Phosphatidylinositol-Specific Phospholipase C2 Functions in Auxin-Modulated Root Development

The study provided evidence that Phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C2 (PLC2) is crucial for auxin-regulated root development in Arabidopsis thaliana. PLC2 mutants showed shorter primary roots, impaired root gravitropism, and inhibited root hair growth, with decreased auxin reporter expression and endogenous indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) content. The altered distribution and cycling of the auxin efflux protein PIN2 in plc2 mutants suggest that PLC2 is important for the polar distribution of PIN2 and thus affects auxin accumulation and signaling. The study's findings, supported by various methods including root hair length measurement, gene expression analyses, and IAA content measurement, with sample sizes of n = 35 for root hair number, n = 140 for root hair length, and at least n = 15 for other analyses, indicate that PLC2 plays a significant role in auxin-related root development processes.