Skip to main content
Log in

Mechanism of rapid suppression of cell expansion in cucumber hypocotyls after blue-light irradiation

  • Published:
Planta Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Rapid suppression of hypocotyl elongation by blue light in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) was studied to examine possible hydraulic and wall changes responsible for diminished growth. Cell-sap osmotic pressure, measured by vaporpressure osmometry, was not decreased by blue light; turgor pressure, measured by the pressureprobe technique, remained constant during the growth inhibition; and stem hydraulic conductance, measured by dynamic and static methods, was likewise unaffected by blue light. Wall yielding properties were assessed by the pressure-block technique for in-vivo stress relaxation. Blue light reduced the initial rate of relaxation by 77%, but had little effect on the final amount of relaxation. The results demonstrate that blue irradiation acts to decrease the wall yielding coefficient, but not the yield threshold. Stress-strain (Instron) analysis showed that irradiation of the seedlings had little effect on the mechanical extensibilities of the isolated wall. The results indicate that blue light can reduce cell-wall loosening without affecting bulk viscoelastic properties, and indicate a chemorheological mechanism of cell-wall expansion.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

BL:

blue light

Φ:

wall yield coefficient

Y:

wall yield threshold

P:

turgor pressure

L:

hydraulic conductance

ΔΨg:

radial water-potential gradient supporting cell expansion

π:

osmotic pressure

Pi :

initial chamber pressure needed to stop growth

Pf :

final chamber pressure needed to stop growth

References

  • Biggs, K.J., Fry, S.C. (1987) Phenolic cross-linking in the cell wall. In: Physiology of cell expansion during plant growth (Symp. Plant Physiol, Pennsylvania State Univ.), pp. 46–57, Cosgrove, D.J., Knievel, D.P., eds. American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, Md., USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleland, R.E. (1967) A dual role of turgor pressure in auxininduced cell elongation in Avena coleoptiles. Planta 77, 182–191

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleland, R.E. (1971) The mechanical behavior of isolated Avena coleoptile walls subjected to constant stress. Properties and relation to cell elongation. Plant Physiol. 47, 805–811

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleland, R.E. (1981) Wall extensibility: hormones and wall extension. In: Encyclopedia of plant physiology, N.S., vol. 13 B: Plant carbohydrates II, Extracellular carbohydrates, pp. 225–276, Tanner, W., Loewus F.A., eds. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleland, R.E. (1984) The Instron technique as a measure of immediate-past wall extensibility. Planta 160, 514–520

    Google Scholar 

  • Cleland, R.E. (1987) The mechanism of wall loosening and wall extension. In: Physiology of cell expansion during plant growth (Symp. Plant Physiol., Pennsylvania State Univ.), pp. 18–27, Cosgrove, D.J., Knievel, D.P., eds. American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, Md., USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove D.J. (1981a) Rapid suppression of growth by blue light: Occurrence, time course, and general characteristics. Plant Physiol. 67, 584–590

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D.J. (1981b) Analysis of the dynamic and steadystate responses of growth rate and turgor pressure to changes in cell parameters. Plant Physiol. 68, 1439–1446

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D.J. (1982) Rapid inhibition of hypocotyl growth by blue light in Sinapis alba L. Plant Sci Lett. 25, 305–312

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D.J. (1985) Cell wall yield properties of growing tissues. Evaluation by in vivo stress relaxation. Plant Physiol. 78, 347–356

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D.J. (1987) Wall relaxation in growing stems: comparison of four species and assessment of measurement techniques. Planta 171, 266–278

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D.J., Durachko, D.M. (1986) Automated pressure probe for measurement of water transport properties of higher plant cells. Rev. Sci. Instr. 57, 2614–2619

    Google Scholar 

  • Cosgrove, D.J., Green, P.B. (1981) Rapid suppression of growth by blue light. Biophysical mechanism of action. Plant Physiol. 68, 1447–1453

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaba, V., Black, M. (1983) Photocontrol of hypocotyl elongation in de-etiolated Cucumis sativus L. Rapid responses to blue light. Photochem. Photobiol. 38, 469–472

    Google Scholar 

  • Gaba, V., Black, M., Attridge, T.H. (1984) Photocontrol of hypocotyl elongation in de-etiolated Cucumis sativus L.: Long term fluence-rate-dependent responses to blue light. Plant Physiol. 74, 879–900

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, P.B., Cummins, W.R. (1974) Growth rate and turgor pressure: auxin effect studied with an automated apparatus for single coleoptiles. Plant Physiol. 54, 863–869

    Google Scholar 

  • Green, P.B., Erickson, R.O., Buggy, J. (1971) Metabolic and physical control of cell elongation rate. In vivo studies in Nitella. Plant Physiol. 47, 423–430

    Google Scholar 

  • Kutschera, U., Briggs, W.R. (1987) Differential effect of auxin on in vivo extensibility of cortical cylinder and epidermis in pea internodes. Plant Physiol. 84, 1361–1366

    Google Scholar 

  • Masuda, Y. (1978) Auxin-induced cell wall loosening. Bot. Mag. Tokyo, Specials Issue 1, 103–123

    Google Scholar 

  • McIntyre, G.I. (1987) The role of water in the regulation of plant development. Can. J. Bot. 65, 1287–1298

    Google Scholar 

  • Meijer, G. (1968) Rapid growth inhibition of gherkin hypocotyls in blue light. Acta Bot. Neerl. 17, 9–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Murakami, K., Ono, K. (1979) Chemorheology of polymers. Elsevier, Amsterdam

    Google Scholar 

  • Olson, A.C., Bonner, J., Morré, J.D. (1965) Force extension analysis of Avena coleoptile cell walls. Planta 66, 126–134

    Google Scholar 

  • Penny, P., Penny, D., Marshall, D., Heyes, J.K. (1972) Early responses of excised stem segments to auxins. J. Exp. Bot. 23, 23–36

    Google Scholar 

  • Ray, P.M. (1987) Principles of plant cell growth. In: Physiology of cell expansion during plant growth (Symp. Plant Physiol., Pennsylvania State Univ), pp. 1–17, Cosgrove, D.J., Knievel, D.P., eds. American Society of Plant Physiologists, Rockville, Md., USA

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruesink, A.W. (1969) Polysaccharides and the control of cell wall elongation. Planta 89, 95–107

    Google Scholar 

  • Shinkle, J.R., Jones, R.L. (1988) Inhibition of stem elongation in Cucumis seedlings by blue light requires calcium. Plant Physiol. 86, 960–966

    Google Scholar 

  • Tagawa, T., Bonner, J. (1957) Mechanical properties of the Avena coleoptile as related to auxin and to ionic interactions. Plant Physiol. 32, 207–212

    Google Scholar 

  • Taiz, L. (1984) Plant cell expansion: regulation of cell wall mechanical properties. Annu. Rev. Plant Physiol. 35, 585–657

    Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto, R., Maki, K., Masuda, Y. (1974) Auxin and hydrogen ion actions on light-grown pea epicotyl segments. III. Effect of auxin and hydrogen ions on stress-relaxation properties. Plant Cell Physiol. 15, 1027–1038

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cosgrove, D.J. Mechanism of rapid suppression of cell expansion in cucumber hypocotyls after blue-light irradiation. Planta 176, 109–116 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392486

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00392486

Key words

Navigation