Auxin response and PIN-mediated transport in chlorophyte algae

Auxin, primarily indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), is a central regulator of growth and development in land plants, but its physiological role in chlorophyte algae remains unclear. Here, we show that exogenous IAA modulates growth in Chlorella sorokiniana, Chlorella variabilis, and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in a concentration-dependent manner. Low IAA concentrations promoted growth by accelerating the onset of cell division without affecting cell size, whereas higher concentrations inhibited proliferation. Radiotracer assays showed that all three species take up and release IAA across the plasma membrane through a combination of passive diffusion and energy-dependent, saturable processes. Competition by excess unlabeled natural and synthetic auxins further supported the presence of carrier-mediated transport with broad substrate recognition. Phylogenetic analyses identified potential PIN-like auxin exporters in chlorophytes and other non-plant eukaryotes, and structural modeling supported conservation of the overall PIN fold and predicted auxin-binding residues. However, functional assays in Xenopus laevis oocytes, tobacco BY-2 cultured cells, and Arabidopsis thaliana did not support a role for these proteins in directional auxin export. Instead, non-plant PIN homologs localized predominantly to the endoplasmic reticulum and showed limited or no transport activity in heterologous systems. Together, these findings indicate that auxin responsiveness and basic cellular auxin transport predate canonical PIN-mediated directional auxin export, which appears to be a later innovation of the streptophyte lineage.