Regulation of Shoot and Root Development through Mutual Signaling

Plants adjust their development in relation to the availability of nutrient sources. This necessitates signaling between root and shoot. Aside from the well-known systemic signaling processes mediated by auxin, cytokinin, and sugars, new pathways involving carotenoid-derived hormones have recently been identified. The auxin-responsive MAX pathway controls shoot branching through the biosynthesis of strigolactone in the roots. The BYPASS1 gene affects the production of an as-yet unknown carotenoid-derived substance in roots that promotes shoot development. Novel local and systemic mechanisms that control adaptive root development in response to nitrogen and phosphorus starvation were recently discovered. Notably, the ability of the NITRATE TRANSPORTER 1.1 to transport auxin drew for the first time a functional link between auxin, root development, and nitrate availability in soil. The study of plant response to phosphorus starvation allowed the identification of a systemic mobile miRNA. Deciphering and integrating these signaling pathways at the whole-plant level provide a new perspective for understanding how plants regulate their development in response to environmental cues.