Immunophilin-like TWISTED DWARF1 modulates auxin efflux activities of Arabidopsis P-glycoproteins

The immunophilin-like protein TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1/FKBP42) has been shown to physically interact with the multidrug resistance/P-glycoprotein (PGP) ATP-binding cassette transporters PGP1 and PGP19 (MDR1). Overlapping phenotypes of pgp1/pgp19 and twd1 mutant plants suggested a positive regulatory role of TWD1 in PGP-mediated export of the plant hormone auxin, which controls plant development. Here, we provide evidence at the cellular and plant levels that TWD1 controls PGP-mediated auxin transport. twd1 and pgp1/pgp19 cells showed greatly reduced export of the native auxin indole-3-acetic acid (IAA). Constitutive overexpression of PGP1 and PGP19, but not TWD1, enhanced auxin export. Coexpression of TWD1 and PGP1 in yeast and mammalian cells verified the specificity of the regulatory effect. Employing an IAA-specific microelectrode demonstrated that IAA influx in the root elongation zone was perturbed and apically shifted in pgp1/pgp19 and twd1 roots. Mature roots of pgp1/pgp19 and twd1 plants revealed elevated levels of free IAA, which seemed to account for agravitropic root behavior. Our data suggest a novel mode of PGP regulation via FK506-binding protein-like immunophilins, implicating possible alternative strategies to overcome multidrug resistance.     

Modulation of P-glycoproteins by auxin transport inhibitors is mediated by interaction with immunophilins

The immunophilin-like FKBP42 TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1) has been shown to control plant development via the positive modulation of ABCB/P-glycoprotein (PGP)-mediated transport of the plant hormone auxin. TWD1 functionally interacts with two closely related proteins, ABCB1/PGP1 and ABCB19/PGP19/MDR1, both of which exhibit the ability to bind to and be inhibited by the synthetic auxin transport inhibitor N-1-naphylphtalamic acid (NPA). They are also inhibited by flavonoid compounds, which are suspected modulators of auxin transport. The mechanisms by which flavonoids and NPA interfere with auxin efflux components are unclear. We report here the specific disruption of PGP1-TWD1 interaction by NPA and flavonoids using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer with flavonoids functioning as a classical established inhibitor of mammalian and plant PGPs. Accordingly, TWD1 was shown to mediate modulation of PGP1 efflux activity by these auxin transport inhibitors. NPA bound to both PGP1 and TWD1 but was excluded from the PGP1-TWD1 complex expressed in yeast, suggesting a transient mode of action in planta. As a consequence, auxin fluxes and gravitropism in twd1 roots are less affected by NPA treatment, whereas TWD1 gain-of-function promotes root bending. Our data support a novel model for the mode of drug-mediated P-glycoprotein regulation mediated via protein-protein interaction with immunophilin-like TWD1.     

Expression of TWISTED DWARF1 lacking its in‐plane membrane anchor leads to increased cell elongation and hypermorphic growth

Plant growth is achieved predominantly by cellular elongation, which is thought to be controlled on several levels by apoplastic auxin. Auxin export into the apoplast is achieved by plasma membrane efflux catalysts of the PIN‐FORMED (PIN) and ATP‐binding cassette protein subfamily B/phosphor‐glycoprotein (ABCB/PGP) classes; the latter were shown to depend on interaction with the FKBP42, TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1). Here by using a transgenic approach in combination with phenotypical, biochemical and cell biological analyses we demonstrate the importance of a putative C‐terminal in‐plane membrane anchor of TWD1 in the regulation of ABCB‐mediated auxin transport. In contrast with dwarfed twd1 loss‐of‐function alleles, TWD1 gain‐of‐function lines that lack a putative in‐plane membrane anchor (HA–TWD1‐C_t) show hypermorphic plant architecture, characterized by enhanced stem length and leaf surface but reduced shoot branching. Greater hypocotyl length is the result of enhanced cell elongation that correlates with reduced polar auxin transport capacity for HA–TWD1‐C_t. As a consequence, HA–TWD1‐C_t displays higher hypocotyl auxin accumulation, which is shown to result in elevated auxin‐induced cell elongation rates. Our data highlight the importance of C‐terminal membrane anchoring for TWD1 action, which is required for specific regulation of ABCB‐mediated auxin transport. These data support a model in which TWD1 controls lateral ABCB1‐mediated export into the apoplast, which is required for auxin‐mediated cell elongation.     

