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The auxin signalling network translates dynamic input into robust patterning at the shoot apex
Teva Vernoux1, Géraldine Brunoud, Etienne Farcot
1Laboratoire de Reproduction et Développement des Plantes, CNRS, INRA, ENS Lyon, UCBL, Université de Lyon, Lyon, France. teva.vernoux@ens-lyon.fr
Molecular Systems Biology
|July 8, 2011
Summary
Plant hormone auxin guides development, but its distribution and sensing remain unclear. This study reveals a simple Aux/IAA-ARF auxin signaling network in Arabidopsis shoot apex, crucial for robust pattern formation.
Area of Science:
- Plant biology
- Developmental biology
- Molecular genetics
Background:
- The plant hormone auxin is critical for developmental patterning.
- Precise mechanisms of auxin distribution and sensing in space and time are not fully understood.
- The auxin response involves complex interactions between auxin response factors (ARFs) and Aux/IAA transcriptional regulators.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze the Aux/IAA-ARF auxin signaling pathway in the Arabidopsis shoot apex.
- To elucidate the distribution and structure of this pathway during organogenesis.
- To investigate the role of auxin signaling in creating robust developmental patterns.
Main Methods:
- Large-scale analysis of the Aux/IAA-ARF pathway in Arabidopsis.
- Comprehensive expression mapping and interactome analysis.
- Mathematical modeling of the auxin signaling network.
- Utilizing a novel auxin signaling sensor and the DR5 reporter.
Main Results:
- Discovered a surprisingly simple distribution and structure of the Aux/IAA-ARF pathway in the shoot apex.
- Mathematical model predicted strong buffering capacity and spatial differences in auxin sensitivity.
- Experimental validation confirmed model predictions using auxin signaling and transcriptional output reporters.
Conclusions:
- The auxin signaling network exhibits a simple yet robust structure in the shoot apex.
- This network possesses significant buffering capacity and spatial sensitivity to auxin.
- The auxin signaling network is essential for generating robust patterns during plant organogenesis.
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