Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2018, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (2): 154-163.DOI: 10.11983/CBB18020

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Current Understanding of Plant Root Hydrotropic Response

Gao Kun, Chang Jinke, Li Jia*()   

  1. Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptations, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou 730000, China
  • Received:2018-01-19 Accepted:2018-02-03 Online:2018-03-01 Published:2018-03-10
  • Contact: Li Jia

Abstract: Plant root tips can sense the moisture gradient in soil and grow toward the higher water potential region. This unique response is called the hydrotropic response or hydrotropism. Hydrotropism plays a key role for plants to efficiently obtain water from soil. The root hydrotropic response has become one of the hot topics in plant biology. However, the detailed molecular mechanisms controlling the root hydrotropic response are poorly understood. Previous studies de- monstrated that MIZ1 and GNOM can positively regulate the hydrotropic response. Several phytohormones, light, ROS and Ca2+ were also thought to mediate the root hydrotropic response, but their detailed molecular mechanisms are not yet elucidated. This review highlights the research history and factors of hydrotropic response and identification and characterization of key regulators of hydrotropic response, to give a more comprehensive understanding of research progress in the plant hydrotropic response. We provide perspectives on possible future research directions.

Key words: hydrotropism, hydrotropic response, moisture gradient, MIZ1, GNOM