Claim · model-written summary
Cellulose microfibrils in cortical cell walls became increasingly more parallel to the root axis along the growth profile of unstressed and stressed maize roots.
- Organ / stage
- inner face of cortical cell wallse2
- Outcome
- Cellulose microfibrilse2
- Direction
- became increasingly more parallele2
Not reportedMaterialGeneCompoundInteractorInteractor roleSecond interactorSecond interactor roleTreatmentComparatorSettingValueQualifier
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.

Verbatim
e1“A series of physical and chemical analyses were made on the expanding zone of maize seedling roots grown in hydroponics”
e2“Cellulose microfibrils on the inner face of cortical cell walls became increasingly more parallel to the root axis along the growth profile of both unstressed and stressed roots”
Title
JEREMY PRITCHARD; P RICHARD HETHERINGTON; STEPHEN C. FRY; et al. Journal of Experimental Botany 1993. doi:10.1093/jxb/44.8.1281
Other claims from this paper (14)
- Observation Cell walls become looser in the apical 5 mm of maize roots.
- Observation Cell walls tighten 5–10 mm from the maize root tip.
- Intervention effect Immersion in 200 mol m−3 mannitol rapidly and evenly reduced turgor pressure along the whole growing region of maize roots.
- Intervention effect Under 200 mol m−3 mannitol, growth was reduced to a greater extent 5–10 mm from the root tip than in the apical region.
- Mechanism Rapid wall-loosening occurs in the root tip of maize but not in more basal regions.
- Intervention effect After 24 h in 400 mol m−3 mannitol, turgor recovered to pre-stressed values in maize roots.
- Intervention effect Under 400 mol m−3 mannitol, growth was reduced 4–10 mm from the root tip despite recovered turgor.
- Mechanism Under 400 mol m−3 mannitol, the wall tightened in maize roots.
- Observation Local relative elemental growth rate in the maize root apex was unchanged relative to control tissue under stress.
- Association Microfibril orientation did not correlate with wall loosening in the apical region of unstressed maize roots.
- Association Microfibril orientation did not correlate with wall tightening 5–10 mm from the root tip after 24 h of osmotic stress.
- Association XET profiles had good correspondence with an increase in wall loosening during maize root development.
- Intervention effect Under osmotic stress, XET activity decreased per unit dry weight in the zone of wall tightening compared with unstressed control.
- Observation XET activity per unit fresh weight did not decrease in the zone of wall tightening after osmotic stress.