Through form to function: root hair development and nutrient uptake

Davey L. Jones and Simon Gilroy

Biology Department, 208 Mueller Laboratory, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania 16802 (SG); School of Agricultural and Forest Sciences, University of Wales, Bangor, Gwynedd LL57 2UW, UK. (DLJ)

Abstract.
Root hairs project from the surface of the root to aid in nutrient and water uptake and anchoring the plant to the soil. Their formation involves precise control of cell fate and localized cell growth. We are now beginning to unravel the complexities of the molecular interactions that underlie this developmental regulation. In addition, after years of speculation, nutrient transport by root hairs at the physiological and molecular level has been clearly demonstrated with evidence for root hairs being intense sites of H+-ATPase activity and involved in the uptake of Ca2+, K+, NH4+, NO3-, Mn2+, Zn2+, Cl- and H2PO4-.