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Plant morphogenesis relies exclusively on oriented cell expansion and division. Nonetheless, the mechanism(s) determining division plane orientation remain elusive. Here we studied tissue healing after laser-assisted wounding in roots and uncovered how mechanical forces of cell expansion stabilize and reorient microtubule cytoskeleton for orientation of cell division. We revealed that root tissue functions as interconnected cell matrix with a radial gradient of tissue extendibility causing a predictable tissue deformation after wounding. This causes instant redirection of expansion in the surrounding cells and reorientation of microtubule arrays ultimately predicting cell division orientation. Microtubules are destabilized under low tension, whereas stretching of cells, either through wounding or external aspiration immediately induce their polymerisation. The higher microtubule abundance in the stretched cell parts leads to reorientation microtubule arrays and ultimately cell division planes. This provides a long-sought mechanism for flexible re-arrangement of cell divisions by mechanical forces for tissue reconstruction and plant architecture.

The primary aim of the research was to find out the existence of statistically significant connections between the assessment of the effectiveness of lifelong learning and the identification of social competence by human resources who completed social competence development training and those who did not. The starting point for data collection was the VVOS questionnaire concerning the effectiveness of lifelong learning, and the AKMK questionnaire focused on identifying social competence. The research was conducted on a sample of 211 human resources, of which 118 (55.9%) were women and 93 (44.1%) men aged from 23 to 66 years. Using correlation analysis, we identified statistically significant connections between the factors for assessing the effectiveness of lifelong learning and the factors for identifying the social competence of human resources, who have completed training to develop social competence.

Hormone perception and signaling pathways play a fundamental regulatory function in cell growth, developmental, and physiological processes in both plant and animal systems. Those pathways are activated by hormone binding to the receptor to trigger cellular responses. Equally important are mechanisms that suppress activated transduction cascades to reset the system. Different mechanisms at the level of hormone biosynthesis and deactivation through degradation, conjugation, and production of repressors that attenuate transduction cascades downstream of receptors are known. In animal systems, decoy receptors have been identified as another important mechanism for fine-tuning the activity of the signaling pathways in processes like inflammatory responses, apoptosis, and blood vessel formation. Decoy receptors recognize and bind specific signaling molecules, but they cannot activate downstream signaling pathways thus providing competitive inhibition. Here we describe the first decoy receptor in plants. We show that the splicing variant ofCRE1/AHK4receptor of cytokinin, a hormone with a key role in the regulation of cell division and meristem maintenance in plants, acts as a decoy receptor to attenuate cytokinin signaling. We propose that this novel mechanism of signaling control applies in processes when modulation of CK signaling is needed.

Engagement in companies is an important issue in the management and leadership of human resources, which affects the competitiveness of the company but also the employees themselves. By focusing on the individual operating levels of human resource management with an emphasis on organizational commitment, we believe that the creation of a concept forms an important basis for achieving organizational goals. If we look objectively at the involvement of employees on the part of the company management but also on the part of ordinary employees, all interested parties could come up with a real company policy that can satisfy the company. The essence of every decision-making, strategy, coordination, planning, and management is and will always be employees. In almost all organizations, there is a mission according to which human resources are the most valuable resources. The paper aims to verify the relationship between a leadership style (orientation towards employees, participatory style) and commitment of human resources to an organization. The results of the research, carried out on a sample of 202 respondents, confirm the direct connection between a leadership style and commitment of human resources in the organization conditions.

Mineral nutrition is one of the key environmental factors determining plant development and growth. Nitrate is the major form of macronutrient nitrogen that plants take up from the soil. Fluctuating availability or deficiency of this element severely limits plant growth and negatively affects crop production in the agricultural system. To cope with the heterogeneity of nitrate distribution in soil, plants evolved a complex regulatory mechanism that allows rapid adjustment of physiological and developmental processes to the status of this nutrient. The root, as a major exploitation organ that controls the uptake of nitrate to the plant body, acts as a regulatory hub that, according to nitrate availability, coordinates the growth and development of other plant organs. Here, we identified a regulatory framework, where cytokinin response factors (CRFs) play a central role as a molecular readout of the nitrate status in roots to guide shoot adaptive developmental response. We show that nitrate-driven activation of NLP7, a master regulator of nitrate response in plants, fine tunes biosynthesis of cytokinin in roots and its translocation to shoots where it enhances expression of CRFs . CRFs, through direct transcriptional regulation of PIN auxin transporters, promote the flow of auxin and thereby stimulate the development of shoot organs.

