Studies of natriuretic peptides in Tradescantia

The idea that plant development and physiological responses to the environment are governed largely by the five classical hormones is being superseded by the view that a much larger range of very different molecules also have such functions in plants. Recent evidence suggests that natriuretic peptides (NPs) known to function in vertebrates as regulators of salt and water balance may also play this role in plants. This thesis adds experimental results obtained in vitro and in situ that contribute to further establishing NPs as novel endogenous regulators in plants.