Abstract
Citric acid is an integral component of primary metabolism and cellular energetics and plays extensive roles in other cellular processes, such as signaling, chelating, and exudation. Here, we characterized the unique effects that citric acid has on Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root structure and development. In particular, we investigated how citric acid modifies 2 root types in opposing ways: by inhibiting primary root growth while promoting anchor root growth. To understand the mechanisms driving these different growth patterns within the same organism, we analyzed nutrient and transcriptomic responses to citric acid treatment in anchor roots and primary roots. High-spatial resolution elemental analysis revealed that root meristems and the root-hypocotyl junction are regions of strong nutrient enrichment, but that citric acid treatment has little effect on nutrient levels in these regions. Transcriptional analysis revealed major differences between primary roots and anchor roots in response to citric acid. In particular, citric acid acted as a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger through increased Class III peroxidase transcription, effectively reducing H2O2 levels both in vitro and in vivo. Altering the ROS balance at the root-hypocotyl junction was sufficient to induce anchor root formation. Citric acid treatment also differentially upregulated lignin biosynthesis, lignin assembly, and ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 expression in primary roots and anchor roots. ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 regulates the quiescent center and root columella, and we found that citric acid treatment induces developmental defects in this tissue. Overall, this study reveals that a vital organic acid produced and secreted at relatively high concentrations has both widespread and specific effects on plant development and root architecture.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid inhibited primary root growth.
- Taxon
- Arabidopsis
Arabidopsist0 - Treatment
- citric acide0
- Outcome
- primary root growthe0
- Direction
- inhibitinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“citric acid modifies 2 root types in opposing ways: by inhibiting primary root growth while promoting anchor root growth”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid promoted anchor root growth.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- citric acide0
- Outcome
- anchor root growthe0
- Direction
- promotinge0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“citric acid modifies 2 root types in opposing ways: by inhibiting primary root growth while promoting anchor root growth”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Root meristems and root hypocotyl junction had strong nutrient enrichment.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Organ / stage
- root meristems and the root-hypocotyl junctione0
- Outcome
- nutrient enrichmente0
- Direction
- stronge0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“root meristems and the root-hypocotyl junction are regions of strong nutrient enrichment”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid had little effect on nutrient levels in these root regions.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- citric acid treatmente0
- Outcome
- nutrient levelse0
- Direction
- little effecte0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“citric acid treatment has little effect on nutrient levels in these regions”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Primary and anchor roots had markedly different transcriptional responses to citric acid.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- citric acide0
- Outcome
- differences between primary roots and anchor rootse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“major differences between primary roots and anchor roots in response to citric acid”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid increased Class III peroxidase transcription.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- citric acide0
- Gene
- Class III peroxidasee0
- Outcome
- Class III peroxidase transcriptione0
- Direction
- increasede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“citric acid acted as a reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenger through increased Class III peroxidase transcription”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid reduced H2O2 levels in vitro and in vivo.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Outcome
- H2O2 levelse0
- Direction
- reducinge0
- Qualifier
- both in vitro and in vivoe0
Not reportedTreatmentComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“reducing H2O2 levels both in vitro and in vivo”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Changing ROS balance at the root hypocotyl junction induced anchor root formation.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Organ / stage
- root-hypocotyl junctione0
- Treatment
- Altering the ROS balancee0
- Outcome
- anchor root formatione0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Altering the ROS balance at the root-hypocotyl junction was sufficient to induce anchor root formation”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid differentially upregulated lignin biosynthesis and assembly.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Organ / stage
- primary roots and anchor rootse0
- Treatment
- Citric acid treatmente0
- Outcome
- lignin biosynthesis, lignin assemblye0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Citric acid treatment also differentially upregulated lignin biosynthesis, lignin assembly, and ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 expression in primary roots and anchor roots”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid differentially upregulated ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 expression.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Treatment
- Citric acid treatmente0
- Gene
- ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115e0
- Outcome
- ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 expressione0
- Direction
- upregulatede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Citric acid treatment also differentially upregulated lignin biosynthesis, lignin assembly, and ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 expression in primary roots and anchor roots”
t0“Arabidopsis”
Claim · model-written summary
Citric acid caused developmental defects in the quiescent center and columella.
- Taxon
- ArabidopsisArabidopsist0
- Organ / stage
- quiescent center and root columellae0
- Treatment
- citric acid treatmente0
- Outcome
- developmental defectse0
Not reportedComparatorDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“ETHYLENE RESPONSE FACTOR 115 regulates the quiescent center and root columella, and we found that citric acid treatment induces developmental defects in this tissue”
t0“Arabidopsis”
The same questions in other papers
citric acid · molecular: expression · ArabidopsisPositive and negative results
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citric acid · growth · ArabidopsisPositive and negative results
1 in the opposite direction
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reactive oxygen species · growth · ArabidopsisPositive and negative results
6 papers in the same direction as this paper · 2 in the opposite direction
- negative
- negative
- positive
5 papers more in this group
See all 9 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.