Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation
Kulich I, Vladimirtsev D, Randuch M, Gao S, Citterico M, Konrad KR, Nagel G, Wrzaczek M, Cascaro L, Vinet P, Durand P, Asnacios A, Verma L, Bennett MJ, Pandey BK, Friml J. 2026. Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation. Science. 392(6795), 296–300.
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Author
Kulich, IvanISTA;
Vladimirtsev, DmitriiISTA;
Randuch, MarekISTA;
Gao, Shiqiang;
Citterico, Matteo;
Konrad, Kai R.;
Nagel, Georg;
Wrzaczek, Michael;
Cascaro, Léa;
Vinet, Pauline;
Durand, Pauline;
Asnacios, Atef
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Corresponding author has ISTA affiliation
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Abstract
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in multiple signaling processes in plants, but the underlying mechanisms and roles remain enigmatic. In this study, we developed a method of live imaging of apoplastic ROS at the root surface. Distinct signals, including auxin, extracellular adenosine triphosphate, and rapid alkalinization factor 1 peptide, induce cytosolic calcium transients and apoplastic ROS bursts. Genetic and optogenetic manipulations of Arabidopsis identified calcium transients as necessary and sufficient for ROS bursts through activation of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidases RBOHC and RBOHF. Apoplastic ROS bursts are not required, but they do limit gravity-induced root bending. Root bending is sensed by the stretch-activated calcium channel MCA1, leading to NADPH oxidase activation. The resulting ROS production stiffens cell walls to facilitate soil penetration. Apoplastic ROS thus provides a means to balance tissue flexibility and stiffness to navigate soil.
Publishing Year
Date Published
2026-04-16
Journal Title
Science
Publisher
AAAS
Acknowledgement
We gratefully acknowledge the Lab Support Facility (LSF) and the Imaging and Optics Facility (IOF) (both of ISTA) and the Hounsfield CT Facility (University of Nottingham) for support with imaging and the Growth Facility (IPMB) for plant cultivation. We thank M. Fendrych and his team for help with the microfluidics upgrades and J. Atkinson at the University of Nottingham MakerSpace for 3D printing of Arabidopsis mini-soil columns.
This project received funding from the European Research Council (ERC; 101142681 CYNIPS) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF; P 37051-B). I.K. was cofunded by the European Union, Horizon Europe, project MOLIPEC, ID 101087030 and CSF project 25-16449S. L.V. and B.K.P. acknowledge funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Frontiers Research (EP/Y036697/1). M.J.B. acknowledges funding from ERC SYNERGY (grant 101118769 HYDROSENSING). The study was partially supported by the Université Paris Cité, Idex ANR-18-IDEX-0001, funded by the French Government through its “Investments for the Future” program and also by the projects “Mecha-Nuc” ANR-20-CE13-0025-03 and “scEm-bryoMech” ANR-21-CE13-0046. P.D. acknowledges support by Human Frontier Science Program Organization grant 2022-RG107. P.V. acknowledges support provided by “Programme blanc” of the Graduate School BIOSPHERA, Université Paris-Saclay. Phytohormonal analysis was performed using the service laboratory funded by Toward Next GENeration Crops, reg. no. CZ.02.01.01/00/22_008/0004581 of the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) program Johannes Amos Comenius. This research was funded in whole or in part by the Austrian Science Fund (P 37051-B) and UK Research and Innovation (EP/Y036697/1), cOAlition S organizations, and by the European Research Council (101142681 CYNIPS, 101118769 HYDROSENSING); as required, the author will make the Author Accepted Manuscript (AAM) version available under a CC BY public copyright license.
Acknowledged SSUs
Volume
392
Issue
6795
Page
296-300
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eISSN
IST-REx-ID
Cite this
Kulich I, Vladimirtsev D, Randuch M, et al. Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation. Science. 2026;392(6795):296-300. doi:10.1126/science.adu8197
Kulich, I., Vladimirtsev, D., Randuch, M., Gao, S., Citterico, M., Konrad, K. R., … Friml, J. (2026). Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation. Science. AAAS. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu8197
Kulich, Ivan, Dmitrii Vladimirtsev, Marek Randuch, Shiqiang Gao, Matteo Citterico, Kai R. Konrad, Georg Nagel, et al. “Calcium-Triggered Apoplastic ROS Bursts Balance Gravity and Mechanical Signals for Soil Navigation.” Science. AAAS, 2026. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adu8197.
I. Kulich et al., “Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation,” Science, vol. 392, no. 6795. AAAS, pp. 296–300, 2026.
Kulich I, Vladimirtsev D, Randuch M, Gao S, Citterico M, Konrad KR, Nagel G, Wrzaczek M, Cascaro L, Vinet P, Durand P, Asnacios A, Verma L, Bennett MJ, Pandey BK, Friml J. 2026. Calcium-triggered apoplastic ROS bursts balance gravity and mechanical signals for soil navigation. Science. 392(6795), 296–300.
Kulich, Ivan, et al. “Calcium-Triggered Apoplastic ROS Bursts Balance Gravity and Mechanical Signals for Soil Navigation.” Science, vol. 392, no. 6795, AAAS, 2026, pp. 296–300, doi:10.1126/science.adu8197.
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