A coupled mechano-biochemical model for cell polarity guided anisotropic root growth

Abstract
Data availability
Article and author information
Metrics

Abstract

Plants develop new organs to adjust their bodies to dynamic changes in the environment. How independent organs achieve anisotropic shapes and polarities is poorly understood. To address this question, we constructed a mechano-biochemical model for Arabidopsis root meristem growth that integrates biologically plausible principles. Computer model simulations demonstrate how differential growth of neighboring tissues results in the initial symmetry-breaking leading to anisotropic root growth. Furthermore, the root growth feeds back on a polar transport network of the growth regulator auxin. Model, predictions are in close agreement with in vivo patterns of anisotropic growth, auxin distribution, and cell polarity, as well as several root phenotypes caused by chemical, mechanical, or genetic perturbations. Our study demonstrates that the combination of tissue mechanics and polar auxin transport organizes anisotropic root growth and cell polarities during organ outgrowth. Therefore, a mobile auxin signal transported through immobile cells drives polarity and growth mechanics to coordinate complex organ development.

Data availability

All data generated or analysed during this study are included in the manuscript and supporting files. The source data for Figure 1D, Figure 2H-K, Figure 2-figure supplement 4, Figure 2-figure supplement 5H-K, Figure 3E,F, Figure 4C, Figure 4-figure supplement 1, Figure 5A-E and Figure 5-figure supplement 1A-C are provided in corresponding Source Data Files.The computer model code and PBD implementation can be found here: https://github.com/PDLABCBGP/ROOTMODEL-PBDWe received a copy of MorphoDynamX from Dr. Richard S. Smith, JIC, UK. To request MorphoDynamX source code please contact Dr. Smith directly via email Richard.Smith@jic.ac.uk

Article and author information

Author details

Marco Marconi

CBGP Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas UPM-INIA, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0002-3457-1384
Marcal Gallemi

Institute of Science and Technology (IST), Klosterneuburg, Austria

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Eva Benkova

Institute of Science and Technology (IST), Klosterneuburg, Austria

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.
Krzysztof Wabnik

CBGP Centro de Biotecnologia y Genomica de Plantas UPM-INIA, Pozuelo de Alarcón, Spain

For correspondence
k.wabnik@upm.es

Competing interests
The authors declare that no competing interests exist.

"This ORCID iD identifies the author of this article:" 0000-0001-7263-0560

Funding

Comunidad de Madrid (2017-T1/BIO-5654)

Krzysztof Wabnik

Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (PGC2018-093387-A-I00)

Krzysztof Wabnik

Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades (SEV-2016-0672 (2017-2021))

Marco Marconi
Krzysztof Wabnik

IST Interdisciplinary Project (IC1022IPC03)

Marcal Gallemi

The funders had no role in study design, data collection and interpretation, or the decision to submit the work for publication.

Copyright

This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License permitting unrestricted use and redistribution provided that the original author and source are credited.