Acid-growth theory has been postulated in the 70s to explain the rapid elongation of cells in response to plant hormone auxin. More recently, it has been demonstrated that activation of the proton ATPs pump (H+-ATPs) promoting acidification of the apoplast is the principal mechanism through which hormones like auxin as well as brassinosteroids (BR) induce cell elongation. However, the impact of this acidification on the mechanical properties of the cell wall remained largely unexplored. Here, we use Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) to demonstrate that acidification of apoplast is necessary and sufficient to induce cell elongation through cell wall relaxation. Moreover, we demonstrate that Pectin Methyl Esterase (PME) can induce both cell wall softening or stiffening in extracellular calcium dependent-manner and that tight control of PME activity is required for hypocotyl elongation.

A tanulmány bemutatja Ehrenpreis András (1589–1662) püspök, a hutteriták kiemelkedő személyiségének életútját és munkásságát. A hutteriták a reformáció radikális anabaptista ágát képviselték. A felekezet tagjai a 16. században Alsó-Magyarországon (a mai Nyugat –Szlovákiában) és Morvaországban telepedtek le. Ehrenpreis András kiemelkedő pozícióját az anabaptista vallási-társadalmi mozgalom történetében Robert Friedmann történész hangsúlyozta, amikor a „Hutteriták második megalapítójának” nevezte. Ehrenpreis András a dél-németországi Illingen településen született. Anabaptista lett, feleségével és gyermekeivel 1596-ban Morvaországba költözött. 1621-ben Nové Mlynyben az Ige szolgájává választották. Az anabaptisták Morvaországból való kiűzése után a Magyar Királyságban, Ószombaton (Sobotište) telepedett le – egy diaszpóra falu új központjában. 1639-ben a hutteriták tizenkettedik vezetőjévé vált. 23 éves szolgálat után püspökként halt meg. Mivel Ehrenpreis András tevékenysége közvetlenül kapcsolódott a társadalom általános állapotához, cselekedeteinek értelmezésekor fontos azokat az akkori kontextusban látni (harmincéves háború, a Habsburg-ellenes felkelések, járványok, kedvezőtlen éghajlati viszonyok, a lakosság militarizálása stb). 2014-ben a szerző bemutatta Ehrenpreis Andrással és az anabaptisták történetével kapcsolatos kutatási eredményeit „A reformációtól az egyházalapításig: a szepesváraljai zsinat 400. évfordulójára“ c. nemzetközi konferencián („Od reformácie po založenie cirkvi k 400. výročiu synody v Spišskom Podhradí”). Ez a tanulmány egy bővített és átdolgozott verziója az említett konferencia kötetében megjelent munkájának, amely a következő címen jelent meg: Benková, Eva: Andrej Ehrenpreis – predstavený (biskup) novokrstencov v 17. storočí. In Kónya, Peter – Kónyová, Annamária (eds.). Od reformácie po založenie cirkvi k 400. výročiu synody v Spišskom Podhradí. Prešov : Vydavateľstvo Prešovskej univerzity, 2015. 349–360.

Nitrate commands genome‐wide gene expression changes that impact metabolism, physiology, plant growth, and development. In an effort to identify new components involved in nitrate responses in plants, we analyze the Arabidopsis thaliana root phosphoproteome in response to nitrate treatments via liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry. 176 phosphoproteins show significant changes at 5 or 20 min after nitrate treatments. Proteins identified by 5 min include signaling components such as kinases or transcription factors. In contrast, by 20 min, proteins identified were associated with transporter activity or hormone metabolism functions, among others. The phosphorylation profile of NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1.1 (NRT1.1) mutant plants was significantly altered as compared to wild‐type plants, confirming its key role in nitrate signaling pathways that involves phosphorylation changes. Integrative bioinformatics analysis highlights auxin transport as an important mechanism modulated by nitrate signaling at the post‐translational level. We validated a new phosphorylation site in PIN2 and provide evidence that it functions in primary and lateral root growth responses to nitrate., Phosphoproteomic analysis in response to nitrate treatment reveals early nitrate‐induced changes in Arabidopsis thaliana root phosphoproteins associated to signaling while late changes are associated to transport and hormone metabolism. Moreover, nitrate promotes the dephosphorylation of PIN2, impacting PIN2 subcellular localization and root development.

