The Leucine-Repeat Rich Receptor-Like Kinases XIP1/CEPR1 and CEPR2 Control Lateral Root Initiation and Elongation in Arabidopsis

Roots serve both to anchor plants in the soil, and to help plants acquire water and nutrients. Plants have to optimize the growth of their root system, as roots cost energy to expand and maintain. This is accomplished through short and long distance signaling pathways that connect environmental conditions of the roots and available energy in shoots. XIP1/CEPR1 and CEPR2 are two Leucine-Rich Repeat Receptor-Like Kinase that are important for root growth responses to differing nitrogen levels in the environment. While previous results implicated these two receptors in signaling from roots to shoots, here I have shown that they are part of a short-range pathway within roots that controls lateral root initiation. Furthermore, through the use of genetic tests I have connected a group of physically-interacting proteins to XIP1/CEPR1 and CEPR2-related phenotypes. I have shown that these receptors and interacting proteins play roles in controlling early growth, flowering time, silique maturation, and lateral root initiation, emergence and elongation.