Summary
A transitory cell division block, or excision effect, occurs in the meristem of roots after excision and transfer to culture medium. This block can be induced, in intact seedling roots, by exogenous treatment with ethylene gas. With continuous treatment, the block is longer and the recovery less than after a 4 hour pulse. In excised roots the excision effect can be eliminated by treatment with an inhibitor of ethylene synthesis (aminoethoxyvinylglycine) or action (silver thiosulfate). These experiments provide evidence to support the hypothesis that ethylene from the wounded end of an excised root is involved in a process resulting in a transitory block in cell cycle progression in the meristem. The implications of this hypothesis are discussed.
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Rost, T.L., Jones, T. & Robbins, J.A. The role of ethylene in the control of cell division in cultured pea root tips: a mechanism to explain the excision effect. Protoplasma 130, 68–72 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01283332
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01283332