Arabidopsis ERF109 mediates cross-talk between jasmonic acid and auxin biosynthesis during lateral root formation

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 5; no. 1; p. 5833
• Main Authors: Cai, Xiao-Teng, Xu, Ping, Zhao, Ping-Xia, Liu, Rui, Yu, Lin-Hui, Xiang, Cheng-Bin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 19.12.2014; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 14/35; 14/63; 38; 38/44; 631/449/1741; 631/449/2675; 631/92/60; Arabidopsis - genetics; Arabidopsis - growth & development; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - genetics; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Biosynthesis; Cyclopentanes - metabolism; Gene Expression Regulation, Developmental; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Humanities and Social Sciences; Indoleacetic Acids - metabolism; multidisciplinary; Oxylipins - metabolism; Plant Roots - genetics; Plant Roots - growth & development; Plant Roots - metabolism; Repressor Proteins - genetics; Repressor Proteins - metabolism; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Transcription Factors - genetics; Transcription Factors - metabolism
• DOI: 10.1038/ncomms6833
• ISSN: 2041-1723

Jasmonic acid (JA) is well known to promote lateral root formation but the mechanisms by which JA signalling is integrated into the pathways responsible for lateral root formation, and how it interacts with auxin in this process remains poorly understood. Here, we report that the highly JA-responsive ethylene response factor 109 (ERF109) mediates cross-talk between JA signalling and auxin biosynthesis to regulate lateral root formation in Arabidopsis . erf109 mutants have fewer lateral roots under MeJA treatments compared with wild type whereas ERF109 overexpression causes a root phenotype that resembles those of auxin overproduction mutants. ERF109 binds directly to GCC-boxes in the promoters of ASA1 and YUC2 , which encode two key enzymes in auxin biosynthesis. Thus, our study reveals a molecular mechanism for JA and auxin cross-talk during JA-induced lateral root formation. Jasmonic acid induces lateral root formation in Arabidopsis by promoting auxin biosynthesis. Here, Cai et al . identify a jasmonate-induced transcription factor that regulates the expression of two auxin biosynthetic enzymes revealing a molecular mechanism for hormonal cross-talk in the root.