Directionality in the intercellular transport of the plant hormone auxin is determined by polar plasma membrane localization of PIN-FORMED (PIN) auxin transport proteins. However, apart from PIN phosphorylation at conserved motifs, no further determinants explicitly controlling polar PIN sorting decisions have been identified. Here we present Arabidopsis WAVY GROWTH 3 (WAV3) and closely related RING-finger E3 ubiquitin ligases, whose loss-of-function mutants show a striking apical-to-basal polarity switch in PIN2 localization in root meristem cells. WAV3 E3 ligases function as essential determinants for PIN polarity, acting independently from PINOID/WAG-dependent PIN phosphorylation. They antagonize ectopic deposition of de novo synthesized PIN proteins already immediately following completion of cell division, presumably via preventing PIN sorting into basal, ARF GEF-mediated trafficking. Our findings reveal an involvement of E3 ligases in the selective targeting of apically localized PINs in higher plants.

Department of Applied Genetics and Cell Biology Institute of Molecular Plant Biology University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna Muthgasse 18 1190 Wien Austria

Department of Biology University of Fribourg Chemin du Musée 10 1700 Fribourg Switzerland

Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Ghent University 9052 Ghent Belgium

Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences Rozvojová 263 Praha 6 Czech Republic

Institute of Science and Technology Austria 3400 Klosterneuburg Austria

School of Life Sciences Division of Life Sciences and Medicine University of Science and Technology of China Hefei 230026 China

VIB Center for Plant Systems Biology 9052 Ghent Belgium

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Nat Commun. 2022 Sep 16;13(1):5433. doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-33198-9. PubMed

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