Arabidopsis AIR12 influences root development

Arabidopsis AUXIN INDUCED IN ROOTS (AIR 12) is a predicted to encode a glycosylphosphatidylinositol tail anchored protein. It has been associated with extracellular redox processes, but little is known about its physiological role. An air12 mutant line demonstrated increased germination rates in the presence of a range of abiotic stress factors and hormones, but not in the presence of ABA. Disruption of AIR12 also affected primary and lateral root development and was linked to changes in root catalase activity and superoxide production. We suggest AIR12 is an extracellular constituent linking both hormone and reactive oxygen signaling in plants.