Developmental Characteristics and Auxin Response of Epiphytic Root in Dendrobium catenatum

• Published in: Frontiers in plant science Vol. 13; p. 935540
• Main Authors: Tian, Jili, Jiang, Weiwei, Si, Jinping, Han, Zhigang, Li, Cong, Chen, Donghong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Frontiers Media S.A 23-06-2022
• Subjects: aerial root; auxin response; DcWOX12; Dendrobium catenatum; epiphytic life; Plant Science
• ISSN: 1664-462X; 1664-462X
• DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.935540

Dendrobium catenatum, a traditional precious Chinese herbal medicine, belongs to epiphytic orchids. Its special life mode leads to the specialization of roots, but there is a lack of systematic research. The aerial root in
D. catenatum
displays diverse unique biological characteristics, and it initially originates from the opposite pole of the shoot meristem within the protocorm. The root development of
D. catenatum
is not only regulated by internal cues but also adjusts accordingly with the change in growth environments.
D. catenatum
root is highly tolerant to auxin, which may be closely related to its epiphytic life. Exogenous auxin treatment has dual effects on
D. catenatum
roots: relatively low concentration promotes root elongation, which is related to the induced expression of cell wall synthesis genes; excessive concentration inhibits the differentiation of velamen and exodermis and promotes the overproliferation of cortical cells, which is related to the significant upregulation of WOX11-WOX5 regeneration pathway genes and cell division regulatory genes. Overexpression of
D. catenatum
WOX12 (DcWOX12) in Arabidopsis inhibits cell and organ differentiation, but induces cell dedifferentiation and callus production. Therefore, DcWOX12 not only retains the characteristics of ancestors as stem cell regulators, but also obtains stronger cell fate transformation ability than homologous genes of other species. These findings suggest that the aerial root of
D. catenatum
evolves special structure and developmental characteristics to adapt to epiphytic life, providing insight into ideal root structure breeding of simulated natural cultivation in
D. catenatum
and a novel target gene for improving the efficiency of monocot plant transformation.