Arabidopsis immunophilin-like TWD1 functionally interacts with vacuolar ABC transporters

Previously, the immunophilin-like protein TWD1 from Arabidopsis has been demonstrated to interact with the ABC transporters AtPGP1 and its closest homologue, AtPGP19. Physiological and biochemical investigation of pgp1/pgp19 and of twd1 plants suggested a regulatory role of TWD1 on AtPGP1/AtPGP19 transport activities. To further understand the dramatic pleiotropic phenotype that is caused by loss-of-function mutation of the TWD1 gene, we were interested in other TWD1 interacting proteins. AtMRP1, a multidrug resistance-associated (MRP/ABCC)-like ABC transporter, has been isolated in a yeast two-hybrid screen. We demonstrate molecular interaction between TWD1 and ABC transporters AtMRP1 and its closest homologue, AtMRP2. Unlike AtPGP1, AtMRP1 binds to the C-terminal tetratricopeptide repeat domain of TWD1, which is well known to mediate protein-protein interactions. Domain mapping proved that TWD1 binds to a motif of AtMRP1 that resembles calmodulin-binding motifs; and calmodulin binding to the C-terminus of MRP1 was verified. By membrane fractionation and GFP-tagging, we localized AtMRP1 to the central vacuolar membrane and the TWD1-AtMRP1 complex was verified in vivo by coimmunoprecipitation. We were able to demonstrate that TWD1 binds to isolated vacuoles and has a significant impact on the uptake of metolachlor-GS and estradiol-beta-glucuronide, well-known substrates of vacuolar transporters AtMRP1 and AtMRP2.     

Arabidopsis TWISTED DWARF1 Functionally Interacts with Auxin Exporter ABCB1 on the Root Plasma Membrane

Plant architecture is influenced by the polar, cell-to-cell transport of auxin that is primarily provided and regulated by plasma membrane efflux catalysts of the PIN-FORMED and B family of ABC transporter (ABCB) classes. The latter were shown to require the functionality of the FK506 binding protein42 TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1), although underlying mechanisms are unclear. By genetic manipulation of TWD1 expression, we show here that TWD1 affects shootward root auxin reflux and, thus, downstream developmental traits, such as epidermal twisting and gravitropism of the root. Using immunological assays, we demonstrate a predominant lateral, mainly outward-facing, plasma membrane location for TWD1 in the root epidermis characterized by the lateral marker ABC transporter G36/PLEIOTROPIC DRUG-RESISTANCE8/PENETRATION3. At these epidermal plasma membrane domains, TWD1 colocalizes with nonpolar ABCB1. In planta bioluminescence resonance energy transfer analysis was used to verify specific ABC transporter B1 (ABCB1)–TWD1 interaction. Our data support a model in which TWD1 promotes lateral ABCB-mediated auxin efflux via protein–protein interaction at the plasma membrane, minimizing reflux from the root apoplast into the cytoplasm.     

Auxin transport into cotyledons and cotyledon growth depend similarly on the ABCB19 Multidrug Resistance-like transporter

ABCB19 of Arabidopsis thaliana (formerly known as MDR1 and PGP19) belongs to the Multidrug Resistance-like ( MDR ) or B group of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter superfamily, and mediates polar auxin transport in stems and roots. Here we have investigated the role of ABCB19 and auxin distribution in cotyledon development. During embryogenesis, confocal microscopy showed ABCB19 protein to be present in cotyledons during their main growth phase, but not later. Analysis of ProDR5:GFP expression patterns showed a significantly diminished and restricted auxin distribution pattern in abcb19 cotyledons. Nonetheless, development of abcb19 embryonic cotyledons was very similar to that of wild-type. Post-germination, ABCB19 was present in the plasma membrane of cotyledon epidermal, mesophyll and petiole cells during blade expansion. Post-germination cotyledon blade expansion in abcb19 was 65% slower than in wild-type, although the epidermal cell area was reduced by only 17%. The growth rate reduction quantitatively correlated with reduced auxin levels rather than auxin sensitivity as indicated by quantitative ProDR5:GUS assays and direct auxin measurements, and may be explained by the 50% reduction in the import of auxin through the petioles of abcb19 cotyledons during the period of maximum expansion. Taken together, these data indicate that cotyledon expansion during the establishment of photoautotrophic growth depends on ABCB19-mediated auxin import.     

