Role of reactive oxygen species in the modulation of auxin flux and root development in Arabidopsis thaliana

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology Vol. 114; no. 1; pp. 83 - 95
• Main Authors: Pasternak, Taras, Palme, Klaus, Pérez‐Pérez, José Manuel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.04.2023
• Subjects: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis thalaina; auxin; Auxins; Cell activation; Cell death; Cell division; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Hydrogen peroxide; Hydrogen Peroxide - metabolism; Indoleacetic Acids - metabolism; lateral root; Meristems; Metabolism; Mutants; NADPH Oxidases - metabolism; Oxygen; Pattern formation; PINs; Plant Roots - metabolism; Polarity; Primordia; Reactive oxygen species; Reactive Oxygen Species - metabolism; Root development; Roots; Seedlings; Signal transduction; Reactive oxygen species; PINs; auxin; Arabidopsis thalaina; lateral root; hydrogen peroxide
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16118

SUMMARY Reactive oxygen species (ROS) play a dual role in plant biology, acting as important signal transduction molecules and as toxic byproducts of aerobic metabolism that accumulate in cells upon exposure to different stressors and lead to cell death. In plants, root architecture is regulated by the distribution and intercellular flow of the phytohormone auxin. In this study, we identified ROS as an important modulator of auxin distribution and response in the root. ROS production is necessary for root growth, proper tissue patterning, cell growth, and lateral root (LR) induction. Alterations in ROS balance led to altered auxin distribution and response in SOD and RHD2 loss‐of‐function mutants. Treatment of Arabidopsis seedlings with additional sources of ROS (hydrogen peroxide) or an ROS production inhibitor (diphenylene iodonium) induced phenocopies of the mutants studied. Simultaneous application of auxin and ROS increased LR primordia induction, and PIN‐FORMED protein immunolocalization further demonstrated the existing link between auxin and ROS in orchestrating cell division and auxin flux during root development. In Arabidopsis roots, genetic alterations in ROS balance led to defective auxin distribution and growth‐related responses in roots. Exogenous hydrogen peroxide alters the establishment of the endogenous auxin gradient in the root meristem through regulation of PIN‐FORMED polarity, while the simultaneous application of hydrogen peroxide and auxin enhanced LR induction in a dose‐ and position‐dependent manner through activation of cell division. Significance Statement In Arabidopsis roots, genetic alterations in reactive oxygen species balance led to defective auxin distribution and growth‐related responses in roots. Exogenous hydrogen peroxide altered the establishment of the endogenous auxin gradient in the root meristem through regulation of PIN‐FORMED polarity, while the simultaneous application of hydrogen peroxide and auxin enhanced lateral root induction in a dose‐ and position‐dependent manner through activation of cell division.