The paper shows the relevance of studying the factors taken into account when choosing automation tools and information systems by enterprises of different activities in different regions of Russia. The growing pace of technological change requires a balanced development of information technology in different regions in order to maintain the flexibility of the entire system and ensure the economic security of the country. The choice of information systems in the public and private sectors of the economy is different. The presence of significant geographical disproportions in the distribution of costs for information technology in the regions of Russia is revealed. Classification of the factors influencing the decision-making on the choice of information systems is carried out. The necessary conditions for the creation and successful development of information technology centers have been identified; those conditions include the availability of free resources for electricity generation, a developed research and educational center and the human resources potential of the territory in the field of ICT (Information and Communication Technologies). Partially identified imbalances are associated with the multistructural nature of the Russian economy and with territorial expanse; they are objective in nature and are subject to adjustment. The expediency of creation of interregional system involving cooperation ties with the purpose to develop information technology centers in different regions of Russia is shown.

Lateral root (LR) formation is an example of plant post-embryonic organogenesis event. LRs are issued from non-dividing cells entering consecutive steps of formative divisions, proliferation and elongation. The chromatin remodeling protein PICKLE negatively regulates auxin-mediated LR formation through a mechanism that is not yet known. Here we show that PICKLE interacts with RETINOBLASTOMA-RELATED 1 (RBR1) to repress theLATERAL ORGAN BOUNDARIES-DOMAIN 16(LBD16) promoter activity. Since LBD16 function is required for the formative division of LR founder cells, repression mediated by the PKL-RBR1 complex negatively regulates formative division and LR formation. Inhibition of LR formation by PKL-RBR1 is counteracted by auxin indicating that in addition to auxin-mediated transcriptional responses, the fine-tuned process of LR formation is also controlled at the chromatin level in an auxin-signaling dependent manner.

Plants grow roots to adjust their bodies to dynamic changes in the surrounding environment. How do plant roots emerge from the stem cell reservoir during embryogenesis is however poorly understood. Here, we present a bottom-up strategy to address this challenge by combining empirical observations with advanced computer modeling techniques. We demonstrate that the anisotropy of root growth results from differential growth rates of adjacent tissues, whereas the root meristem development incorporates a multi-level feedback loop between complex transport network of phytohormone auxin, auxin-dependent cell growth and cytoskeleton rearrangements. In silico model predictions are in close agreement with in vivo patterns of anisotropic growth, auxin distribution, and cell polarity, as well as several root phenotypes caused by chemical, mechanical, or genetic perturbations. Our findings reveal a minimal set of design principles connecting tissue mechanics, cell anisotropy, and directional transport that are sufficient for self-organization of the root meristem shape. A mobile auxin signal transported through immobile cells orchestrates polarity and growth mechanics to instruct the morphogenesis of an independent organ.

Availability of the essential macronutrient nitrogen in soil plays a critical role in plant growth, development, and impacts agricultural productivity. Plants have evolved different strategies for sensing and responding to heterogeneous nitrogen distribution. Modulation of root system architecture, including primary root growth and branching, is among the most essential plant adaptions to ensure adequate nitrogen acquisition. However, the immediate molecular pathways coordinating the adjustment of root growth in response to distinct nitrogen sources, such as nitrate or ammonium, are poorly understood. Here, we show that growth as manifested by cell division and elongation is synchronized by coordinated auxin flux between two adjacent outer tissue layers of the root. This coordination is achieved by nitrate‐dependent dephosphorylation of the PIN2 auxin efflux carrier at a previously uncharacterized phosphorylation site, leading to subsequent PIN2 lateralization and thereby regulating auxin flow between adjacent tissues. A dynamic computer model based on our experimental data successfully recapitulates experimental observations. Our study provides mechanistic insights broadening our understanding of root growth mechanisms in dynamic environments., Arabidopsis roots adjust their growth to the type of nitrogen source via phosphorylation of auxin carrier PIN2 and adjustment of auxin distribution between neighboring tissues.

