New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth

A special issue of Cells (ISSN 2073-4409). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant, Algae and Fungi Cell Biology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2022) | Viewed by 26477

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Biology, University of Florence, Via Micheli 3, 50121 Florence, Italy
Interests: plant cell biology; autophagy; programmed cell death; plant anatomy
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Guest Editor
Department of Energy Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
Interests: programmed cell death; autophagy; plant reproduction

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Guest Editor
Department of Plant Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1312, USA
Interests: organelles morphology; dynamics and biogenesis; organelle-organelle contact sites; secretory pathway; endocytosis; responses of intracellular organelles and compartments to salinity stress; abiotic stresses

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant growth requires a series of tightly synchronized and controlled functions and processes.

Three major functions essential to drive plant growth and development are photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration. Growth in plants, as well as in all multicellular organisms, is also governed by highly coordinated processes of cell division and cell expansion. Each cell needs to communicate with the surrounding cells, and this requires sophisticated mechanisms of cell-to-cell signaling. Plant growth also depends on primary metabolic products, which are regulated by circadian rhythms, which in turn control the gene expression. We encourage papers on several aspects associated with molecular and cellular mechanisms of plant growth, including all of the important roles played in cell growth and division by (1) primary and secondary cell walls; (2) cytoskeleton components; (3) endomembrane compartments and organelles; (4) hormones; (5) cell–cell communication; (6) intra- and extra-cellular signal transduction; (7) photoperception and signaling; and (8) photosynthesis, respiration, and transpiration.

The topic is open to original studies covering experimental and theoretical approaches in the form of original research and review articles.

Prof. Alessio Papini
Dr. Luciana Renna
Dr. Giovanni Stefano
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • primary and secondary cell walls
  • cytoskeleton components
  • endomembrane compartments and organelles
  • hormones
  • cell–cell communication
  • intra- and extra-cellular signal transduction
  • photoperception and signaling
  • photosynthesis
  • respiration
  • transpiration

