Cycling of auxin-binding protein through the plant cell: pathways in auxin signal transduction

Abstract

The auxin receptor literature contains a glaring discrepancy that invites explanation. While some physiological experiments suggest that active auxin receptors are sited inside the cell, others point to action at the cell surface. Furthermore, although the major auxin-binding protein (ABP) of maize (Zea mays) coleoptiles is found in the lumen of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), exogenous ABP can mediate auxin-dependent changes in the plasma membrane potential of protoplasts. How can an ER protein mediate changes in cell potential? To resolve this dilemma, I propose that ABP cycles through the cell. In response to auxin, ABP is released from the ER and follows a secretory pathway to the cell surface. After secretion, ABP would bind sites on the cell surface and become subject to endocytosis, cycling back to the ER. Elevated auxin would accelerate the cycling of ABP between the ER and the cell surface. If cell wall precursors interacted with ABP during their progression through the secretory pathway, this would provide a mechanism for regulating cell wall synthesis. At the cell surface ABP would regulate an enzyme responsible for maintaining membrane potential. Both of these responses are components of auxin-regulated growth. This hypothesis does not exclude other mechanisms of signal transduction, particularly in gene regulation.