Proteomic analysis of different mutant genotypes of Arabidopsis led to the identification of 11 proteins correlating with adventitious root development.

A lack of competence to form adventitious roots by cuttings or explants in vitro occurs routinely and is an obstacle for the clonal propagation and rapid fixation of elite genotypes. Adventitious rooting is known to be a quantitative genetic trait. We performed a proteomic analysis of Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) mutants affected in their ability to develop adventitious roots in order to identify associated molecular markers that could be used to select genotypes for their rooting ability and/or to get further insight into the molecular mechanisms controlling adventitious rooting. Comparison of two-dimensional gel electrophoresis protein profiles resulted in the identification of 11 proteins whose abundance could be either positively or negatively correlated with endogenous auxin content, the number of adventitious root primordia, and/or the number of mature adventitious roots. One protein was negatively correlated only to the number of root primordia and two were negatively correlated to the number of mature adventitious roots. Two putative chaperone proteins were positively correlated only to the number of primordia, and, interestingly, three auxin-inducible GH3-like proteins were positively correlated with the number of mature adventitious roots. The others were correlated with more than one parameter. The 11 proteins are predicted to be involved in different biological processes, including the regulation of auxin homeostasis and light-associated metabolic pathways. The results identify regulatory pathways associated with adventitious root formation and represent valuable markers that might be used for the future identification of genotypes with better rooting abilities.