Glucose-TOR signaling regulates PIN2 stability to orchestrate auxin gradient and cell expansion in Arabidopsis root

Abstract

The plant growth hormone auxin controls cell identity, cell division, and expansion. In the primary root of Arabidopsis there is a robust auxin gradient with a peak concentration at the tip of the meristem and a significant decrease throughout the elongation zone. The molecular mechanisms of how such a steep auxin gradient is established and maintained, and how this auxin gradient within the root dynamically adjusts in response to environmental stimuli are still largely unknown. Here, using a large-scale Arabidopsis mutant screening, we described the identification of PIN2 (PIN-FORMED 2), an auxin efflux facilitator, as a key downstream regulator in glucose-TOR (target of rapamycin) energy signaling. We demonstrate that glucose-activated TOR phosphorylates and stabilizes PIN2 and therefore influences the gradient distribution of PIN2 in the Arabidopsis primary root. Interestingly, dysregulation of TOR or PIN2 disrupts the glucose-promoted low auxin region located in the elongation zone that is essential for cell elongation. Taken together, our results shed light on how carbon and metabolic status can be tightly integrated with the hormone-driven processes to orchestrate complex plant growth programs.