Modeling Strategies for Plant Growth and Survival
This Special Focus Issue (Vol. 56, Issue 4) of Plant and Cell Physiology is guest edited by Akiko Satake, Gen Sakurai and Toshinori Kinoshita, and is dedicated to the latest multidisciplinary research on modeling strategies for plant growth and survival.
Editorial: Modeling Strategies for Plant Survival, Growth and Reproduction
By: Akiko Satake, Gen Sakurai and Toshinori Kinoshita
In this special focus issue, Satake et al. introduce two reviews and four research articles exemplifying how computational and mathematical modeling approaches can be used to investigate and potentially design new strategies for plant growth, survival and reproduction. These studies underline the importance of cross-disciplinary research to further our knowledge of plant biology.
Understanding Circadian Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism in Arabidopsis using Mathematical Models
By: Akiko Satake and Alex Webb
During the day, plants feed on carbohydrates derived from photosynthesis but need to store substantial amounts of starch to sustain metabolism and growth during nighttime. The review by Satake and Webb describes theoretical and experimental approaches to understand how the circadian clock exerts control over the timing of starch accumulation and consumption, and demonstrates how a multidisciplinary approach will be important to seek effective strategies to increase yield and alter sugar composition for biofuel production.
Adaptation to local environment by modifications of photoperiod response in crops
By: Norihito Nakamichi
In this review, Nakamichi summarizes current data revealing the relationship between post-domestication spreading and flowering time regulation in crops. The selection of altered flowering times has allowed the dispersion of crops into different latitudes where day-lengths are quite different to native conditions. The paper also discusses the genes targeted by early farmers that in some cases were used to change flowering time, and how we can further use this.
A mathematical model of phloem sucrose transport as a new tool for designing rice panicle structure for high grain yield
By: Motohide Seki, François Gabriel Feugier, Xian-Jun Song, Motoyuki Ashikari, Haruka Nakamura, Keiki Ishiyama, Tomoyuki Yamaya, Mayuko Inari-Ikeda, Hidemi Kitano and Akiko Satake
Mechanistic modelling to capture capacities of source, sink, and nutrient transport will help in the theoretical design of high grain yielding crop ideotypes. Seki et al. present a mathematical model simulating sucrose transport and grain growth in diverse panicle structures, which predicted that optimal panicle structure for high yield comprises a simple grain arrangement with few higher-order branches. This study highlights the importance of designing grain arrangement and phloem structure.
Mathematical Modeling and Experimental Validation of Spatial Distribution of Boron in the Root of Arabidopsis thaliana Identify High Boron Accumulation in the Tip and Predict a Distinct Root Tip Uptake Function
By: Akie Shimotohno, Naoyuki Sotta, Takafumi Sato, Micol De Ruvo, Athanasius F.M. Marée, Verônica A. Grieneisen and Toru Fujiwara
Localization of nutrient transporters in tissues determines the flow and distribution of nutrients. Shimotohno and Sotta et al. established a spatial model of boron movement in Arabidopsis roots that takes into consideration the cellular and subcellular localizations of boron transporters. The predicted boron distribution patterns were compared with experimental data to collectively suggest that the different root zones play different roles in boron uptake and transport to shoots.
In Silico Simulation Modeling Reveals the Importance of the Casparian Strip for Efficient Silicon Uptake in Rice Roots
By: Gen Sakurai, Akiko Satake, Naoki Yamaji, Namiki Mitani-Ueno, Masayuki Yokozawa, François Gabriel Feugier and Jian Feng Ma
Rice ( Oryza sativa ) is a typical siliciphilous plant exhibiting high levels of silicon (Si) accumulation, which is thought to be beneficial for its growth. Therefore understanding the mechanisms responsible for this high Si uptake is important. Sakurai et al. simulated Si uptake by rice roots by developing a mathematical model, which suggests that the double-layered structure of the Casparian strip is an important factor in the high Si uptake by rice. The present results suggest an important role for Casparian strips in addition to their previously known functions.
A Flowering Integrator, SOC1 , Affects Stomatal Opening in Arabidopsis thaliana
*Editor-in-Chief’s Choice Article*
By: Yuriko Kimura, Saya Aoki, Eigo Ando, Ayako Kitatsuji, Aiko Watanabe, Masato Ohnishi, Koji Takahashi, Shin-ichiro Inoue, Norihito Nakamichi, Yosuke Tamada, and Toshinori Kinoshita
Recent investigations indicate that photoperiodic flowering components, such as CRY, GI, CO, FT and TSF , are expressed in guard cells and positively affect stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana. Kimura et al. show that SOC1 , which encodes a MADS box transcription factor and integrates multiple flowering signals, also exerts a positive effect on stomatal opening. This study provides new insight into stomatal responses and function during reproduction.
