Plant survival depends on vascular tissues, which originate in a self-organizing manner as strands of cells co-directionally transporting the plant hormone auxin. The latter phenomenon (also known as auxin canalization) is classically hypothesized to be regulated by auxin itself via the effect of this hormone on the polarity of its own intercellular transport. Correlative observations supported this concept, but molecular insights remain limited. In the current study, we established an experimental system based on the model Arabidopsis thaliana, which exhibits auxin transport channels and formation of vasculature strands in response to local auxin application. Our methodology permits the genetic analysis of auxin canalization under controllable experimental conditions. By utilizing this opportunity, we confirmed the dependence of auxin canalization on a PIN-dependent auxin transport and nuclear, TIR1/AFB-mediated auxin signaling. We also show that leaf venation and auxin-mediated PIN repolarization in the root require TIR1/AFB signaling. Further studies based on this experimental system are likely to yield better understanding of the mechanisms underlying auxin transport polarization in other developmental contexts.

Institute of Science and Technology 3400 Klosterneuburg Austria

Laboratory of Growth Regulators and Department of Chemical Biology and Genetics Centre of Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research Faculty of Science Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany ASCR Šlechtitelů 27 783 71 Olomouc Czech Republic

Mendel Centre for Plant Genomics and Proteomics Central European Institute of Technology Masaryk University CZ 62 500 Brno Czech Republic

University of Silesia in Katowice Faculty of Natural Sciences Institute of Biology Biotechnology and Environmental Protection Katowice Poland

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