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Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 1976 KiB  
Communication
The Plasmodesmata-Located β-1,3-Glucanase Enzyme PdBG4 Regulates Trichomes Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana
by Yijie Fan, Shuangshuang Lin, Tongtong Li, Fengjuan Shi, Guangyao Shan and Fanchang Zeng
Cells 2022, 11(18), 2856; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11182856 - 13 Sep 2022
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1804
Abstract
Intercellular material transport and information transmission in plants are carried out through the plasmodesmata (PD). The amount of callose around the PD controls channel permeability. In plants, β-1,3-glucanase can degrade callose and affect plant growth and development. In this study, the gene producing [...] Read more.
Intercellular material transport and information transmission in plants are carried out through the plasmodesmata (PD). The amount of callose around the PD controls channel permeability. In plants, β-1,3-glucanase can degrade callose and affect plant growth and development. In this study, the gene producing PD-localized β-1,3-glucanase and regulating the leaf trichomes is identified and named PdBG4. Based on functional analysis through a series of genetic manipulation assays, we found that the high expression of PdBG4 was associated with strong PD permeability and short Arabidopsis thaliana leaf trichomes. Conversely, the low expression of PdBG4 correlated with weak PD permeability and long Arabidopsis thaliana leaf trichomes. This study revealed that the PdBG4 gene negatively modulates leaf trichome growth and development by regulating PD permeability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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23 pages, 42816 KiB  
Article
Total and Mitochondrial Transcriptomic and Proteomic Insights into Regulation of Bioenergetic Processes for Shoot Fast-Growth Initiation in Moso Bamboo
by Xiaojing Wang, Xin Geng, Lilin Yang, Yuzhen Chen, Zhiheng Zhao, Weijia Shi, Lan Kang, Ruihua Wu, Cunfu Lu and Jian Gao
Cells 2022, 11(7), 1240; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11071240 - 6 Apr 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2557
Abstract
As a fast-growing, woody grass plant, Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) can supply edible shoots, building materials, fibrous raw material, raw materials for crafts and furniture and so on within a relatively short time. Rapid growth of Moso bamboo occurs after the [...] Read more.
As a fast-growing, woody grass plant, Moso bamboo (Phyllostachys edulis) can supply edible shoots, building materials, fibrous raw material, raw materials for crafts and furniture and so on within a relatively short time. Rapid growth of Moso bamboo occurs after the young bamboo shoots are covered with a shell and emerge from the ground. However, the molecular reactions of bioenergetic processes essential for fast growth remain undefined. Herein, total and mitochondrial transcriptomes and proteomes were compared between spring and winter shoots. Numerous key genes and proteins responsible for energy metabolism were significantly upregulated in spring shoots, including those involved in starch and sucrose catabolism, glycolysis, the pentose phosphate pathway, the tricarboxylic acid cycle and oxidative phosphorylation. Accordingly, significant decreases in starch and soluble sugar, higher ATP content and higher rates of respiration and glycolysis were identified in spring shoots. Further, the upregulated genes and proteins related to mitochondrial fission significantly increased the number of mitochondria, indirectly promoting intracellular energy metabolism. Moreover, enhanced alternate-oxidase and uncoupled-protein pathways in winter shoots showed that an efficient energy-dissipating system was important for winter shoots to adapt to the low-temperature environment. Heterologous expression of PeAOX1b in Arabidopsis significantly affected seedling growth and enhanced cold-stress tolerance. Overall, this study highlights the power of comparing total and mitochondrial omics and integrating physiochemical data to understand how bamboo initiates fast growth through modulating bioenergetic processes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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14 pages, 2545 KiB  
Article
Photosynthetic Protein-Based Edible Quality Formation in Various Porphyra dentata Harvests Determined by Label-Free Proteomics Analysis
by Mingchang Yang, Lizhen Ma, Xianqing Yang, Laihao Li, Shengjun Chen, Bo Qi, Yueqi Wang, Chunsheng Li, Ya Wei and Yongqiang Zhao
Cells 2022, 11(7), 1136; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11071136 - 28 Mar 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3898
Abstract
The influence of harvest time on the photosynthetic protein quality of the red alga Porphyra dentata was determined using label-free proteomics. Of 2716 differentially abundant proteins that were identified in this study, 478 were upregulated and 374 were downregulated. The top enriched Kyoto [...] Read more.
The influence of harvest time on the photosynthetic protein quality of the red alga Porphyra dentata was determined using label-free proteomics. Of 2716 differentially abundant proteins that were identified in this study, 478 were upregulated and 374 were downregulated. The top enriched Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and gene ontology (GO) pathways were metabolic processes and biosynthetic pathways such as photosynthesis, light harvesting, and carbon fixation in photosynthetic organisms. Nine important photosynthetic proteins were screened. Correlations among their expression levels were contrasted and verified by western blotting. PSII D1 and 44-kDa protein levels increased with later harvest time and increased light exposure. Specific photoprotective protein expression accelerated P. dentata growth and development. Biological processes such as photosynthesis and carbon cycling increased carbohydrate metabolism and decreased the total protein content. The results of the present study provide a scientific basis for the optimization of the culture and harvest of P. dentata. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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16 pages, 3333 KiB  
Article
Differential Involvement of Arabidopsis β’-COP Isoforms in Plant Development
by Judit Sánchez-Simarro, Pilar Selvi, César Bernat-Silvestre, Eugenio Gómez Minguet, Fernando Aniento and María Jesús Marcote
Cells 2022, 11(6), 938; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11060938 - 9 Mar 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2946
Abstract
Coat protein I (COPI) is necessary for intra-Golgi transport and retrograde transport from the Golgi apparatus back to the endoplasmic reticulum. The key component of the COPI coat is the coatomer complex, which is composed of seven subunits (α/β/β’/γ/δ/ε/ζ) and is recruited en [...] Read more.
