The TARANI/ UBIQUITIN PROTEASE 14 protein is required for lateral root development in Arabidopsis

In our article published in Plant Physiology, we had reported tarani (tni) mutant in Arabidopsis, in which poly-ubiquitin hydrolysis is adversely affected, shows pleiotropic phenotypic defects including fewer lateral roots due to the stabilization of several AUX/IAAs and reduced auxin response. TNI encodes UBIQUITIN-SPECIFIC PROTEASE14 that maintains normal auxin response through ubiquitin recycling. Fewer lateral roots observed in tni could be due to defects in their primordia initiation or subsequent elongation post-initiation. Here we have tested this by marking the lateral root primordia with pCycB1;1::CycB1;1(DB):GUS reporter and counting the number of lateral root at various stages development of as a marker of lateral root primordium. The results suggest that TNI/UBP14 is required for LRP development, and a reduction in TNI activity causes a delay in LRP initiation and consequently shorter lateral roots in the tni seedlings. ABBREVIATIONS: LRP, lateral root primordium; XPP, xylem pole pericycle; LRFC, lateral root founder cells.