Systems approaches reveal that ABCB and PIN proteins mediate co-dependent auxin efflux (Plant Cell)

In plant development, advanced computer model simulations allow the understanding of the non-intuitive relations between local morphogenetic processes and global patterning. In Arabidopsis thaliana, the hormone auxin is involved in several processes of plant development. Auxin transporters play an important role in its distribution within plant tissue. The PIN-formed (PIN) and B sub-family of membrane-bound ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters  (ABCB) are involved in local and global auxin distribution. In this study, Mellor et al. investigated the ABCB-PIN regulatory interaction in the Arabidopsis thaliana root. They used a computational model to set up five scenarios based on the ABCB-PIN function and expression pattern. In addition, they tested the distribution of DII-VENUS auxin reporter with the abcb single and double mutants. They found that the auxin distribution at the tip of the root is perturbed in abcb double mutants compared to the single mutants.  They suggest that ABCBs are able to act independently of PIN. This study provides an overview of how the auxin patterns are affected by the interaction of PIN and ABCB proteins. (Summary by Andrea Gómez Felipe @andreagomezfe) Plant Cell 10.1093/plcell/koac086.