TWISTED DWARF1, a unique plasma membrane-anchored immunophilin-like protein, interacts with Arabidopsis multidrug resistance-like transporters AtPGP1 and AtPGP19

Null-mutations of the Arabidopsis FKBP-like immunophilin TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1) gene cause a pleiotropic phenotype characterized by reduction of cell elongation and disorientated growth of all plant organs. Heterologously expressed TWD1 does not exhibit cis-trans-peptidylprolyl isomerase (PPIase) activity and does not complement yeast FKBP12 mutants, suggesting that TWD1 acts indirectly via protein-protein interaction. Yeast two-hybrid protein interaction screens with TWD1 identified cDNA sequences that encode the C-terminal domain of Arabidopsis multidrug-resistance-like ABC transporter AtPGP1. This interaction was verified in vitro. Mapping of protein interaction domains shows that AtPGP1 surprisingly binds to the N-terminus of TWD1 harboring the cis-trans peptidyl-prolyl isomerase-like domain and not to the tetratrico-peptide repeat domain, which has been shown to mediate protein-protein interaction. Unlike all other FKBPs, TWD1 is shown to be an integral membrane protein that colocalizes with its interacting partner AtPGP1 on the plasma membrane. TWD1 also interacts with AtPGP19 (AtMDR1), the closest homologue of AtPGP1. The single gene mutation twd1-1 and double atpgp1-1/atpgp19-1 (atmdr1-1) mutants exhibit similar phenotypes including epinastic growth, reduced inflorescence size, and reduced polar auxin transport, suggesting that a functional TWD1-AtPGP1/AtPGP19 complex is required for proper plant development.     

ABCB19/PGP19 stabilises PIN1 in membrane microdomains in Arabidopsis

Auxin transport is mediated at the cellular level by three independent mechanisms that are characterised by the PIN-formed (PIN), P-glycoprotein (ABCB/PGP) and AUX/LAX transport proteins. The PIN and ABCB transport proteins, best represented by PIN1 and ABCB19 (PGP19), have been shown to coordinately regulate auxin efflux. When PIN1 and ABCB19 coincide on the plasma membrane, their interaction enhances the rate and specificity of auxin efflux and the dynamic cycling of PIN1 is reduced. However, ABCB19 function is not regulated by the dynamic cellular trafficking mechanisms that regulate PIN1 in apical tissues, as localisation of ABCB19 on the plasma membrane was not inhibited by short-term treatments with latrunculin B, oryzalin, brefeldin A (BFA) or wortmannin--all of which have been shown to alter PIN1 and/or PIN2 plasma membrane localisation. When taken up by endocytosis, the styryl dye FM4-64 labels diffuse rather than punctuate intracellular bodies in abcb19 (pgp19), and some aggregations of PIN1 induced by short-term BFA treatment did not disperse after BFA washout in abcb19. Although the subcellular localisations of ABCB19 and PIN1 in the reciprocal mutant backgrounds were like those in wild type, PIN1 plasma membrane localisation in abcb19 roots was more easily perturbed by the detergent Triton X-100, but not other non-ionic detergents. ABCB19 is stably associated with sterol/sphingolipid-enriched membrane fractions containing BIG/TIR3 and partitions into Triton X-100 detergent-resistant membrane (DRM) fractions. In the wild type, PIN1 was also present in DRMs, but was less abundant in abcb19 DRMs. These observations suggested a rationale for the observed lack of auxin transport activity when PIN1 is expressed in a non-plant heterologous system. PIN1 was therefore expressed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which has plant-like sterol-enriched microdomains, and catalysed auxin transport in these cells. These data suggest that ABCB19 stabilises PIN1 localisation at the plasma membrane in discrete cellular subdomains where PIN1 and ABCB19 expression overlaps.     