36 Päg. Centro de Biotecnología y Genómica de Plantas (CBGP), Plants develop new organs to adjust their bodies to dynamic changes in the environment. How independent organs achieve anisotropic shapes and polarities is poorly understood. To address this question, we constructed a mechano-biochemical model for Arabidopsis root meristem growth that integrates biologically plausible principles. Computer model simulations demonstrate how differential growth of neighboring tissues results in the initial symmetry-breaking leading to anisotropic root growth. Furthermore, the root growth feeds back on a polar transport network of the growth regulator auxin. Model, predictions are in close agreement with in vivo patterns of anisotropic growth, auxin distribution, and cell polarity, as well as several root phenotypes caused by chemical, mechanical, or genetic perturbations. Our study demonstrates that the combination of tissue mechanics and polar auxin transport organizes anisotropic root growth and cell polarities during organ outgrowth. Therefore, a mobile auxin signal transported through immobile cells drives polarity and growth mechanics to coordinate complex organ development., This work was supported by the Programa de Atraccion de Talento 2017 (Comunidad de Madrid, 2017-T1/BIO-5654 to K.W.), Severo Ochoa (SO) Programme for Centres of Excellence in R&D from the Agencia Estatal de Investigacion of Spain (grant SEV-2016-0672 (2017-2021) to K.W. via the CBGP). In the frame of SEV-2016-0672 funding M.M. is supported with a postdoctoral contract. K.W. was supported by Programa Estatal de Generacion del Conocimiento y Fortalecimiento Cientıfico y Tecnologico del Sistema de I+D+I 2019 (PGC2018-093387-AI00) from MICIU (to K.W.). MG is recipient of an IST Interdisciplinary Project (IC1022IPC03).

Size control is a fundamental question in biology, showing incremental complexity in plants, whose cells possess a rigid cell wall. The phytohormone auxin is a vital growth regulator with central importance for differential growth control. Our results indicate that auxin-reliant growth programs affect the molecular complexity of xyloglucans, the major type of cell wall hemicellulose in eudicots. Auxin-dependent induction and repression of growth coincide with reduced and enhanced molecular complexity of xyloglucans, respectively. In agreement with a proposed function in growth control, genetic interference with xyloglucan side decorations distinctly modulates auxin-dependent differential growth rates. Our work proposes that auxin-dependent growth programs have a spatially defined effect on xyloglucan’s molecular structure, which in turn affects cell wall mechanics and specifies differential, gravitropic hypocotyl growth.

Plants as non-mobile organisms constantly integrate varying environmental signals to flexibly adapt their growth and development. Local fluctuations in water and nutrient availability, sudden changes in temperature or other abiotic and biotic stresses can trigger changes in the growth of plant organs. Multiple mutually interconnected hormonal signaling cascades act as essential endogenous translators of these exogenous signals in the adaptive responses of plants. Although the molecular backbones of hormone transduction pathways have been identified, the mechanisms underlying their interactions are largely unknown. Here, using genome wide transcriptome profiling we identify an auxin and cytokinin cross-talk component; SYNERGISTIC ON AUXIN AND CYTOKININ 1 (SYAC1), whose expression in roots is strictly dependent on both of these hormonal pathways. We show that SYAC1 is a regulator of secretory pathway, whose enhanced activity interferes with deposition of cell wall components and can fine-tune organ growth and sensitivity to soil pathogens., Cytokinin and auxin are two major hormonal regulators of plant growth. Here the authors identify SYAC1, a gene that is synergistically activated by the two hormones being applied together, and show that it is required for normal growth while negatively impacting pathogen resistance.

