Auxin-dependent acceleration of cell division rates regulates root growth at elevated temperature

Abstract

Roots are highly plastic organs enabling plants to acclimate to a changing below-ground environment. In addition to abiotic factors like nutrients or mechanical resistance, plant roots also respond to temperature variation. Below the heat stress threshold, Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings react to elevated temperature by promoting primary root growth, possibly to reach deeper soil regions with potentially better water saturation. While above-ground thermomorphogenesis is enabled by thermo-sensitive cell elongation, it was unknown how temperature modulates root growth. We here show that roots are able to sense and respond to elevated temperature independent of shoot-derived signals. A yet unknown root thermosensor seems to employ auxin as a messenger to promote primary root growth. Growth is primarily achieved by accelerating cell division rates in the root apical meristem, likely maintained via temperature-sensitive organization of the polar auxin transport system. Hence, the primary cellular target of elevated ambient temperature differs fundamentally between root and shoot tissues, while the messenger auxin that relays temperature information to elongating or dividing cells, respectively, remains the same.