Regulation of ABCB1/PGP1-catalysed auxin transport by linker phosphorylation

Polar transport of the plant hormone auxin is controlled by PIN- and ABCB/PGP-efflux catalysts. PIN polarity is regulated by the AGC protein kinase, PINOID (PID), while ABCB activity was shown to be dependent on interaction with the FKBP42, TWISTED DWARF1 (TWD1). Using co-immunoprecipitation (co-IP) and shotgun LC-MS/MS analysis, we identified PID as a valid partner in the interaction with TWD1. In-vitro and yeast expression analyses indicated that PID specifically modulates ABCB1-mediated auxin efflux in an action that is dependent on its kinase activity and that is reverted by quercetin binding and thus inhibition of PID autophosphorylation. Triple ABCB1/PID/TWD1 co-transfection in tobacco revealed that PID enhances ABCB1-mediated auxin efflux but blocks ABCB1 in the presence of TWD1. Phospho-proteomic analyses identified S634 as a key residue of the regulatory ABCB1 linker and a very likely target of PID phosphorylation that determines both transporter drug binding and activity. In summary, we provide evidence that PID phosphorylation has a dual, counter-active impact on ABCB1 activity that is coordinated by TWD1-PID interaction.     

Alkoxy-auxins are selective inhibitors of auxin transport mediated by PIN, ABCB, and AUX1 transporters

Polar auxin movement is a primary regulator of programmed and plastic plant development. Auxin transport is highly regulated at the cellular level and is mediated by coordinated transport activity of plasma membrane-localized PIN, ABCB, and AUX1/LAX transporters. The activity of these transporters has been extensively analyzed using a combination of pharmacological inhibitors, synthetic auxins, and knock-out mutants in Arabidopsis. However, efforts to analyze auxin-dependent growth in other species that are less tractable to genetic manipulation require more selective inhibitors than are currently available. In this report, we characterize the inhibitory activity of 5-alkoxy derivatives of indole 3-acetic acid and 7-alkoxy derivatives of naphthalene 1-acetic acid, finding that the hexyloxy and benzyloxy derivatives act as potent inhibitors of auxin action in plants. These alkoxy-auxin analogs inhibit polar auxin transport and tropic responses associated with asymmetric auxin distribution in Arabidopsis and maize. The alkoxy-auxin analogs inhibit auxin transport mediated by AUX1, PIN, and ABCB proteins expressed in yeast. However, these analogs did not inhibit or activate SCF(TIR1) auxin signaling and had no effect on the subcellular trafficking of PIN proteins. Together these results indicate that alkoxy-auxins are inactive auxin analogs for auxin signaling, but are recognized by PIN, ABCB, and AUX1 auxin transport proteins. Alkoxy-auxins are powerful new tools for analyses of auxin-dependent development.     

ATP-binding cassette B4, an auxin-efflux transporter, stably associates with the plasma membrane and shows distinctive intracellular trafficking from that of PIN-FORMED proteins

Intracellular trafficking of auxin transporters has been implicated in diverse developmental processes in plants. Although the dynamic trafficking pathways of PIN-FORMED auxin efflux proteins have been studied intensively, the trafficking of ATP-binding cassette protein subfamily B proteins (ABCBs; another group of auxin efflux carriers) still remains largely uncharacterized. In this study, we address the intracellular trafficking of ABCB4 in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) root epidermal cells. Pharmacological analysis showed that ABCB4 barely recycled between the plasma membrane and endosomes, although it slowly endocytosed via the lytic vacuolar pathway. Fluorescence recovery after photobleaching analysis revealed that ABCB4 is strongly retained in the plasma membrane, further supporting ABCB4's nonrecycling property. The endocytosis of ABCB4 was not dependent on the GNOM-LIKE1 function, and the sensitivity of ABCB4 to brefeldin A required guanine nucleotide exchange factors for adenosyl ribosylation factor other than GNOM. These characteristics of intracellular trafficking of ABCB4 are well contrasted with those of PIN-FORMED proteins, suggesting that ABCB4 may be a basic and constitutive auxin efflux transporter for cellular auxin homeostasis.     

