Analysis of the involvment of nitric oxide in the cell wall changes related to root hair formation in Arabidopsis thaliana

Abstract

Arabidopsis thaliana has rapid growth, easy reproduction and its genome is already known. By these features, the species has been used as a model plant for studies of morphogenesis, differentiation, expansion and cell polarity.The root of Arabidopsis is composed of concentric rings of different cell types. On the periphery of this ring is the epidermal tissue and, depending on the spatial position, your cells are called tricoblasts or atricoblasts.The tricoblasts make contact with the anticlinal walls of two cortical cells and in their more differentiated stage they present root hairs. On the other hand, atricoblasts are adjacent to the periclinal wall of a single cortical cell and do not produce root hairs. The differences between tricoblasts and atricoblasts go beyond the limits of the protoplast, since during the formation of the root there is an asynchrony in cell wall composition between the two cell types that seems to be determinant for the presence or absence of these structures.Recent studies show that in addition to genetic and hormonal regulation, there is the involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in the formation and elongation of the root hairs. However, the exact role of nitric oxide in the process of differentiation and elongation of these structures has not yet been determined. Therefore, this study aims to examine the involvement of NO in altering the chemical composition of cell wall polysaccharides and the expression of genes of their biosynthesis in epidermal cells during the onset and development of root hairs in Arabidopsis thaliana.