ABA modulates root growth through regulating auxin in Arabidopsis thaliana

As sessile organism, plants exhibit an amazing developmental plasticity in adapting to changing growth conditions in response to environmental stimuli. As an important organ of plants, roots variously make active changes in the face of different stimuli. It is well known that ABA (abscisic acid) is an important molecule that inhibits root growth. ABA receptor PYR1/PYL mediates ABA signaling transduction by binding with PP2C proteins and activating kinases SnRK2s. However, little is known about how ABA regulates root growth and plastic development. In order to understand the mechanism underlying root growth inhibition by ABA, the effects of ABA on the size and activity of root meristem, meristematic cell cycle, and auxin amount and distribution patterns were analyzed with Arabidopsis thaliana as materials. The results showed that ABA inhibited the growth of primary roots and reduced the size of meristems of primary roots. The inhibition effect of ABA on pyr1/pyl1/pyl2 root growth reduced, which showed that ABA receptor PYR1/PYL was involved in the inhibition of root growth. Further analysis showed that ABA treatment blocked G2/M-phase transition during cell division with the accumulation of cyclin proteinCYCB1;1::GUS expression. In addition, we noted that the amounts and distribution patterns of auxin in the roots changed with treatment of ABA. The results suggested that ABA inhibited the growth of roots by modulating synthesis and auxin response which in turn influenced cell division in root meristem.