植物ABCB亚家族生物学功能研究进展

ABC转运蛋白超家族结构和功能复杂多样, 包含ABCA-ABCH八个亚家族。ABCB是ABC转运蛋白的一个亚家族, 多数定位于质膜, 少数定位于线粒体膜或叶绿体膜。ABCB与其它生长素转运蛋白(AUX1/LAX、PIN)共同参与调控植物生长素的极性运输, 在植物生长发育的各个阶段发挥作用。此外, ABCB转运蛋白还调控植物的向性运动和重金属抗性等过程。近年来, 随着越来越多植物全基因组测序的完成, ABCB亚家族在禾谷类单子叶植物水稻(Oryza sativa)、玉米(Zea mays)和高粱(Sorghum bicolor)中的生物学功能开始有少量报道, 然而多数ABCB转运蛋白的功能尚未得到阐释。该文对拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)和禾谷类作物ABCB转运蛋白的研究进展进行综述, 以期为全面揭示ABCB亚家族生物学功能提供线索。     

植物ABCB亚家族生物学功能研究进展

ABC转运蛋白超家族结构和功能复杂多样, 包含ABCA-ABCH八个亚家族。ABCB是ABC转运蛋白的一个亚家族, 多数定位于质膜, 少数定位于线粒体膜或叶绿体膜。ABCB与其它生长素转运蛋白(AUX1/LAX、PIN)共同参与调控植物生长素的极性运输, 在植物生长发育的各个阶段发挥作用。此外, ABCB转运蛋白还调控植物的向性运动和重金属抗性等过程。近年来, 随着越来越多植物全基因组测序的完成, ABCB亚家族在禾谷类单子叶植物水稻(Oryza sativa)、玉米(Zea mays)和高粱(Sorghum bicolor)中的生物学功能开始有少量报道, 然而多数ABCB转运蛋白的功能尚未得到阐释。该文对拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)和禾谷类作物ABCB转运蛋白的研究进展进行综述, 以期为全面揭示ABCB亚家族生物学功能提供线索。     

A role for ABCB19‐mediated polar auxin transport in seedling photomorphogenesis mediated by cryptochrome 1 and phytochrome B

During seedling establishment, blue and red light suppress hypocotyl growth through the cryptochrome 1 (cry1) and phytochrome B (phyB) photosensory pathways, respectively. How these photosensory pathways integrate with growth control mechanisms to achieve the appropriate degree of stem elongation was investigated by combining cry1 and phyB photoreceptor mutations with genetic manipulations of a multidrug resistance‐like membrane protein known as ABCB19 that influenced auxin distribution within the plant, as evidenced by a combination of reporter gene assays and direct auxin measurements. Auxin signaling and ABCB19 protein levels, hypocotyl growth rates, and apical hook opening were measured in mutant and wild‐type seedlings exposed to a range of red and blue light conditions. Ectopic/overexpression of ABCB19 (B19OE) greatly increased auxin in the hypocotyl, which reduced the sensitivity of hypocotyl growth specifically to blue light in long‐term assays and red light in high‐resolution, short‐term assays. Loss of ABCB19 partially suppressed the cry1 hypocotyl growth phenotype in blue light. Hypocotyl growth of B19OE seedlings in red light was very similar to phyB mutants. Altered auxin distribution in B19OE seedlings also affected the opening of the apical hook. The cry1 and phyB photoreceptor mutations both increased ABCB19 protein levels at the plasma membrane, as measured by confocal microscopy. The B19OE plant proved to be a useful tool for determining aspects of the mechanism by which light, acting through cry1 or phyB, influences the auxin transport process to control hypocotyl growth during de‐etiolation.     

Molecular players of auxin transport systems: advances in genomic and molecular events*

Phytohormone auxin plays an indispensable role in the plethora of plant developmental process starting from the cell division, and cell elongation to morphogenesis. Auxins are transported to different parts of the plant by different sophisticated transporter molecules known as ‘auxin transporters’.There are four auxin transporter families that have been reported so far in the plant kingdom which includes AUX/LAX (AUXIN-RESISTANT1–LIKES), PIN (PIN-FORMED, auxin efflux carriers), ABCB ((ATP-binding cassette-B (ABCB)/P-glycoprotein (PGP)) and PILS (PIN-Likes). Auxin influx and efflux carriers are distributed in a polar fashion in the plasma membrane whereas ABCB and PILS are present in a non-polar fashion. Other than AUX/LAX, other auxin transporters harbor N-and C-terminal conserved domains along with a variable hydrophilic loop in the transmembrane domain. The AUX/LAX, ABCB and PIN transporters mediate long distance auxin transport whereas PILS and PIN5 protein involved in intracellular auxin homeostasis.     

