515 / 2019-03-01 13:16:52

A mechanistic framework coordinates root suberization during development and stress response in Arabidopsis

root, endodermis, SHR, suberin

Growth and Development > Growth and Development

Suberin lamella forms protective barrier in plant tissues against biotic and abiotic stresses. This hydrophobic structure assembles widely in various cell types during plant development and in response to stress-induced hormones. However, it remains unclear how developmental programs interplay with stress responses to direct the spatiotemporal precision of suberin deposition. Here we provide evidence that SHORT-ROOT (SHR) mediates the regulatory network through a group of MYB transcription factors to direct the specific suberization in root endodermis. Both SHR and MYBs promote the ABA level in Arabidopsis, but SHR mediated regulation appears to be independent of ABA induction despite these two pathways could share overlapping downstream modules. Compared to the fast and transient induction by ABA, SHR mediates a slow readout of developmental program that promotes suberization. In addition, defective Casparian strip triggers a complementary enhanced suberization possibly via a SCHENGEN3 (SGN3) mediated sub-network in SHR pathway.
Developmental regulation and environmental stimulus act in parallel but form an interacting framework to provide plasticity of plant suberization in response to endogenous and exogenous cues.