Plant development regulated by cytokinin sinks

Zürcher, Evelyne; Liu, Jingchun; Donato, Martin di; Geisler, Markus; Müller, Bruno

doi:10.1126/science.aaf7254

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Plant development regulated by cytokinin sinks

Zürcher, Evelyne Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Liu, Jingchun Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.
Donato, Martin di Plant Biology, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Geisler, Markus Plant Biology, Department of Biology, University of Fribourg, Switzerland.
Müller, Bruno Zürich-Basel Plant Science Center, Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of Zürich, Switzerland.

02.09.2016

Published in:

Science. - 2016, vol. 353, no. 6303, p. 1027–1030

English Morphogenetic signals control the patterning of multicellular organisms. Cytokinins are mobile signals that are perceived by subsets of plant cells. We found that the responses to cytokinin signaling during Arabidopsis development are constrained by the transporter PURINE PERMEASE 14 (PUP14). In our experiments, the expression of PUP14 was inversely correlated to the cytokinin signaling readout. Loss of PUP14 function allowed ectopic cytokinin signaling accompanied by aberrant morphogenesis in embryos, roots, and the shoot apical meristem. PUP14 protein localized to the plasma membrane and imported bioactive cytokinins, thus depleting apoplastic cytokinin pools and inhibiting perception by plasma membrane–localized cytokinin sensors to create a sink for active ligands. We propose that the spatiotemporal cytokinin sink patterns established by PUP14 determine the cytokinin signaling landscape that shapes the morphogenesis of land plants.

Faculty

Faculté des sciences et de médecine

Department

Département de Biologie

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