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Article Addendum
Vesicular secretion of auxin: Evidences and implications
Frantisek Baluska, Markus Schlicht, Dieter Volkmann and Stefano Mancuso
volume 3 | issue 4
april 2008Pages: 254 - 256
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The plant hormone auxin is secreted in root apices via phospholipase Dζ2 (PLDζ2) activity which produces specific population of phosphatidic acid that stimulates secretion of vesicles enriched with auxin. These vesicles were reported to be localized at plant synapses which are active in auxin secretion, especially at the transition zone of the root apex. There are several implications of this vesicular secretion of auxin. In root apices, auxin emerges as plant neurotransmitter-like signal molecule which coordinates activities of adjacent cells via electric and chemical signaling. Putative quantal release of auxin after electrical stimulation, if confirmed, would be part of neuronal communication between plant cells. As auxin transport across plant synapses is tightly linked with integrated sensory perception of environment, especially of omnipresent gravity and light, auxin is proposed to mediate the plant perception of environment. These neuronal features allow sessile plants to integrate multitude of sensory signals into the adaptive behavior of whole plants and the animal-like exploratory behavior of growing roots.
Authors
Frantisek Baluska
IZMB & LINV; University of Bonn; Bonn, Germany
Markus Schlicht
IZMB & LINV; University of Bonn; Bonn, Germany
Dieter Volkmann
IZMB & LINV; University of Bonn; Bonn, Germany
Stefano Mancuso
IZMB & LINV; University of Florence; Florence, Italy