A plant lipocalin promotes retinal-mediated oscillatory lateral root initiation

Abstract

Building a wider root network As roots grow through the soil, lateral branches develop to broaden the reach toward water and nutrients. Just where on the main root these lateral roots will develop is organized by an oscillatory root clock. Dickinson et al . have now identified an initiating signal in the form of the signaling molecule retinal. Oscillatory expression of a retinal-binding protein, a temperature-sensitive lipocalin, defines sites where retinal signals can initiate growth. —PJH