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Updated: Jan 15, 2026

Author Spotlight: Image-Based Methods to Study Membrane Trafficking Events in Stomatal Lineage Cells
Published on: May 12, 2023
Deciphering auxin-regulated stomatal development: Novel insights into phytochrome-interacting factors, FOUR LIPS, and
Abdul Wakeel Umar1, Naveed Ahmad2, Hamad Hussain3
1BNU-HKUST Laboratory of Green Innovation, Advanced Institute of Natural Sciences, Beijing Normal University at Zhuhai (BNUZ), Zhuhai City 519087, China.
Abstract:
Stomatal development in Arabidopsis is regulated by a complex hierarchy that combines internal hormonal signals with varying environmental factors. Auxin is implicated in nearly every stage of stomatal development, yet a comprehensive framework that reconciles its diverse genetic, biochemical and physiological effects has been lacking. This review fuses the scattered threads of research into auxin-centered models that connects hormone biosynthesis (YUCCA), polar transport (PIN3/7) and signaling (ARF18/19) to the canonical SPCH-MUTE-FAMA transcriptional cascade and its cell-cycle gatekeepers CDKA;1 and RBR. These core modules are refined by negative regulators FOUR LIPS and MYB88, and how environmental and metabolic information is superimposed through PIF4/5 (light, temperature), SnRK1/2 kinases (carbon status, drought) and abscisic acid. Downstream, MAPK cascades and ERECTA-family receptors impose final patterning constraints, completing a feed-forward network that tunes stomatal density and spacing to environmental demand. By merging these layers, our framework resolves long-standing discrepancies between mutant phenotypes and hormonal assays, and highlights ARF19, SnRK1/2 and ERECTA as strategic targets for engineering water-use efficiency and climate resilience in crops.
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