Cell production and differentiation for the acquisition of specific functions are key features of living systems. The dynamic network of cellular microtubules provides the necessary platform to accommodate processes associated with the transition of cells through the individual phases of cytogenesis. Here, we show that the plant hormone cytokinin fine‐tunes the activity of the microtubular cytoskeleton during cell differentiation and counteracts microtubular rearrangements driven by the hormone auxin. The endogenous upward gradient of cytokinin activity along the longitudinal growth axis in Arabidopsis thaliana roots correlates with robust rearrangements of the microtubule cytoskeleton in epidermal cells progressing from the proliferative to the differentiation stage. Controlled increases in cytokinin activity result in premature re‐organization of the microtubule network from transversal to an oblique disposition in cells prior to their differentiation, whereas attenuated hormone perception delays cytoskeleton conversion into a configuration typical for differentiated cells. Intriguingly, cytokinin can interfere with microtubules also in animal cells, such as leukocytes, suggesting that a cytokinin‐sensitive control pathway for the microtubular cytoskeleton may be at least partially conserved between plant and animal cells., The plant hormone cytokinin can regulate microtubule orientation and polymerization in the plant root epidermis as well as in mammalian leukocytes, indicating a conserved mode of action.

Nitrogen is an essential macronutrient and its availability in soil plays a critical role in plant growth, development and impacts agricultural productivity. Plants have evolved different strategies to sense and respond to heterogeneous nitrogen distribution. Modulating root system architecture, including primary root growth and branching, is among the most essential plant adaptions to ensure adequate nitrogen acquisition. However, the immediate molecular pathways coordinating the adjustment of root growth in response to varying nitrogen sources are poorly understood. Here, using a combination of physiological, live in vivo high- and super resolution imaging, we describe a novel adaptation strategy of root growth on available nitrogen source. We show that growth, i.e. tissue-specific cell division and elongation rates are fine-tuned by modulating auxin flux within and between tissues. Changes in auxin redistribution are achieved by nitrogen source dependent post-translational modification of PIN2, a major auxin efflux carrier, at an uncharacterized, evolutionary conserved phosphosite. Further, we generate a computer model based on our results which successfully recapitulate our experimental observations and creates new predictions that could broaden our understanding of root growth mechanisms in the dynamic environment.

Auxin is a key hormonal regulator, that governs plant growth and development in concert with other hormonal pathways. The unique feature of auxin is its polar, cell-to-cell transport that leads to the formation of local auxin maxima and gradients, which coordinate initiation and patterning of plant organs. The molecular machinery mediating polar auxin transport is one of the important points of interaction with other hormones. Multiple hormonal pathways converge at the regulation of auxin transport and form a regulatory network that integrates various developmental and environmental inputs to steer plant development. In this review, we discuss recent advances in understanding the mechanisms that underlie regulation of polar auxin transport by multiple hormonal pathways. Specifically, we focus on the post-translational mechanisms that contribute to fine-tuning of the abundance and polarity of auxin transporters at the plasma membrane and thereby enable rapid modification of the auxin flow to coordinate plant growth and development., Plant growth and development is orchestrated by a complex network of mutually interacting hormonal pathways. Fine-tuning of auxin distribution by hormones appears to be an important cross-talk mechanism that enables rapid adaptation of plant growth to fluctuating environmental conditions. This review summarizes recent advances in hormonal cross-talk research, with particular focus on the post-translational regulatory mechanisms of auxin transport.

