Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Raleigh, North Carolina » Plant Science Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #325375

Title: Arabidopsis: an adequate model for dicot root systems

Author
item Zobel, Richard

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/2016
Publication Date: 2/5/2016
Citation: Zobel, R.W. 2016. Arabidopsis: an adequate model for dicot root systems. Frontiers in Plant Science. 7:58.

Interpretive Summary: Arabidopsis is currently one of the best characterized plant species, in terms of molecular and genetic control of growth and development. It, however has a small physical size and reduced genome size. The latter might suggest that it may be missing some characteristics that are present in larger plant genomes. This paper uses recently published data to demonstrate that Arabidopsis appears to have the same numbers and classes of roots that its larger cousins have.

Technical Abstract: In the search for answers to pressing root developmental genetic issues, plant science has turned to a small genome dicot plant (Arabidopsis) to be used as a model to study and use to develop hypotheses for testing other species. Through out the published research only three classes of root are described for Arabidopsis; primary, lateral and adventitious, while It has been claimed that there are at least 8 classes or root in “normal” dicot and monocot plants. This challenges the suitability of Arabidopsis as a model for root development research. Three lines of evidence have recently been published that demonstrate additional classes of root in Arabidopsis, and suggest the elimination of the “adventitious” class label. With this demonstration, Arabidopsis can be provisionally declared a suitable model for dicot root developmental studies.