Leaves are arguably the most complex and important physicobiological systems in the ecosphere. Yet, water transport outside the leaf xylem remains poorly understood, despite its impacts on stomatal function and photosynthesis. We applied anatomical measurements from 14 diverse species to a novel model of water flow in an areole (the smallest region bounded by minor veins) to predict the impact ...

In the leaf epidermis, intricately lobed pavement cells use Rho of plants (ROP) small GTPases to integrate actin and microtubule organization with trafficking through the secretory pathway. Cell signaling occurs because guanine nucleotide exchange factors (GEFs) promote ROP activation and their interactions with effector proteins that direct the cell growth machineries. In Arabidopsis, SPIKE1 (...

Cellular competence, initiation cues, and inhibition signals control the distribution of trichomes on the Arabidopsis leaf. The GLABROUS1 (GL1) gene has a dual role in that it is required for trichome initiation, but GL1 overexpression reduces trichome number. We have found that a mutation in the TRIPTYCHON (TRY) gene partially suppresses the GL1 overexpression phenotype but not in a way that i...

The plants of the cerra(lo and caatinga ecological provinces of Brazil, the suggested original home of pineapple (3), have many and varied mechanisms whereby they have adapted to the frequent development of moisture stress. The pineapple planit presenits a peculiarly interestinig combination of those traits that have been l)ropose(l for xerophytic and sc!erophyllous plants (10, 15). Preferentia...

The leaf mine in Richterago riparia is caused by a lepidopteran larva (lepidopteronome). The leaves of R. riparia show campdodrome venation; the epidermis is unistratified, with stomata and glandular trichomes in adaxial and abaxial surfaces. The mesophyll is bilateral and the vascular system is collateral. During the formation of the mine, the larva consumes the chlorenchyma of the mesophyll a...

Leaves of a novel strain of peas (Pisum sativum L.) were used to determine the distribution of secondary metabolites and their biosynthetic enzymes. Leaf epidermal layers in this strain are easily separated from the parenchyma. Anthocyanins and flavonol glycosides were localized in epidermal vacuoles only. Among the biosynthetic enzymes studied, phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5), S-...

Intercellular communication delivers critical information for position-dependent specification of cell fate. In plants, a novel mechanism for cell-to-cell communication involves the intercellular trafficking of regulatory proteins and mRNAs. The maize KNOTTED1 (KN1) gene acts non cell-autonomously in the maize leaf, and KN1 was the first plant protein shown to traffic cell-to-cell, presumably t...

The outwardly directed cell wall and associated plasma membrane of epidermal cells represent the first layers of plant defense against intruding pathogens. Cell wall modifications and the formation of defense structures at sites of attempted pathogen penetration are decisive for plant defense. A precise isolation of these stress-induced structures would allow a specific analysis of regulatory m...

This study was aimed to develop of complete microscopy and macroscopy of Tridex procumbens in which the leaves, petioles, roots and stems were studied. Tridex procumbens Linn. Fam. Asteraceae commonly known as ‘Coat Buttons’ is an important plant used against various activities in indigenous system of medicine such as hepatoprotective, antihepatotoxic, antipyretics, anti-diabetic, blood coagula...

BACKGROUND Cotton is the dominant source of natural textile fibre and a significant oil crop. Cotton fibres, produced by certain species in the genus Gossypium, are seed trichomes derived from individual cells of the epidermal layer of the seed coat. Cotton fibre development is delineated into four distinct and overlapping developmental stages: fibre initiation, elongation, secondary wall biosy...