Coat protein I (COPI) is necessary for intra-Golgi transport and retrograde transport from the Golgi apparatus back to the endoplasmic reticulum. The key component of the COPI coat is the coatomer complex, which is composed of seven subunits (α/β/β’/γ/δ/ε/ζ) and is recruited en bloc from the cytosol onto Golgi membranes. In mammals and yeast, α- and β’-COP WD40 domains mediate cargo-selective interactions with dilysine motifs present in canonical cargoes of COPI vesicles. In contrast to mammals and yeast, three isoforms of β’-COP (β’1-3-COP) have been identified in Arabidopsis. To understand the role of Arabidopsis β’-COP isoforms in plant biology, we have identified and characterized loss-of-function mutants of the three isoforms, and double mutants were also generated. We have found that the trafficking of a canonical dilysine cargo (the p24 family protein p24δ5) is affected in β’-COP double mutants. By western blot analysis, it is also shown that protein levels of α-COP are reduced in the β’-COP double mutants. Although none of the single mutants showed an obvious growth defect, double mutants showed different growth phenotypes. The double mutant analysis suggests that, under standard growth conditions, β’1-COP can compensate for the loss of both β’2-COP and β’3-COP and may have a prominent role during seedling development. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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21 pages, 11665 KiB  
Article
Iron Supplement-Enhanced Growth and Development of Hydrangea macrophylla In Vitro under Normal and High pH
by Jie Xiao, Ge Guo and Byoung Ryong Jeong
Cells 2021, 10(11), 3151; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10113151 - 13 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3057
Abstract
Hydrangea macrophylla is a popular perennial ornamental shrub commercially grown as potted plants, landscape plants, and cut flowers. In the process of reproduction and production of ornamental plants, the absorption of nutrients directly determines the value of the ornamental plants. Hydrangea macrophylla is [...] Read more.
Hydrangea macrophylla is a popular perennial ornamental shrub commercially grown as potted plants, landscape plants, and cut flowers. In the process of reproduction and production of ornamental plants, the absorption of nutrients directly determines the value of the ornamental plants. Hydrangea macrophylla is very sensitive to the content and absorption of the micronutrient iron (Fe) that affects growth of its shoots. However, the physiological activity of Fe as affected by deficiency or supplementation is unknown. This work aimed at preliminary exploring the relationship between Fe and photosynthesis, and also to find the most favorable iron source and level of pH for the growth of H. macrophylla. Two Fe sources, non-chelated iron sulfate (FeSO4) and iron ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (Fe-EDTA), were supplemented to the multipurpose medium with a final Fe concentration of 2.78 mg·L−1. The medium without any Fe supplementation was used as the control. The pH of the agar-solidified medium was adjusted to either 4.70, 5.70, or 6.70, before autoclaving. The experiment was conducted in a culture room for 60 days with 25/18 °C day and night temperatures, and a 16-hour photoperiod provided at a light intensity of 50 mmol·m−2·s−1 photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) from white light-emitting diodes. Supplementary Fe increased the tissue Fe content, and leaves were greener with the medium pH of 4.70, regardless of the Fe source. Compared to the control, the number of leaves for plantlets treated with FeSO4 and Fe-EDTA were 2.0 and 1.5 times greater, respectively. The chlorophyll, macronutrient, and micronutrient contents were the greatest with Fe-EDTA at pH 4.70. Furthermore, the Fe in the leaf affected the photosynthesis by regulating stomata development, pigment content, and antioxidant system, and also by adjusting the expression of genes related to Fe absorption, transport, and redistribution. Supplementation of Fe in a form chelated with EDTA along with a medium pH of 4.70 was found to be the best for the growth and development of H. macrophylla plantlets cultured in vitro. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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24 pages, 36054 KiB  
Article
Morpho-Physiological and Transcriptome Changes in Tomato Anthers of Different Developmental Stages under Drought Stress
by Anthony Tumbeh Lamin-Samu, Mohamed Farghal, Muhammad Ali and Gang Lu
Cells 2021, 10(7), 1809; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10071809 - 17 Jul 2021
Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4323
Abstract
Drought limits the growth and productivity of plants. Reproductive development is sensitive to drought but the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms remain unclear in tomatoes. Here, we investigated the effect of drought on tomato floral development using morpho-physiological and transcriptome analyses. Drought-induced male [...] Read more.
Drought limits the growth and productivity of plants. Reproductive development is sensitive to drought but the underlying physiological and molecular mechanisms remain unclear in tomatoes. Here, we investigated the effect of drought on tomato floral development using morpho-physiological and transcriptome analyses. Drought-induced male sterility through abnormal anther development includes pollen abortion, inadequate pollen starch accumulation and anther indehiscence which caused floral bud and opened flower abortions and reduced fruit set/yield. Under drought stress (DS), pollen mother cell to meiotic (PMC-MEI) anthers survived whereas tetrad to vacuolated uninucleate microspore (TED-VUM) anthers aborted. PMC-MEI anthers had lower ABA increase, reduced IAA and elevated sugar contents under DS relative to well-watered tomato plants. However, TED-VUM anthers had higher ABA increase and IAA levels, and lower accumulation of soluble sugars, indicating abnormal carbohydrate and hormone metabolisms when exposed to drought-stress conditions. Moreover, RNA-Seq analysis identified altogether >15,000 differentially expressed genes that were assigned to multiple pathways, suggesting that tomato anthers utilize complicated mechanisms to cope with drought. In particular, we found that tapetum development and ABA homeostasis genes were drought-induced while sugar utilization and IAA metabolic genes were drought-repressed in PMC-MEI anthers. Our results suggest an important role of phytohormones metabolisms in anther development under DS and provide novel insight into the molecular mechanism underlying drought resistance in tomatoes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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Review

