Research project

Polar auxin transport: translating environmental signals into plant developmental responses

1. What is the exact role of PIN proteins in PAT? 2. How is PIN polarity established, and how is it modulated by AGC kinase-mediated phosphorylation? 3. What is the role of the AGC kinase, as modulators of PAT, in translating environmental signals, such as gravity, light or mechanical stress, to plant developmental responses?

Duration

Contact

Remko Offringa

Funding

NWO-CW TOP Grant

Royal Dutch Society of Sciences

China Scholarship Council (CSC)

CAPES Foundation in Brazil

NWO Applied Engineering Sciences

Partners

Prof. Jiri Friml
Prof. Christa Testerink
Prof. Dabing Zhang
Prof. Christian Luschnig

The plant hormone auxin (indole-3-acetic acid) is now well established as one of the key-regulators of plant development and growth, as it directs these processes by polar cell-to-cell transport generated auxin maxima and minima that regulate cell division -differentiation and –expansion.

The plant hormone auxin or indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) is now well established as one of the key-regulators of plant development and growth. Auxin directs these processes by polar cell-to-cell transport generated auxin maxima and minima that regulate cell division, -differentiation, and -expansion. This polar auxin transport (PAT) is mediated by three classes of auxin transporter proteins, of which the PIN1-type auxin efflux carriers determine the direction of transport through their asymmetric distribution at the plasma-membrane (PM). The AGC3 kinases PINOID (PID), WAG1 and WAG2 act antagonistically to PP2A/PP6 phosphatases in regulating the subcellular polar PIN distribution by determining the phosporylation status of serines in conserved TPRXSN/S motifs present in the central hydrophilic loop (HL) of PIN1-type auxin transporters.

Publications

Van Gelderen, K., van Rongen, M., Liu, A., Otten, A., Offringa, R. (2016) An INDEHISCENT-controlled auxin response specifies the separation layer in early Arabidopsis fruit. Mol. Plant 9, 857-869.
Ding, Z., Galván-Ampudia, C.S., Demarsy, E., Łangowski, Ł., Kleine-Vehn, J., Fan, Y., Morita, M.T., Tasaka, M., Fankhauser, C., Offringa, R., Friml, J. (2011) Light-mediated polarization of the PIN3 auxin transporter for the phototropic response in Arabidopsis. Nature Cell Biol. 13, 447-452.
Huang, F., Zago, M.K., Abas, L., Van Marion, A., Galván-Ampudia, C.S., and Offringa, R. (2010) Phosphorylation of conserved PIN motifs directs Arabidopsis PIN1 polarity and auxin transport. Plant Cell 22: 1129-1142.
Dhonukshe, P, Huang, F., Galvan-Ampudia, C.S., Mähönen, A.P., Kleine-Vehn, J., Xu, J., Quint, A., Prasad, K., Friml, J., Scheres, B., and Offringa, R. (2010) Plasma membrane-bound AGC3 kinases phosphorylate PIN auxin carriers at TPRXS(N/S) motifs to direct apical PIN recycling. Development 137, 3245-3255.
Michniewicz M., Zago M.K., Abas L., Weijers, D., Schweighofer, A., Meskiene, I., Heisler M.G., Ohno, C., Zhang, J., Huang F., Schwab R., Weigel D., Meyerowitz E.M., Luschnig C., Offringa R., Friml J. (2007) Antagonistic regulation of PIN phosphorylation by PP2A and PID directs auxin flux. Cell 130, 1044-1056.
Friml, J., Xiong, Y., Quint, A., Tietz, O., Michniewicz, M., Weijers, D., Benjamins, R., Ljung, K., Sandberg, G, Ouwerkerk, P.B.F., Hooykaas, P.J.J., Palme, K., Offringa, R. (2004) PINOID-dependent binary switch of subcellular apical-basal PIN polarity. Science 306, 862-865.
Benjamins, R., Quint, A., Weijers, D., Hooykaas, P. and Offringa, R. (2001). The PINOID protein kinase regulates organ development in Arabidopsis by enhancing polar auxin transport. Development 128, 4057-4067.
Benjamins, R., Quint, A., Weijers, D., Hooykaas, P. and Offringa, R. (2001). The PINOID protein kinase regulates organ development in Arabidopsis by enhancing polar auxin transport. Development 128, 4057-4067.