β-Cyclocitral is a conserved root growth regulator

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 116; no. 21; pp. 10563 - 10567
• Main Authors: Dickinson, Alexandra J., Lehner, Kevin, Mi, Jianing, Jia, Kun-Peng, Mijar, Medhavinee, Dinneny, José, Al-Babili, Salim, Benfey, Philip N.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 21.05.2019
• Subjects: Aldehydes - pharmacology; Arabidopsis; Biological Sciences; Biosynthesis; Crop vigor; Crops; Diterpenes - pharmacology; Environmental stress; Growth regulators; Meristems; Metabolites; Mutants; Plant growth; Plant Growth Regulators - pharmacology; Plant Roots - drug effects; Plant Roots - growth & development; Reactive oxygen species; Sediment pollution; Soil contamination; Soil pollution; Tomatoes; Vigor; plant hormone; lateral root emergence; meristem; carotenoid; abiotic stress
• ISSN: 0027-8424; 1091-6490
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1821445116

Natural compounds capable of increasing root depth and branching are desirable tools for enhancing stress tolerance in crops. We devised a sensitized screen to identify natural metabolites capable of regulating root traits in Arabidopsis. β-Cyclocitral, an endogenous root compound, was found to promote cell divisions in root meristems and stimulate lateral root branching. β-Cyclocitral rescued meristematic cell divisions in ccd1ccd4 biosynthesis mutants, and β-cyclocitral–driven root growth was found to be independent of auxin, brassinosteroid, and reactive oxygen species signaling pathways. β-Cyclocitral had a conserved effect on root growth in tomato and rice and generated significantly more compact crown root systems in rice. Moreover, β-cyclocitral treatment enhanced plant vigor in rice plants exposed to salt-contaminated soil. These results indicate that β-cyclocitral is a broadly effective root growth promoter in both monocots and eudicots and could be a valuable tool to enhance crop vigor under environmental stress.