Design Principles of a Minimal Auxin Response System

Overview

Journal Nat Plants

Specialties Biology
Genetics

Date 2020 May 17

PMID 32415296

Citations 47

Authors

Hirotaka Kato

Sumanth K Mutte

Hidemasa Suzuki

Isidro Crespo

Shubhajit Das

Tatyana Radoeva

Mattia Fontana

Yoshihiro Yoshitake

Emi Hainiwa

Willy van den Berg

Simon Lindhoud

Kimitsune Ishizaki

Johannes Hohlbein

Jan Willem Borst

D Roeland Boer

Ryuichi Nishihama

Takayuki Kohchi

Dolf Weijers

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Auxin controls numerous growth processes in land plants through a gene expression system that modulates ARF transcription factor activity. Gene duplications in families encoding auxin response components have generated tremendous complexity in most land plants, and neofunctionalization enabled various unique response outputs during development. However, it is unclear what fundamental biochemical principles underlie this complex response system. By studying the minimal system in Marchantia polymorpha, we derive an intuitive and simple model where a single auxin-dependent A-ARF activates gene expression. It is antagonized by an auxin-independent B-ARF that represses common target genes. The expression patterns of both ARF proteins define developmental zones where auxin response is permitted, quantitatively tuned or prevented. This fundamental design probably represents the ancestral system and formed the basis for inflated, complex systems.

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