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Exploring the function of plant root diffusion barriers in sealing and shielding for environmental adaptation

Nature Plants volume 10, pages 1865–1874 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Plant roots serve as the primary interface between the plant and the soil, encountering numerous challenges ranging from water balance to nutrient uptake. One of the central mechanisms enabling plants to thrive in diverse ecosystems is the building of apoplastic diffusion barriers. These barriers control the flow of solutes into and out of the roots, maintaining water and nutrient homeostasis. In this Review, we summarize recent advances in understanding the establishment, function and ecological significance of root apoplastic diffusion barriers. We highlight the plasticity of apoplastic diffusion barriers under various abiotic stresses such as drought, salinity and nutrient deficiency. We also propose new frontiers by discussing the current bottlenecks in the study of plant apoplastic diffusion barriers.

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Fig. 1: Construction of the CS as the endodermal diffusion barrier.
Fig. 2: Overview of SL biogenesis in plant roots.
Fig. 3: Endodermal diffusion barriers control water and nutrient homeostasis.
Fig. 4: The endodermal SL has high plasticity in response to biotic and abiotic cues.

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Acknowledgements

We apologize to authors whose work is related to apoplastic barriers but cannot be cited in this Review because of limited space or our oversight. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant no. 31930024 to D.Y.C.).

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  1. These authors contributed equally: Yi-Qun Gao, Yu Su.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, Sutton Bonington, UK

    Yi-Qun Gao

  2. National Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Genetics, Shanghai Center for Plant Stress Biology, CAS Centre for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China

    Yu Su & Dai-Yin Chao

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  1. Yi-Qun Gao
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Y.-Q.G. and D.-Y.C. wrote the draft manuscript. Y.-Q.G. and Y.S. prepared the figures. Y.-Q.G., Y.S. and D.-Y.C. revised the manuscript.

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Correspondence to Dai-Yin Chao.

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Gao, YQ., Su, Y. & Chao, DY. Exploring the function of plant root diffusion barriers in sealing and shielding for environmental adaptation. Nat. Plants 10, 1865–1874 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-024-01842-5

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