PILS-dependent adaptive control of the root system architecture in Arabidopsis thaliana
Final Report Abstract
The plant root system absorbs water and nutrients, and the formation of lateral roots plays a critical role in enabling plants to adapt to changing environments. In this project, we focused on the plant hormone auxin and its role in integrating environmental information into plant architecture. Auxin governs many developmental processes in plants, including growth and the formation of new organs. Previous work has shown that the so-called root clock designates lateral root pre-branch sites (PBS), yet the precise contribution of these sites to overall root system architecture remains only partially understood. In this project, we demonstrate in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana that two separate oscillatory processes involving the phytohormone auxin govern both the spatial establishment and the temporal activation of PBS, collectively determining lateral root density. By tracking auxin signalling over several days, we uncovered a systemic auxin oscillation in mature primary roots that is distinct from the focal root-tip-associated root clock. While the root clock spatially positions PBS as the tip grows, the systemic auxin oscillation governs the timing by which these sites gain their auxin-dependent identity. Furthermore, light perception in the shoot modulates the amplitude of the systemic auxin signal, thereby influencing whether PBS develop into lateral roots. Photoreceptors PHYB and CRY1 play a role in integrating environmental inputs, such as temperature, into this light-dependent regulatory network, thereby shaping systemic auxin signalling and lateral root density. Our findings reveal how two spatially distinct oscillatory auxin signals enable plants to fine-tune root development in variable environmental conditions. These findings offer fundamental insights into how plants link hormone signals with the external environment to optimize root growth. Such knowledge is highly relevant to plant science because it could aid in the development of more resilient crop varieties that can cope with fluctuating temperatures or light levels.
Publications
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PILS proteins provide a homeostatic feedback on auxin signaling output. Development, 149(13).
Feraru, Elena; Feraru, Mugurel I.; Moulinier-Anzola, Jeanette; Schwihla, Maximilian; Ferreira, Da Silva Santos Jonathan; Sun, Lin; Waidmann, Sascha; Korbei, Barbara & Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen
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Auxin transport at the endoplasmic reticulum: roles and structural similarity of PIN-FORMED and PIN-LIKES. Journal of Experimental Botany, 74(22), 6893-6903.
Ung, Kien Lam; Schulz, Lukas; Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen; Pedersen, Bjørn Panyella & Hammes, Ulrich Z.
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Endoplasmic reticulum stress controls PIN-LIKES abundance and thereby growth adaptation. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 120(31).
Waidmann, Sascha; Béziat, Chloé; Ferreira, Da Silva Santos Jonathan; Feraru, Elena; Feraru, Mugurel I.; Sun, Lin; Noura, Seinab; Boutté, Yohann & Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen
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Gravitropism: The LAZY way of intracellular hitchhiking. Current Biology, 33(23), R1224-R1226.
Farkas, Sophie & Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen
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Two distinct oscillatory auxin signals define the plasticity of lateral rooting in Arabidopsis thaliana. openRxiv.
Ren, Chengzhi; Bodendorf, Jule; Moreno-Risueno, Miguel A. & Kleine-Vehn, Jürgen
