Near-Null Magnetic Field Suppresses Fruit Growth in Arabidopsis
Xu C, Feng S, Yu Y, Zhang Y, Wei S · 2021
A near-null magnetic field suppressed fruit growth in wild-type Arabidopsis but not in cry1/cry2 mutants, and this suppression was mediated by cryptochrome with involvement of gibberellins.
Plain English Summary
Researchers grew wild-type Arabidopsis and cry1/cry2 double mutants in a near-null magnetic field under blue light to test the role of cryptochrome in fruit growth. Fruit growth was suppressed in wild-type plants but not in the cry1/cry2 mutants under the near-null magnetic field. Gibberellin levels (GA4, GA9, GA34, GA51) were significantly lower in wild-type fruits under near-null magnetic field compared to geomagnetic controls, but unchanged in mutants. Expression of GA20ox and GA3ox genes was downregulated in wild-type fruits but not in mutants, while GA2ox and GA signaling genes were unaffected.
Why This Matters
The study built on a previous finding that a near-null magnetic field affected reproductive growth in Arabidopsis under white light. The authors concluded that cryptochrome mediates the suppression of fruit growth by a near-null magnetic field and that gibberellins are involved in this regulation.
Show BibTeX
@article{xu_c_feng_s_yu_y_zhang_y_wei_s_ce4264,
author = {Xu C and Feng S and Yu Y and Zhang Y and Wei S},
title = {Near-Null Magnetic Field Suppresses Fruit Growth in Arabidopsis},
year = {2021},
}