Abstract
Indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) is known to be a microbe-derived compound with a similar structure to the phytohormone auxin (indole-3-acetic acid, IAA). Previous studies reported that IPA exhibited auxin-like bioactivities in plants. However, the underlying molecular mechanism is not totally understood. Here, we revealed that IPA modulated lateral root (LR) development via auxin signaling in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Genetic analysis indicated that deficiency of the TIR1/AFB-Aux/IAA-ARF auxin signaling pathway abolished the effects of IPA on regulating LR development. Further biochemical, transcriptomic profiling and cell biological analyses revealed that IPA directly bound to the TIR1/AFB-Aux/IAA coreceptor complex and thus activated downstream gene expression. Therefore, our work revealed that IPA is a potential signaling molecule that modulates plant growth and development by targeting the TIR1/AFB-Aux/IAA-mediated auxin signaling pathway, providing potential insights into root growth regulation in plants.