To confirm that the systemic auxin signal indeed integrates environment information into lateral rooting, we quantitatively lowered the HT-induced recovery of the systemic auxin signal, using medium light conditions. Accordingly, we grew pDR5::Luc seedlings at 21°C and ML and transferred 5-day-old seedlings to HT and ML conditions. Similar to seedlings at HL (Fig. 3), HT also increased the auxin signalling output at the focal oscillatory zone (Fig. 4a,b), correlating with initially enhanced PBS priming at ML conditions when compared to the control (Fig. 4c). Similar to the HL condition, the formed PBS showed transient auxin signals, being reflected by a strong, systemic disruption of auxin signalling in the mature root.
The HT also induced a temporal decline (Fig. 4d,e and Supplementary Fig. 9) and systemic recovery of auxin signalling in ML conditions, but, importantly, the recovery of the systemic signal was as anticipated quantitatively reduced (Fig. 4h) when compared to HL conditions. Notably, the systemic auxin recovery was also temporarily delayed, occurring around 100 hours after the transfer (Fig. 4f,g and Supplementary Fig. 10). In agreement with our assumptions, ML-dependent reduction in systemic auxin signal also reduced the recovery of auxin-reliant PBS (Fig. 4i) when compared to HL conditions. This set of data confirms that light-dependent, systemic oscillatory auxin signalling defines the transient or persistent nature of PBS. Moreover, our data suggests that light quantity gates the negative impact of HT on PBS progression.
We next tested whether the proposed light-dependent gating of ambient temperature indeed defines root system architecture. In contrast to the limiting effect of HT on LR density under HL conditions (Fig. 3), HT induced a strong reduction in the density under ML conditions (Fig. 4j,k), confirming that light quantity indeed contextualizes the integration of ambient temperature into root system architecture.
Next, we tested if this gating mechanism defines not only PBS identity but also blocks the LRP development. Whereas the LR density was decreased in these conditions, it did not increase the number of non-emerged lateral roots but showed a quantitively similar amount of LRP when compared to the control condition (Supplementary Fig. 11). This finding suggests that light-gated HT response does not primarily block LRP progression but impacts on PBS identity. In agreement with its impediment in systemic auxin signalling, we observed that the HT-dependent inhibition of lateral rooting was further enhanced under LL conditions (Supplementary Fig. 12). This set of data indicates that systemic oscillation of auxin integrates environmental signals, such as light and temperature, into the temporal control of PBS, contributing significantly to the root system architecture. We hence propose that the effect of high ambient temperature on lateral rooting is conditional, which can explain the seemingly conflicting literature on high temperature and its impact on lateral rooting6,7,8,9,10,11,12.
Besides its impact on lateral rooting, high temperature also enhances main root growth in an auxin-dependent manner13,14,15. It has been proposed that the priming of lateral roots may depend on the interplay of auxin and main root growth dynamics16,17. Therefore, we next aimed to address whether HT-induced main root growth is linked to lateral rooting under our conditions. HT induced main root growth in HL, but this effect was abolished in ML conditions, which is conversely to its impact on lateral rooting (Supplementary Fig. 13a,b). These findings indicate that HT affects lateral rooting and main root growth via distinct mechanisms.
Next, we used light exposure of the root or shoot only to dissect where the light signal that modulates lateral rooting is perceived. We found that light exposure of the shoot is not only essential for lateral root development but also sufficient to gate the temperature-dependent lateral rooting (Supplementary Fig. 14a-f). Hence, we assume that light perception in the shoot contributes to the auxin-reliant lateral rooting mechanism. Subsequently, we investigated the genetic mechanism of light-gated HT-dependent repression of lateral rooting. Mutations in the phytochrome B (phyB) red and far-red light photoreceptor caused hypersensitivity to HT-induced repression of lateral rooting at ML conditions when quantitatively compared to the wild-type (Supplementary Fig. 15a-c). In addition to functioning as a light sensor, PHYB also acts as a thermosensor18. However, the increased hypersensitivity to HT-induced repression of lateral rooting observed in the phyB-9 mutant suggests that PHYB does not function as the thermosensor in this process (Supplementary Fig. 15a-c). Moreover, we detected a similar hypersensitivity to HT at ML condition in mutants of the blue light receptor cryptochrome 1 (CRY1) (Supplementary Fig. 15a-c). Notably, triple mutants of phyBcry1cry2 not only enhanced hypersensitivity to HT-induced repression of lateral rooting at ML conditions compared to single mutants of phyB-9 and cry1-304 (Supplementary Fig. 15a-c), but also caused sensitivity to HT at HL conditions when compared to the wild-type, which was not observed in the single mutant of phyB-9 and cry1-304 (Fig. 4l-n). In contrast, the genetic interference with phytochrome A (phyA) or phototropins (PHOTs) had no major impact on the high-temperature-induced repression of lateral root development (Supplementary Fig. 16a-e). We accordingly conclude that PHYB and CRY1 jointly mediate the light-gated integration of ambient temperature into the root system architecture.
PHYB and CRY1 both mediate light signals by regulating PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTORS (PIFs) and ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5) module, which is also known to integrate light quality during the shade avoidance response into the rate of lateral rooting19,20,21. However, neither the quadruple mutant pif1,3,4,5 (pifQ), nor hy5-215 mutant was distinguishable from the wild type in regards to HT-dependent lateral rooting under ML condition (Supplementary Fig. 16a and f-i). This suggests a molecularly distinct mechanism for the integration of light quality during shade avoidance and the light quantity-dependent gating of HT into lateral rooting.
Mechanistically, we reveal that the perception of light quantity in the shoot defines the strength of a systemic oscillatory auxin signal in the main root, thereby defining the auxin-dependent identity of lateral root PBS. The light-dependent, systemic auxin dynamics also gate HT-dependent control of PBS progression to lateral roots, suggesting a general mechanism for environmental signal integration. Conceptually, our work illustrates that two oscillatory systems define LR spacing. While a local auxin oscillation zone (root clock) regulates the regular priming of PBS during main root growth, the systemic oscillatory auxin signal along the main root integrates environmental information, such as light and temperature, to control the PBS identity in time and eventually its progression to become lateral roots. This framework reveals how plants mechanistically use two oscillatory signals of the same regulator to combine robustness and plasticity into de novo organogenesis.