Deciphering auxin-regulated stomatal development: Novel insights into phytochrome-interacting factors, FOUR LIPS, and SNF1-related kinase interactions.
- 2026-01
- Plant science : an international journal of experimental plant biology 362
- Abdul Wakeel Umar
- Naveed Ahmad
- Hamad Hussain
- Muhammad Zeeshan
- Ming Xu
- PubMed: 41082985
- DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2025.112815
Study Design
- Type
- Review
Stomatal development in Arabidopsis is regulated by a complex hierarchy that combines internal hormonal signals with varying environmental factors. Auxin is implicated in nearly every stage of stomatal development, yet a comprehensive framework that reconciles its diverse genetic, biochemical and physiological effects has been lacking. This review fuses the scattered threads of research into auxin-centered models that connects hormone biosynthesis (YUCCA), polar transport (PIN3/7) and signaling (ARF18/19) to the canonical SPCH-MUTE-FAMA transcriptional cascade and its cell-cycle gatekeepers CDKA;1 and RBR. These core modules are refined by negative regulators FOUR LIPS and MYB88, and how environmental and metabolic information is superimposed through PIF4/5 (light, temperature), SnRK1/2 kinases (carbon status, drought) and abscisic acid. Downstream, MAPK cascades and ERECTA-family receptors impose final patterning constraints, completing a feed-forward network that tunes stomatal density and spacing to environmental demand. By merging these layers, our framework resolves long-standing discrepancies between mutant phenotypes and hormonal assays, and highlights ARF19, SnRK1/2 and ERECTA as strategic targets for engineering water-use efficiency and climate resilience in crops.