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18 pages, 3682 KiB  
Review
The Involvement of microRNAs in Plant Lignan Biosynthesis—Current View
by Katarína Ražná, Ľubomír Harenčár and Matúš Kučka
Cells 2022, 11(14), 2151; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells11142151 - 8 Jul 2022
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2533
Abstract
Lignans, as secondary metabolites synthesized within a phenylpropanoid pathway, play various roles in plants, including their involvement in growth and plant defense processes. The health and nutritional benefits of lignans are unquestionable, and many studies have been devoted to these attributes. Although the [...] Read more.
Lignans, as secondary metabolites synthesized within a phenylpropanoid pathway, play various roles in plants, including their involvement in growth and plant defense processes. The health and nutritional benefits of lignans are unquestionable, and many studies have been devoted to these attributes. Although the regulatory role of miRNAs in the biosynthesis of secondary metabolites has been widely reported, there is no systematic review available on the miRNA-based regulatory mechanism of lignans biosynthesis. However, the genetic background of lignan biosynthesis in plants is well characterized. We attempted to put together a regulatory mosaic based on current knowledge describing miRNA-mediated regulation of genes, enzymes, or transcription factors involved in this biosynthesis process. At the same time, we would like to underline the fact that further research is necessary to improve our understanding of the miRNAs regulating plant lignan biosynthesis by exploitation of current approaches for functional identification of miRNAs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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11 pages, 1665 KiB  
Review
Do Plasmodesmata Play a Prominent Role in Regulation of Auxin-Dependent Genes at Early Stages of Embryogenesis?
by Konrad Winnicki, Justyna Teresa Polit, Aneta Żabka and Janusz Maszewski
Cells 2021, 10(4), 733; https://doi.org/10.3390/cells10040733 - 26 Mar 2021
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3636
Abstract
Plasmodesmata form intercellular channels which ensure the transport of various molecules during embryogenesis and postembryonic growth. However, high permeability of plasmodesmata may interfere with the establishment of auxin maxima, which are required for cellular patterning and the development of distinct tissues. Therefore, diffusion [...] Read more.
Plasmodesmata form intercellular channels which ensure the transport of various molecules during embryogenesis and postembryonic growth. However, high permeability of plasmodesmata may interfere with the establishment of auxin maxima, which are required for cellular patterning and the development of distinct tissues. Therefore, diffusion through plasmodesmata is not always desirable and the symplastic continuum must be broken up to induce or accomplish some developmental processes. Many data show the role of auxin maxima in the regulation of auxin-responsive genes and the establishment of various cellular patterns. However, still little is known whether and how these maxima are formed in the embryo proper before 16-cell stage, that is, when there is still a nonpolar distribution of auxin efflux carriers. In this work, we focused on auxin-dependent regulation of plasmodesmata function, which may provide rapid and transient changes of their permeability, and thus take part in the regulation of gene expression. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue New Insight in Molecular and Cellular Mechanism of Plant Growth)
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