They identify a new genetic mechanism that regulates the growth of plant roots

With the effects of climate change hitting harder in the hands of extreme weather events, droughts and floods frequently affect agricultural production. Therefore, it is a priority to ensure that crops can adapt to inclement weather. Along this path, a group of researchers from the Institute of Molecular and Cellular Biology of Rosario (IBR) in Argentina has managed to identify one of the genetic mechanisms that regulate the growth and development of plant roots, an advance that opens the possibility to modify and improve them.

“With the challenges posed by climate change and the demand for sustainable agriculture, it is essential to design crops that optimize root capacities based on their intrinsic mechanisms,” one of the authors of the research told the CyTA Agency. Carla Schommer, CONICET scientist at the IBR, which also depends on the National University of Rosario.

For the research, the scientists worked with the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana, the most studied in the world at a genetic and physiological level. “Specifically, we analyze the impact of the activity of the microRNA319-TCP regulatory node in this context. In other words, we study the behavior of the roots in plants with higher or lower activity of the TCP genes”, explained Schommer.

“In previous studies we had already identified that TCPs that are regulated by small RNA are important for the development of the aerial parts of the plant (leaves and flowers), and that the level of their activity has an impact on the size of the leaf. . Instead, nothing was known about its role in root growth,” he added.

Estate. (Photo: Amazings/NCYT)

“Our observations show that the microRNA319-TCP regulatory network has different functions in leaf and root. This contributes to the basic knowledge about root growth and development and the role of microRNAs and the family of TCP genes”, Schommer assured. And he clarified: “The root is the mechanical system that anchors the plant in the ground and is responsible for the absorption of water and nutrients. Better understanding how it develops generates possibilities for modifying and optimizing its behavior not only under ideal growth conditions, but also under conditions of biotic and abiotic stress”.

The study has been published in the academic journal Plant Molecular Biology and other co-authors are Julia L. Baulies and Edgardo G. Bresso, from the IBR. Camila Goldy and Javier F. Palatnik, from the same institute, also collaborated. (Source: CyTA-Leloir Agency)