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Peer-reviewedCC BYPlant Communications

Cytokinin-activated DIRIGENT13 promotes lignan synthesis to regulate root growth and abiotic stress tolerance by modulating ROS homeostasis in Arabidopsis

  • Alesia Melnikava1
  • François Perreau2
  • Candelas Paniagua3
  • Sy‐Chyi Cheng4
  • Li-Min Huang4
  • Blanka Pekárová1
  • Kenneth Wayne Berendzen5
  • Virtudes Mira‐Rodado5
  • Matteo Citterico6
  • Anna Tvrdoňová7
  • Elena V. Ubogoeva8
  • Vladislav A. Dolgikh8
8 more authors
  • Elena V. Zemlyanskaya8
  • Eric Daniel Głowacki7
  • Michael Wrzaczek9
  • Klaus Harter5
  • Yuliang Yang4
  • Grégory Mouille2
  • Dominique Arnaud3
  • Jan Hejátko10
10 affiliations
  1. 1CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
  2. 2Université Paris-Saclay, INRAE, AgroParisTech, Institut Jean-Pierre Bourgin (IJPB), 78000 Versailles, France
  3. 3CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
  4. 4Agricultural Biotechnology Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, China; Biotechnology Center in Southern Taiwan, Academia Sinica, Tainan, Taiwan, China
  5. 5Center for Plant Molecular Biology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany; Cluster of Excellence GreenRobust, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
  6. 6Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
  7. 7CEITEC Brno University of Technology, Brno, Czech Republic
  8. 8Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk, Russia; Novosibirsk State University, Novosibirsk, Russia
  9. 9Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, 37005 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
  10. 10CEITEC - Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic; National Centre for Biomolecular Research, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic. Electronic address: [email protected]
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Abstract

Dirigent (DIR) proteins determine the regio- and stereoselectivity of phenoxy radical coupling between monolignols during (neo)lignan synthesis. However, the role of DIR proteins and lignans in plant development and stress responses remains to be clarified. Here, we show that ArabidopsisDIRIGENT13 (DIR13) is a direct target of cytokinin signaling and that its expression is strongly induced through direct binding of the cytokinin-responsive transcription factors ARR1, ARR10, and ARR12 to the DIR13 promoter. DIR13 is localized in the root endodermis and at the margins of lateral root primordia and emerging lateral roots. Although dispensable for Casparian strip formation, DIR13 promotes both primary and lateral root growth. Untargeted metabolomics and imaging mass spectrometry analyses revealed that DIR13 promotes (neo)lignan synthesis in primary and lateral roots. DIR13 attenuates the inhibitory effects of salt stress on germination and root growth. Moreover, DIR13 promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under both control and salt-stress conditions. Cytokinin further enhances salt-induced ROS production, probably through the synergistic activation of DIR13 transcription by salt and cytokinin. Our results suggest that lignans affect root growth, likely by modulating ROS homeostasis through their ROS-scavenging activity. Overall, we reveal a role for DIR13-produced lignans in ROS-regulated abiotic stress tolerance and the control of root architecture.

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Cite

BibTeXRIS
BibTeX
@article{melnikava2026cytokininactivated,
  title = {{Cytokinin-activated DIRIGENT13 promotes lignan synthesis to regulate root growth and abiotic stress tolerance by modulating ROS homeostasis in Arabidopsis}},
  author = {Alesia Melnikava and François Perreau and Candelas Paniagua and Sy‐Chyi Cheng and Li-Min Huang and Blanka Pekárová and Kenneth Wayne Berendzen and Virtudes Mira‐Rodado and Matteo Citterico and Anna Tvrdoňová and Elena V. Ubogoeva and Vladislav A. Dolgikh and Elena V. Zemlyanskaya and Eric Daniel Głowacki and Michael Wrzaczek and Klaus Harter and Yuliang Yang and Grégory Mouille and Dominique Arnaud and Jan Hejátko},
  journal = {Plant Communications},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101972},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101972},
  note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Cytokinin-activated DIRIGENT13 promotes lignan synthesis to regulate root growth and abiotic stress tolerance by modulating ROS homeostasis in Arabidopsis
AU  - Alesia Melnikava
AU  - François Perreau
AU  - Candelas Paniagua
AU  - Sy‐Chyi Cheng
AU  - Li-Min Huang
AU  - Blanka Pekárová
AU  - Kenneth Wayne Berendzen
AU  - Virtudes Mira‐Rodado
AU  - Matteo Citterico
AU  - Anna Tvrdoňová
AU  - Elena V. Ubogoeva
AU  - Vladislav A. Dolgikh
AU  - Elena V. Zemlyanskaya
AU  - Eric Daniel Głowacki
AU  - Michael Wrzaczek
AU  - Klaus Harter
AU  - Yuliang Yang
AU  - Grégory Mouille
AU  - Dominique Arnaud
AU  - Jan Hejátko
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/01
JO  - Plant Communications
DO  - 10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101972
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xplc.2026.101972
AB  - Dirigent (DIR) proteins determine the regio- and stereoselectivity of phenoxy radical coupling between monolignols during (neo)lignan synthesis. However, the role of DIR proteins and lignans in plant development and stress responses remains to be clarified. Here, we show that ArabidopsisDIRIGENT13 (DIR13) is a direct target of cytokinin signaling and that its expression is strongly induced through direct binding of the cytokinin-responsive transcription factors ARR1, ARR10, and ARR12 to the DIR13 promoter. DIR13 is localized in the root endodermis and at the margins of lateral root primordia and emerging lateral roots. Although dispensable for Casparian strip formation, DIR13 promotes both primary and lateral root growth. Untargeted metabolomics and imaging mass spectrometry analyses revealed that DIR13 promotes (neo)lignan synthesis in primary and lateral roots. DIR13 attenuates the inhibitory effects of salt stress on germination and root growth. Moreover, DIR13 promotes reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation under both control and salt-stress conditions. Cytokinin further enhances salt-induced ROS production, probably through the synergistic activation of DIR13 transcription by salt and cytokinin. Our results suggest that lignans affect root growth, likely by modulating ROS homeostasis through their ROS-scavenging activity. Overall, we reveal a role for DIR13-produced lignans in ROS-regulated abiotic stress tolerance and the control of root architecture.
SN  - 2590-3462
ER  -