Significance Plants are sessile organisms that cannot evade wounding or pathogen attack, and their cells are encapsulated within cell walls, making it impossible to use cell migration for wound healing like animals. Thus, regeneration in plants largely relies on the coordination of targeted cell expansion and oriented cell division. Here we show in the root that the major growth hormone auxin is specifically activated in wound-adjacent cells, regulating cell expansion, cell division rates, and regeneration-involved transcription factor ERF115. These wound responses depend on cell collapse of the eliminated cells presumably perceived by the cell damage-induced changes in cellular pressure. This largely broadens our understanding of how wound responses are coordinated on a cellular level to mediate wound healing and prevent overproliferation., Wound healing in plant tissues, consisting of rigid cell wall-encapsulated cells, represents a considerable challenge and occurs through largely unknown mechanisms distinct from those in animals. Owing to their inability to migrate, plant cells rely on targeted cell division and expansion to regenerate wounds. Strict coordination of these wound-induced responses is essential to ensure efficient, spatially restricted wound healing. Single-cell tracking by live imaging allowed us to gain mechanistic insight into the wound perception and coordination of wound responses after laser-based wounding in Arabidopsis root. We revealed a crucial contribution of the collapse of damaged cells in wound perception and detected an auxin increase specific to cells immediately adjacent to the wound. This localized auxin increase balances wound-induced cell expansion and restorative division rates in a dose-dependent manner, leading to tumorous overproliferation when the canonical TIR1 auxin signaling is disrupted. Auxin and wound-induced turgor pressure changes together also spatially define the activation of key components of regeneration, such as the transcription regulator ERF115. Our observations suggest that the wound signaling involves the sensing of collapse of damaged cells and a local auxin signaling activation to coordinate the downstream transcriptional responses in the immediate wound vicinity.

International audience; In agricultural systems, nitrate is the main source of nitrogen available for plants. Besides its role as a nutrient, nitrate has been shown to act as a signal molecule for plant growth, development and stress responses. In Arabidopsis, the NRT1.1 nitrate transceptor represses lateral root (LR) development at low nitrate availability by promoting auxin basipetal transport out of the LR primordia (LRPs). In addition, our present study shows that NRT1.1 acts as a negative regulator of the TAR2 auxin biosynthetic gene expression in the root stele. This is expected to repress local auxin biosynthesis and thus to reduce acropetal auxin supply to the LRPs. Moreover, NRT1.1 also negatively affects expression of the LAX3 auxin influx carrier, thus preventing cell wall remodeling required for overlying tissues separation during LRP emergence. Both NRT1.1-mediated repression of TAR2 and LAX3 are suppressed at high nitrate availability, resulting in the nitrate induction of TAR2 and LAX3 expression that is required for optimal stimulation of LR development by nitrate. Altogether, our results indicate that the NRT1.1 transceptor coordinately controls several crucial auxin-associated processes required for LRP development, and as a consequence that NRT1.1 plays a much more integrated role than previously anticipated in regulating the nitrate response of root system architecture.

CUC1 and CUC2 regulate ovule and seed number by modulating the expression of genes involved in the balance between active and inactive forms of glycosylated cytokinin., Seeds derive from ovules upon fertilization and therefore the total number of ovules determines the final seed yield, a fundamental trait in crop plants. Among the factors that co-ordinate the process of ovule formation, the transcription factors CUP-SHAPED COTYLEDON 1 (CUC1) and CUC2 and the hormone cytokinin (CK) have a particularly prominent role. Indeed, the absence of both CUC1 and CUC2 causes a severe reduction in ovule number, a phenotype that can be rescued by CK treatment. In this study, we combined CK quantification with an integrative genome-wide target identification approach to select Arabidopsis genes regulated by CUCs that are also involved in CK metabolism. We focused our attention on the functional characterization of UDP-GLUCOSYL TRANSFERASE 85A3 (UGT85A3) and UGT73C1, which are up-regulated in the absence of CUC1 and CUC2 and encode enzymes able to catalyse CK inactivation by O-glucosylation. Our results demonstrate a role for these UGTs as a link between CUCs and CK homeostasis, and highlight the importance of CUCs and CKs in the determination of seed yield.

This paper is focused on the impacts of alkaline and metal deposition on soil and vegetation in the immission field of magnesium factory Jelšava-Lubeník (Slovakia). Soil samples and the foliage of vegetation were obtained from the Jelšava-Lubeník area with specific alkaline pollutants. The examined area is one of the most devastated regions of Slovakia. From the point of view of environmental regionalization, it belongs to an environmentally damaged area of Category 3. The total content of heavy metals in the soil and vegetation (Pb, Zn, Cr, Mn, Mg) were determined by atomic absorption spectrometry and X-ray fluorescence spectrometry. Soil reaction was determined in a solution of 0.01 M CaCl2. Vegetation was assessed by the Braun-Blanquet scale. In conclusion, we can say that spray particles of free magnesium oxide (MgO) strongly influence soil reaction, diversity, and vegetation cover. The research showed that the investigated sites were mostly strongly alkaline; the contents of Cr, Mn and Mg were over the toxicity limit, while the measured values of Pb and Zn did not exceed the limits set by the law. The values that measured significantly above the set limit show contamination that can be considered harmful and toxic. In the monitored species, that is, Agrostis stolonifera, Elytrigia repens and Phragmites australis, an over-limit content of Pb and Zn and toxic contents of Mg and Mn were found.

