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Response of plasmodesmata formation in leaves of C 4 grasses to growth irradiance
Author(s) -
Danila Florence R.,
Quick William Paul,
White Rosemary G.,
Caemmerer Susanne,
Furbank Robert T.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.13558
Subject(s) - irradiance , photosynthesis , plasmodesma , c4 photosynthesis , setaria viridis , botany , vascular bundle , biology , photosynthetic capacity , biophysics , light intensity , seedling , far red , ultrastructure , red light , optics , physics , weed
Rapid metabolite diffusion across the mesophyll (M) and bundle sheath (BS) cell interface in C 4 leaves is a key requirement for C 4 photosynthesis and occurs via plasmodesmata (PD). Here, we investigated how growth irradiance affects PD density between M and BS cells and between M cells in two C 4 species using our PD quantification method, which combines three‐dimensional laser confocal fluorescence microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The response of leaf anatomy and physiology of NADP‐ME species, Setaria viridis and Zea mays to growth under different irradiances, low light (100 μmol m −2 s −1 ), and high light (1,000 μmol m −2 s −1 ), was observed both at seedling and established growth stages. We found that the effect of growth irradiance on C 4 leaf PD density depended on plant age and species. The high light treatment resulted in two to four‐fold greater PD density per unit leaf area than at low light, due to greater area of PD clusters and greater PD size in high light plants. These results along with our finding that the effect of light on M‐BS PD density was not tightly linked to photosynthetic capacity suggest a complex mechanism underlying the dynamic response of C 4 leaf PD formation to growth irradiance.