Ultrastructure of gravity-perceiving cells in plant roots

The root cap is the gravity-perceiving organ of plant roots. The central statenchyma consists of polarly organized statocytes which are characterized by sedimentable amyloplasts and by a striking distal endoplasmic reticulum (e. r. complex). During the normal downwards orientated growth of the root, the amyloplasts are sedimented onto the e. r. complex. Some observations indicate that the amyloplasts stress the e. r. complex by their sedimentation. The stress possibly influences the structural and functional state of the e. r. membranes. Therefore, graviperception is probably a function of differential stress on the e. r. complexes. The amyloplasts are partly or totally separated from the e. r. complex under experimental conditions such as deviations of the roots from the perpendicular between 30 and 180°, rotation of the roots on the horizontal klinostat at 2 rev/min and at 55–120 rev/min, and placing the roots into an electric field at 2000–3000 V/cm. These are important facts for an understanding of the nature of graviperception. Spacelab experiments may help to verify the interpretation of results obtained in the experiments in simulated weightlessness.