The contemporary economic environment including the context of work is characterized by unusual turbulence and an unflagging stream of changes. The effective operation of organizations in these conditions is more and more conditioned by the quality of human resources. Corporate training represents one of the significant factors of increasing this quality. In this paper, we present the results of our research which specifies connections between the assessment of corporate training and the evaluation of selected work attributes. Based on the data which were obtained by the original SBES methodology, it is obvious that there are significant connections between the perception of corporate training factors and the evaluation of work attributes. The most evident were the connections between the assessment of the corporate training factor ‘Significance for performing a profession’ and the attributes of ‘Interesting work, Delight from work and Possibility of being promoted at work.’

The fundamental tasks of the root system are, besides anchoring, mediating interactions between plant and soil and providing the plant with water and nutrients. The architecture of the root system is controlled by endogenous mechanisms that constantly integrate environmental signals, such as availability of nutrients and water. Extremely important for efficient soil exploitation and survival under less favorable conditions is the developmental flexibility of the root system that is largely determined by its postembryonic branching capacity. Modulation of initiation and outgrowth of lateral roots provides roots with an exceptional plasticity, allows optimal adjustment to underground heterogeneity, and enables effective soil exploitation and use of resources. Here we discuss recent advances in understanding the molecular mechanisms that shape the plant root system and integrate external cues to adapt to the changing environment.

Plant hormone cytokinins are perceived by a subfamily of sensor histidine kinases (HKs), which via a two-component phosphorelay cascade activate transcriptional responses in the nucleus. Subcellular localization of the receptors proposed the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) membrane as a principal cytokinin perception site, while study of cytokinin transport pointed to the plasma membrane (PM)-mediated cytokinin signalling. Here, by detailed monitoring of subcellular localizations of the fluorescently labelled natural cytokinin probe and the receptor ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE KINASE 4 (CRE1/AHK4) fused to GFP reporter, we show that pools of the ER-located cytokinin receptors can enter the secretory pathway and reach the PM in cells of the root apical meristem, and the cell plate of dividing meristematic cells. Brefeldin A (BFA) experiments revealed vesicular recycling of the receptor and its accumulation in BFA compartments. We provide a revised view on cytokinin signalling and the possibility of multiple sites of perception at PM and ER., Cytokinin receptors predominantly localize to the endoplasmic reticulum. Here, Kubiasová et al. use a cytokinin fluoroprobe to show that ER-localized cytokinin receptors can enter the secretory pathway, reach the plasma membrane and undergo vesicular recycling, suggesting multiple sites of cytokinin perception.

The apical hook is a transiently formed structure that plays a protective role when the germinating seedling penetrates through the soil towards the surface. Crucial for proper bending is the local auxin maxima, which defines the concave (inner) side of the hook curvature. As no sign of asymmetric auxin distribution has been reported in embryonic hypocotyls prior to hook formation, the question of how auxin asymmetry is established in the early phases of seedling germination remains largely unanswered. Here, we analyzed the auxin distribution and expression of PIN auxin efflux carriers from early phases of germination, and show that bending of the root in response to gravity is the crucial initial cue that governs the hypocotyl bending required for apical hook formation. Importantly, polar auxin transport machinery is established gradually after germination starts as a result of tight root-hypocotyl interaction and a proper balance between abscisic acid and gibberellins.This article has an associated 'The people behind the papers' interview.

