A FERONIA–MPK3/6–WRKY3/4 module links auxin signaling to lateral root development in Arabidopsis

Weiwei Ren; Hongxia Zheng; Yueyue Li; Gaojian Li; Lili Zhang; Zhen Wu; Meihong Sun; Yuhong Zhang; Shaojun Dai

doi:10.1016/j.jgg.2026.03.017

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A FERONIA–MPK3/6–WRKY3/4 module links auxin signaling to lateral root development in Arabidopsis

doi: 10.1016/j.jgg.2026.03.017

a. Key Laboratory of Forest Plant Ecology, Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150040, China;
b. Development Center of Plant Germplasm Resources, College of Life Sciences, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai 200234, China;
c. Key Laboratory of Saline-alkali Vegetation Ecology Restoration, Ministry of Education, College of Life Sciences, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, Heilongjiang 150040, China

Funds:

We thank Prof. Xiangzong Meng (Shanghai Normal University) for providing the wrky3 wrky4 double mutant seeds. This study was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 32441006 and 32503276) and the Fund of Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Plant Germplasm Resources, China (grant number 17DZ2252700).

Received Date: 2025-10-23
Accepted Date: 2026-03-20
Rev Recd Date: 2026-03-19

Available Online: 2026-03-27

Abstract

Abstract

The phytohormone auxin orchestrates root development through intricate signaling networks. In the non-canonical auxin pathway, both the transmembrane kinase (TMK)-mediated signaling and the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade are shown to be involved in the auxin-regulated lateral root (LR) formation. However, the role and mechanism of the receptor-like kinase FERONIA (FER) in this process remain unclear. Here, quantitative proteomic and phosphoproteomic analyses of Arabidopsis roots identify FER, MPK3/6, and WRKY3/4 as auxin-responsive components. Further analyses reveal that FER functions as a negative regulator of LR development by modulating cell division patterns within LR primordia. FER interacts with and phosphorylates MPK3/6, which then phosphorylate the transcription factors WRKY3 and WRKY4 to form a repressive module that ultimately suppresses LR organogenesis. Collectively, our findings define a FER–MPK3/6–WRKY3/4 signaling module that negatively regulates LR formation, demonstrating a previously unknown integration of FER-mediated signaling into the MAPK cascade in auxin-triggered organogenesis.
- Auxin,
- Lateral root formation,
- FER,
- MPK3,
- MPK6,
- WRKY3,
- WRKY4

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References(34)

References

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