With 5,565 amiRNAs targeting ~82% of the transportome, mTACT enables spatially resolved genetic screens to uncover hidden regulators of signaling molecule transport.

Published in @plantphys.bsky.social

#PlantPhysiology #Arabidopsis #FunctionalGenomics #Transporters #GeneRegulation #PlantScience

Hi! You can contact Malcolm Bennett or check the version available in biorxiv: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

4. These signaling pathways translate environmental water patterns into root architecture with clear field relevance.

🤔 These insights into moisture-responsive root growth could help improve drought resilience in crops. #Maize #PlantScience

📄 Full paper: www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1...

4/4

2. This divergence likely reflects different historical selection pressures during modern breeding.

3. Auxin promotes root branching toward moisture, while ethylene suppresses branching on air-exposed root surfaces.

3/4

Maize #roots actively pattern new branches toward water (hydropatterning), but this response differs across varieties.

Some key findings:

1. Maize shows genetic diversity in hydropatterning, with tropical/subtropical lines exhibiting stronger responsive root branching.

👇

2/3

😉

Together, these insights highlight roots as dynamic, hormone-regulated organs that fine-tune growth to maximise water acquisition in challenging environments.

📄 Full paper: academic.oup.com/jxb/article/76/7/1987/8011474

#PlantScience #RootBiology #Science #Plants #Roots #PlantHormones

• Hormones act as central integrators of water signals, translating environmental cues into growth responses that reshape root systems.

• Hormone-driven root plasticity is crucial for drought adaptation, with targets for improving water-use efficiency & resilience.

Review brings together evidence on how plant hormones coordinate root development in response to water availability.

3 key takeaways:

• Roots actively sense water availability, both at the root tip & along mature tissues, enabling directional & adjustment of branching patterns.

➡️ Roots “smell” where the water is and bend in that direction.

• It happens underground, where we usually can’t see it.
• It helps plants survive dry conditions.
• Tiny chemical signals inside the plant tell the root which way to grow.

#PlantScience #Roots #Hydrotropism #RootBiology

These insights into hormone interactions shaping root system architecture could inform future strategies to improve drought tolerance in cereal crops.

Read the study: doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

#Hydrosensing #2025recap

4/4

• ABA biosynthetic mutants have shallower root angles and weaker drought responsiveness and lower auxin levels in roots.

• Applying auxin externally can rescue root-angle defects in these mutants, confirming that ABA acts upstream of auxin biosynthesis in this response mechanism.

3/4

This enhanced angle helps roots reach deeper soil layers where water is still available under dry conditions.

3 Key takeaways:

• Under drought stress, crops form steeper root systems compared with well-watered conditions.

2/4