Auxin Response Factor Proteolysis

Plant development is widely orchestrated by the signaling molecule auxin. Auxin controls development by influencing the activity of genes, mainly though a group of proteins called “Auxin Response Factors”. When studying these molecules, more specifically their dynamic presence and quantities in plant cells, we discovered that specific groups of Auxin Response Factors are destroyed by the cell in a tightly regulated manner. We studied molecular mechanisms driving this process, with great success. By exposing important mechanistic details, we could then study the evolution and relevance of this process. By doing so, we discovered that regulated Auxin Response Factor degradation evolved hundreds of millions of years ago and is crucially important for plant development.