summary Brace roots are a unique but poorly understood set of organs found in some large cereal crops such as maize. These roots develop from aerial stem nodes and can remain aerial or grow into the ground. Despite their name, the function of these roots to brace the plant was only recently shown. In this article, I discuss the current understanding of brace root function and development, as well as the multitude of open questions that remain about these fascinating organs.
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Characterization of mechanosensitive MSL gene family expression in Zea mays aerial and subterranean brace roots
Plants must be able to sense and respond to mechanical stresses encountered throughout their lifespan. The MscS-Like (MSL) family of mechanosensitive ion channels is one mechanism to perceive mechanical stresses. In maize, brace roots emerge from stem nodes above the soil and some remain aerial while some grow into the soil. We tested the hypothesis that MSL gene expression is higher in subterranean brace roots compared to those that remain aerial. However, there was no difference in MSL expression between the two environments. This work sets the foundation for a deeper understanding of MSL gene expression and function in maize.
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- Award ID(s):
- 2040346
- PAR ID:
- 10499358
- Publisher / Repository:
- microPublication Biology
- Date Published:
- Format(s):
- Medium: X
- Sponsoring Org:
- National Science Foundation
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Brace roots (roots developing from aerial stem nodes) are a type of adventitious root that develop from aboveground stem nodes in many monocots. Brace roots may remain aerial or penetrate the soil as they perform root functions such as anchorage and resource acquisition. Although brace root development in soil or aerial environments influences function, a lot is still unknown about how their anatomy, architecture and development contributes to their function. This article summarizes the current state of knowledge on brace roots.more » « less
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- Free Publicly Accessible Full Text
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Accepted Manuscript1.0
- Data Paper:
- https://doi.org/10.17912/micropub.biology.000759
