Brassinosteroid-Auxin Synergism to Dissect Hormone Response Pathways in Arabidopsis

The Salk Institute For Biological Studies, La Jolla CA

Investigators

Abstract

Plants are exquisitely sensitive to their light environment. Recent studies in the P.I.'s laboratory indicate that the plant hormones auxin and brassinosteroids (BRs) act in close proximity to modulate the seedling light response. The auxin and BR pathways have been studied individually in some detail, but significant gaps in each pathway exist. This project aims to identify components that may be shared between the auxin and BR signaling pathways. The primary aims are: (1) to characterize the BR-auxin interaction in Arabidopsis using existing physiological and genetic tools and (2) to uncover novel signal transduction components utilized by both hormones. This research will address the impact of the interaction between these hormones in regulating such diverse responses as changes in gene expression, cell expansion and division, and vascular differentiation. The long-term objective is to completely understand the signaling networks that regulate seedling development, and to relate this to general mechanisms of signal transduction in other organisms.