Endoplasmic-Reticulum stress controls PIN-LIKES abundance and thereby growth adaptation

Abstract Extreme environmental conditions eventually limit plant growth (1, 2). Here we reveal an unprecedented mechanism that enables multiple external cues to get integrated into auxin-dependent growth programs in Arabidopsis thaliana . Our forward genetics approach on dark grown hypocotyls uncovered that an imbalance in membrane lipids enhances the protein abundance of PIN-LIKES (PILS) (3–5) auxin transport facilitators at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), which thereby limits nuclear auxin signaling and growth rates. We show that this subcellular response relates to ER stress signaling, which directly impacts on PILS protein turnover in a tissue-dependent manner. This mechanism allows PILS proteins to integrate environmental input with phytohormone auxin signaling, contributing to stress-induced growth adaptation in plants.