Rapid regulatory control of plant cell expansion and wall relaxation. Annual technical progress report

摘要

The aim of this project is to elucidate the biophysical and cellular mechanisms that control plant cell expansion. At present we are attempting to characterize the kinetics of the system(s) responsible for regulatory and compensatory behavior of growing cells and tissues. This work is significantly because it indicates that biochemical loosening and biophysical stress relaxation of the wall are part of a feedback loop controlling growth. This report briefly summarizes the efforts and results of the past 12 months. In large part, we have been trying to analyze the nature of growth rate ''noise,'' i.e. spontaneous and often erratic variations in growth rate. We are obtaining evidence that such ''noise'' is not random, but rather reveals an underlying growth mechanism with complex dynamics.