Bennett and colleagues find that auxin modulates water uptake in Arabidopsis roots by negatively regulating the expression of water channel aquaporins to allow lateral root emergence. The functional importance of aquaporins is supported by a mathematical model that shows delayed lateral root emergence when aquaporin levels are perturbed, as well as by the effects observed after aquaporin overexpression or mutation.
- Benjamin Péret
- Guowei Li
- Malcolm J. Bennett