Plant fitness is largely dependent on the root, the underground organ, which, besides its anchoring function, supplies the plant body with water and all nutrients necessary for growth and development. To exploit the soil effectively, roots must constantly integrate environmental signals and react through adjustment of growth and development. Important components of the root management strategy involve a rapid modulation of the root growth kinetics and growth direction, as well as an increase of the root system radius through formation of lateral roots (LRs). At the molecular level, such a fascinating growth and developmental flexibility of root organ requires regulatory networks that guarantee stability of the developmental program but also allows integration of various environmental inputs. The plant hormone auxin is one of the principal endogenous regulators of root system architecture by controlling primary root growth and formation of LR. In this review, we discuss recent progress in understanding molecular networks where auxin is one of the main players shaping the root system and acting as mediator between endogenous cues and environmental factors.

In this paper, we study the problem of D-optimal experimental design under two linear constraints, which can be interpreted as simultaneous restrictions on the size and on the cost of the experiment. For computing a size- and cost-constrained approximate D-optimal design, we propose a specification of the “barycentric” multiplicative algorithm with sequential removal of redundant design points. We analytically prove convergence results for the proposed algorithm and numerically demonstrate its favorable properties compared to competing methods.

The paper presents the results from the research on the factors influencing the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology in measuring company performance in the engineering sector. The primary objective of the research was to verify the importance of using non-financial factors in managing businesses in connection to the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology and to verify the dependence between the use of the given methodology and the lack of human and financial resources for its usage. The research focusing on the given issue was conducted over a period of six months. The research was based on the hypotheses that were verified with statistical methods using the methodology of a Chi-square test. To identify the factors that hinder the usage of the Balanced Scorecard methodology in the addressed enterprises, the method of standard deviation was used. The main result of the research is a finding that there is a statistically significant relationship between the enterprises considering the non-financial indicators and the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology to be important. This relationship is confirmed also by the calculation using a test with p = 0.0422. The research verified one of the main research goals, i.e., the importance of non-financial indicators in connection to the Balanced Scorecard concept (BSC). Other hypotheses are related to the issue of the lack of human and financial resources. Using the Chi-square test in these cases once again, the study also found out the existence of the dependence between the lack of these resources and the use of the Balanced Scorecard methodology. The final value p = 0.0446 relating to human resources and the value p = 0.0377 relating to financial sources define the barriers as being important in implementing the BSC methodology into corporate practice. These values confirm other research results related to the barriers of using BSC. The presented paper assesses the research results that confirm the importance of using non-financial indicators and define the barriers that hinder this usage. The research contributed to the extension of the knowledge of the BSC concept that we consider being a modern managerial future-oriented tool and supported its implementation in companies so that they could operate within the framework of sustainable development.

Key messageArabidopsis and human ARM protein interact with telomerase. Deregulated mRNA levels of DNA repair and ribosomal protein genes in an Arabidopsis arm mutant suggest non-telomeric ARM function. The human homolog ARMC6 interacts with hTRF2.AbstractTelomerase maintains telomeres and has proposed non-telomeric functions. We previously identified interaction of the C- terminal domain of Arabidopsis telomerase reverse transcriptase (AtTERT) with an armadillo/β-catenin-like repeat (ARM) containing protein. Here we explore protein– protein interactions of the ARM protein, AtTERT domains, POT1a, TRF-like family and SMH family proteins, and the chromatin remodeling protein CHR19 using bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC), yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) analysis, and co- immunoprecipitation. The ARM protein interacts with both the N- and C-terminal domains of AtTERT in different cellular compartments. ARM interacts with CHR19 and TRF-like I family proteins that also bind AtTERT directly or through interaction with POT1a. The putative human ARM homolog co-precipitates telomerase activity and interacts with hTRF2 protein in vitro. Analysis of Arabidopsis arm mutants shows no obvious changes in telomere length or telomerase activity, suggesting that ARM is not essential for telomere maintenance. The observed interactions with telomerase and Myb-like domain proteins (TRF-like family I) may therefore reflect possible non- telomeric functions. Transcript levels of several DNA repair and ribosomal genes are affected in arm mutants, and ARM, likely in association with other proteins, suppressed expression of XRCC3 and RPSAA promoter constructs in luciferase reporter assays. In conclusion, ARM can participate in non-telomeric functions of telomerase, and can also perform its own telomerase-independent functions.