Tyrosine-sulfated peptide hormone induces flavonol biosynthesis to control elongation and differentiation in Arabidopsis primary root

ABSTRACT: In Arabidopsis roots, growth initiation and cessation are organized into distinct zones. How regulatory mechanisms are integrated to coordinate these processes and maintain proper growth progression over time remains poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the peptide hormone PLANT PEPTIDE CONTAINING SULFATED TYROSINE 1 (PSY1) promotes root growth by controlling cell elongation. Higher levels of PSY1 lead to longer differentiated cells with a shootward displacement of characteristics common to mature cells. PSY1 activates genes involved in the biosynthesis of flavonols, a group of plant-specific secondary metabolites. Consistent with these transcriptional changes, untargeted metabolomics reveals an enrichment of features annotated as diverse flavonol glycosides upon PSY1 treatment. Using genetic and chemical approaches, we show that flavonols are required for PSY1 function. PSY1-mediated flavonol accumulation is localized to the differentiation zone. PSY1 signaling in this zone is associated with a reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) activity and a decrease in auxin accumulation. These findings support a model where PSY1 signals the developmental-specific accumulation of secondary metabolites to regulate the extent of cell elongation and progression to maturation. The work (proposal:https://doi.org/10.46936/10.25585/60008481) conducted by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (https://ror.org/04xm1d337), a DOE Office of Science User Facility, is supported by the Office of Science of the U.S. Department of Energy operated under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231.

INSTRUMENT(S): Q Exactive

ORGANISM(S): Arabidopsis

SUBMITTER: Pam Ronald  

PROVIDER: MSV000098293 | MassIVE | Mon Jun 23 14:03:00 BST 2025

REPOSITORIES: MassIVE