C-TERMINALLY ENCODED PEPTIDE (CEP) and cytokinin hormones act over short and long distances to control plant responses to environmental cues. CEP and cytokinin pathway mutants share phenotypes, however, it is not known if these pathways intersect. We show that CEP and cytokinin signalling converge on CEP DOWNSTREAM (CEPD) glutaredoxins to inhibit primary root growth. CEP inhibition of root growth was impaired in mutants defective in trans-zeatin (tZ)-type cytokinin biosynthesis, transport, perception, and output. Concordantly, mutants affected in CEP RECEPTOR 1 showed reduced root growth inhibition in response to tZ, and altered levels of tZ-type cytokinins. Grafting and organ-specific hormone treatments showed that tZ-mediated root growth inhibition involved CEPD activity in roots. By contrast, root growth inhibition by CEP depended on shoot CEPD function. The results demonstrate that CEP and cytokinin pathways intersect, and utilise signalling circuits in separate organs involving common glutaredoxin genes to coordinate root growth.

Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics Aarhus University 8000 Aarhus Denmark

Division of Plant Sciences Research School of Biology College of Science The Australian National University Canberra ACT 2601 Australia

Institute of Biology Applied Genetics Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences Freie Universität Berlin D 14195 Berlin Germany

Laboratory of Growth Regulators Faculty of Science Palacký University and Institute of Experimental Botany The Czech Academy of Sciences CZ 783 71 Olomouc Czech Republic

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