Functional expression and characterization of Arabidopsis ABCB,AUX 1 and PIN auxin transporters in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Heterologous expression systems based on tobacco BY‐2 cells, Arabidopsis cell cultures, Xenopus oocytes, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and human HeLa cells have been used to express and characterize PIN, ABCB (PGP), and AUX/LAX auxin transporters from Arabidopsis. However, no single system has been identified that can be used for effective comparative analyses of these proteins. We have developed an accessible Schizosaccharomyces pombe system for comparative studies of plant transport proteins. The system includes knockout mutants in all ABC and putative auxin transport genes and Gateway^®‐compatible expression vectors for functional analysis and subcellular localization of recombinant proteins. We expressed Arabidopsis ABCB1 and ABCB19 in mam1pdr1 host lines under the inducible nmt41 promoter. ABCB19 showed a higher ³H‐IAA export activity than ABCB1. Arabidopsis PIN proteins were expressed in a mutant lacking the auxin effluxer like 1 (AEL1) gene. PIN1 showed higher activity than PIN2 with similar protein expression levels. Expression of AUX1 in a permease‐deficient vat3 mutant resulted in increased net auxin uptake activity. Finally, ABCB4 expressed in mam1pdr1 displayed a concentration‐dependent reversal of ³H‐IAA transport that is consistent with its observed activity in planta. Structural modelling suggests that ABCB4 has three substrate interaction sites rather than the two found in ABCB19, thus providing a rationale for the observed substrate activation. Taken together, these results suggest that the S. pombe system described here can be employed for comparative analyses and subsequent structural characterizations of plant transport proteins.     

Block of ATP-Binding Cassette B19 Ion Channel Activity by 5-Nitro-2-(3-Phenylpropylamino)-Benzoic Acid Impairs Polar Auxin Transport and Root Gravitropism

