An Organ-On-A-Chip Approach For Investigating Root-Environment Interactions In Heterogeneous Conditions

The study introduced the dual-flow-RootChip (dfRootChip), a microfluidic organ-on-a-chip platform designed to explore root-environment interactions in Arabidopsis plants under simulated heterogeneous conditions. This platform allowed for asymmetric perfusion, enabling the investigation of root guidance, physiological and developmental monitoring, molecular uptake, selective drug treatments, and microbial inoculation. The researchers observed calcium responses in roots exposed to biotic and abiotic elicitors, noting specific signal propagation from treated to untreated cells. Importantly, they found evidence of non-autonomous positive regulation of hair growth across the root when exposed to unfavorable conditions on one side, highlighting lateral coordination in morphological adaptation. This approach provided insights into root physiology, signaling, and development in varied environments at the organ level.