Perception mechanism of gravity stimuli in hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of azuki bean roots.

We reported that elongation growth of plant shoots and roots is suppressed by hypergravity, with the rate decreasing in proportion to logarithm of the magnitude of gravity. In hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of shoots, graviperception is supposed to be independent of that in gravitropism and to involve mechanoreceptors. However, the graviperception mechanism in the hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of roots is not known. In the present study, we compared the mechanism in the hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of roots with that in gravitropism. The removal of root cap did not influence hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of roots, although the gravitropic curvature was completely inhibited. Hypergravity had no effects on growth of azuki bean roots in the presence of lanthanum or gadolinium, which are blockers of mechanoreceptors. On the contrary, lanthanum or gadolinium at the same concentration did not influence gravitropism of roots. These results suggest that the graviperception mechanism in the hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of roots is independent of that in gravitropism. Hypergravity-induced growth inhibition of azuki bean roots was observed irrespective of the direction of stimuli, which disappeared in the presence of lanthanum or gadolinium. Thus, in the hypergravity-induced growth inhibition, roots may perceive the gravity signal by mechanoreceptors on the plasma membrane independently of the direction of stimuli, and may utilize it to regulate their growth rate.