Polar transport of the hormone auxin through tissues and organs depends on membrane proteins, including some B-subgroup members of the ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporter family. The messenger RNA level of at least one B-subgroup ABCB gene in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), ABCB19, increases upon treatment with the anion channel blocker 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB), possibly to compensate for an inhibitory effect of the drug on ABCB19 activity. Consistent with this hypothesis, NPPB blocked ion channel activity associated with ABCB19 expressed in human embryonic kidney cells as measured by patch-clamp electrophysiology. NPPB inhibited polar auxin transport through Arabidopsis seedling roots similarly to abcb19 mutations. NPPB also inhibited shootward auxin transport, which depends on the related ABCB4 protein. NPPB substantially decreased ABCB4 and ABCB19 protein levels when cycloheximide concomitantly inhibited new protein synthesis, indicating that blockage by NPPB enhances the degradation of ABCB transporters. Impairing the principal auxin transport streams in roots with NPPB caused aberrant patterns of auxin signaling reporters in root apices. Formation of the auxin-signaling gradient across the tips of gravity-stimulated roots, and its developmental consequence (gravitropism), were inhibited by micromolar concentrations of NPPB that did not affect growth rate. These results identify ion channel activity of ABCB19 that is blocked by NPPB, a compound that can now be considered an inhibitor of polar auxin transport with a defined molecular target.The directed flow of auxin from cell to cell, through tissues and organs, from sites of synthesis to sites of action underlies the coordination of many processes during plant growth and development. Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) PIN-FORMED (PIN) genes were the first found to be necessary for the phenomenon known as polar auxin transport (Okada et al., 1991; Chen et al., 1998; Gälweiler et al., 1998). Asymmetric localization of PIN proteins to the downstream ends of each cell in auxin-transporting tissues was correctly suggested to be a molecular component of the efflux mechanisms (Gälweiler et al., 1998) originally hypothesized as necessary for a directionally biased, or polar movement of auxin through tissues (Rubery and Sheldrake, 1974; Raven, 1975; Goldsmith, 1977; Goldsmith et al., 1981). Other members of the eight-gene PIN family in Arabidopsis were subsequently shown to affect auxin distribution in various tissues and stages of development (Křeček et al., 2009).Shortly after the breakthrough work on PIN1, members of the B subfamily of ATP-binding cassette (ABCB) transporters were discovered to be equally necessary for the phenomenon of polar auxin transport. They were originally called P-GLYCOPROTEIN1 (Dudler and Hertig, 1992; Sidler et al., 1998) and MULTIDRUG RESISTANCE1 (Noh et al., 2001) and ultimately renamed AtABCB1 and AtABCB19, respectively (Verrier et al., 2008). The connection between ABCB transporters and auxin transport was first made through the analysis of Arabidopsis knockout mutants. Polar auxin flow through abcb19 mutant stems is impaired by approximately 80% compared with the wild type and further reduced in abcb1 abcb19 double mutants (Noh et al., 2001). Resultant effects on development include abnormal hypocotyl tropisms (Noh et al., 2003) and the photomorphogenic control of hypocotyl elongation (Wu et al., 2010). Import of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) to cotyledons through the petiole is reduced by 50% in abcb19 mutants, and this is correlated with an equivalent reduction in cotyledon blade expansion (Lewis et al., 2009). In roots, loss of ABCB19 greatly impairs auxin flow toward the tip without any detectable effect on shootward flow (Lewis et al., 2007). Surprisingly, the only defect detected in abcb19 primary roots associated with this major disruption of auxin transport is greater meandering of the tip during elongation down a vertical agar surface; gravitropism is unaffected (Lewis et al., 2007). Outgrowth of lateral roots, although not their initiation, depends significantly on ABCB19-mediated tipward auxin transport (Wu et al., 2007). The emergence of adventitious roots at the base of hypocotyls from which roots have been excised from Arabidopsis seedlings depends strongly on ABCB19-mediated auxin accumulation at the sites of primordium initiation (Sukumar et al., 2013).The ABCB19 protein is present predominantly in the central cylinder and cortex of the root, consistent with its role in rootward auxin transport (Lewis et al., 2007; Mravec et al., 2008), whereas the closely related ABCB4 is restricted to the lateral root cap and epidermis (Cho et al., 2007), where it functions in shootward auxin transport (Lewis et al., 2007). Loss of ABCB4 function alters the timing and spatial pattern of gravitropic curvature development, apparently because the gravity-induced auxin gradient across the root is less rapidly dissipated by normal shootward (basipetal) transport of the hormone through the elongation zone (Lewis et al., 2007). Root hairs are significantly longer in abcb4 mutants, a phenotype attributed to auxin accumulation due to impaired efflux (Cho et al., 2007). ABCB4 is reported to conduct auxin influx or efflux, depending on the prevailing external auxin concentration (Kubeš et al., 2012).Noh et al. (2001) originally isolated ABCB19 in a molecular screen for genes encoding an ion channel activity in Arabidopsis cells shown by patch-clamp electrophysiology to be blocked by 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB). The rationale for the screen was that a plant challenged with a channel blocker would overexpress the gene encoding the blocked activity. A hypothesis emerging from the Noh et al. (2001) study is that ABCB19 encodes such an ion channel, which is required for polar auxin transport. If true, NPPB would be established as a blocker of polar auxin transport.Pharmacological inhibitors, used for decades in auxin transport research, have some advantages over mutations. Mutations can create complicating pleiotropic effects by inhibiting the process throughout development, while inhibitors can be used to impose an effect at a specific time. 1-Naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) is the most commonly used inhibitor of polar auxin transport (Katekar and Geissler, 1980), but others are being discovered (Rojas-Pierce et al., 2007; Kim et al., 2010; Tsuda et al., 2011). Inhibitors are especially useful when their targets are well defined, which would be the case if NPPB blocked ABCB19 and induced its expression as hypothesized. The experiments reported here were designed to test this hypothesis with electrophysiological measurements of ABCB19 transport activity, radiotracer measurements of polar auxin transport in roots, levels of fluorescently tagged ABCB19 proteins, auxin reporter expression patterns, and machine-vision measurements of a root growth response that depends on auxin redistribution.     

Post-transcriptional regulation of auxin transport proteins: cellular trafficking, protein phosphorylation, protein maturation, ubiquitination, and membrane composition

Auxin concentration gradients, established by polar transport of auxin, are essential for the establishment and maintenance of polar growth and morphological patterning. Three families of cellular transport proteins, PIN-formed (PIN), P-glycoprotein (ABCB/PGP), and AUXIN RESISTANT 1/LIKE AUX1 (AUX1/LAX), can independently and co-ordinately transport auxin in plants. Regulation of these proteins involves intricate and co-ordinated cellular processes, including protein-protein interactions, vesicular trafficking, protein phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and stabilization of the transporter complexes on the plasma membrane.