A novel, semi-dominant allele of MONOPTEROS provides insight into leaf initiation and vein pattern formation

Leaf vein pattern is proposed to be specified by directional auxin transport through presumptive vein cells. Activation of auxin response, which induces downstream genes that entrain auxin transport and lead to vascular differentiation, occurs through a set of transcription factors, the auxin response factors. In the absence of auxin, auxin response factors are inactive because they interact with repressor proteins, the Aux/IAA proteins. One member of the auxin response factor protein family, Auxin Response Factor 5/MONOPTEROS (MP), is critical to vein formation as indicated by reduced vein formation in loss-of-function MP alleles. We have identified a semi-dominant, gain-of-function allele of MP, autobahn or mp (abn) , which results in vein proliferation in leaves and cotyledons. mp (abn) is predicted to encode a truncated product that lacks domain IV required for interaction with its Aux/IAA repressor BODENLOS (BDL). We show that the truncated product fails to interact with BDL in yeast two-hybrid assays. Ectopic expression of MP targets including the auxin efflux protein PINFORMED1 (PIN1) further supports the irrepressible nature of mp (abn) . Asymmetric PIN1:GFP cellular localization does not occur within the enlarged PIN1:GFP expression domains, suggesting the asymmetry requires differential auxin response in neighbouring cells. Organ initiation from mp (abn) meristems is altered, consistent with disruption to source/sink relationships within the meristem and possible changes in gene expression. Finally, mp (abn) anthers fail to dehisce and their indehiscence can be relieved by jasmonic acid treatment, suggesting a specific role for MP in late anther development.