Cell wall integrity modulates HOOKLESS1 and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR4 expression controlling apical hook formation

Formation of the apical hook in etiolated dicot seedlings results from differential growth in the hypocotyl apex and is tightly controlled by environmental cues and hormones, among which auxin and gibberellins (GAs) play an important role. Cell expansion is tightly regulated by the cell wall, but whether and how feedback from this structure contributes to hook development is still unclear. Here, we show that etiolated seedlings of the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) quasimodo2-1 (qua2) mutant, defective in pectin biosynthesis, display severe defects in apical hook formation and maintenance, accompanied by loss of asymmetric auxin maxima and of differential cell expansion. Moreover, qua2 seedlings show reduced expression of HOOKLESS 1 (HLS1) and PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4), which are positive regulators of hook formation. Treatment of wild-type seedlings with the cellulose inhibitor isoxaben (isx) also prevents hook development and represses HLS1 and PIF4 expression. Exogenous GAs, loss of DELLA proteins or HLS1 overexpression partially restore hook development in qua2 and isx-treated seedlings. Interestingly, increased agar concentration in the medium restores, both in qua2 and isx-treated seedlings, hook formation, asymmetric auxin maxima and PIF4 and HLS1 expression. Analysis of plants expressing a FRET-based GA sensor indicate that isx reduces accumulation of GAs in the apical hook region in a turgor-dependent manner. Lack of the cell wall integrity sensor THESEUS 1, which modulates turgor loss point, restores hook formation in qua2 and isx-treated seedlings. We propose that turgor-dependent signals link changes in cell wall integrity to the PIF4-HLS1 signalling module to control differential cell elongation during hook formation.