Identification of mebendazole as an ethylene signaling activator reveals a role of ethylene signaling in the regulation of lateral root angles

Wenrong He; Hai An Truong; Ling Zhang; Min Cao; Neal Arakawa; Yao Xiao; Kaizhen Zhong; Yingnan Hou; Wolfgang Busch

Identification of mebendazole as an ethylene signaling activator reveals a role of ethylene signaling in the regulation of lateral root angles

2024

Summary: The lateral root angle or gravitropic set-point angle (GSA) is an important trait for root system architecture (RSA) that determines the radial expansion of the root system. The GSA therefore plays a crucial role for the ability of plants to access nutrients and water in the soil. Only a few regulatory pathways and mechanisms that determine GSA are known. These mostly relate to auxin and cytokinin pathways. Here, we report the identification of a small molecule, mebendazole (MBZ), that modulates GSA in Arabidopsis thaliana roots and acts via the activation of ethylene signaling. MBZ directly acts on the serine/threonine protein kinase CTR1, which is a negative regulator of ethylene signaling. Our study not only shows that the ethylene signaling pathway is essential for GSA regulation but also identifies a small molecular modulator of RSA that acts downstream of ethylene receptors and that directly activates ethylene signaling.

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