Root hairs play crucial roles in the roots, including nutrient uptake, water assimilation, and anchorage with soil, along with supporting rhizospheric microorganisms. In rice, ammonia uptake is mediated by a specialized ammonium transporter (AMT). AMT1;1, AMT1;2, and AMT1;3 have been extensively studied in relation to nitrogen signaling. Cellulose synthase-like D1 (CSLD1) is essential for cell expansion and is highly specific to root hair cells. csld1 mutants showed successful initiation but failed to elongate. However, when nitrogen was depleted, csld1 root hairs resumed elongation. Further experiments revealed that in the presence of ammonium (NH4+), csld1 roots failed to elongate. csld1 elongated normally in the presence of nitrate (NO3−). Expression analysis showed an increase in root hair-specific AMT1;2 expression in csld1. CSLD1 was positively co-expressed with AMT1;2 changing nitrogen concentration in the growth media. CSLD1 showed increased expression in the presence of both ammonium and nitrate. Methylammonium (MeA) treatment of CSLD1 overexpression lines suggests that CSLD1 does not directly participate in nitrogen transport. Further studies on the root hair elongation mutant sndp1 showed that nitrogen assimilation is unlikely to depend on root hair length. Therefore, these results suggest that CSLD1 is closely involved in nitrogen-dependent root hair elongation and regulation of AMT1;2 expression in rice roots.
Keywords: CSLD1; ammonium; elongation; rice; root hair.