Scientists Pinpoint Gene for Root Development in Rice

A group of scientists from the Huazhong Agricultural University, in Wuhan, China found that a WUSCHEL-related Homeobox (WOX) gene in rice, named WOX11, is involved in the activation of crown root emergence and growth. In rice, the shoot-borne crown roots are the major root type and are initiated at lower stem nodes as part of normal plant development. However, the regulatory mechanism of crown root development is poorly understood. The team led by Dr. Dao-Xiu Zhou found that the expressions of auxin- and cytokinin-responsive genes were affected by WOX11 overexpression and RNA interference in transgenic plants. The results suggest that WOX11 may be an integrator of auxin and cytokinin signaling for regulation of cell proliferation during crown root development.

The article is published online by The Plant Cell.  For the full article, visit http://www.plantcell.org/cgi/rapidpdf/tpc.108.061655v1