Comprehensive Transcriptome Analysis of Auxin Responses in Arabidopsis

In plants, the hormone auxin shapes gene expression to regulate growth and development. Despite the detailed characterization of auxin-inducible genes, a comprehensive overview of the temporal and spatial dynamics of auxin-regulated gene expression is lacking. Here, we analyze transcriptome data from many publicly available Arabidopsis profiling experiments and assess tissue-specific gene expression both in response to auxin concentration and exposure time and in relation to other plant growth regulators. Our analysis shows that the primary response to auxin over a wide range of auxin application conditions and in specific tissues comprises almost exclusively the up-regulation of genes and identifies the most robust auxin marker genes. Tissue-specific auxin responses correlate with differential expression of Aux/IAA genes and the subsequent regulation of context- and sequence-specific patterns of gene expression. Changes in transcript levels were consistent with a distinct sequence of conjugation, increased transport capacity and down-regulation of biosynthesis in the temperance of high cellular auxin concentrations. Our data show that auxin regulates genes associated with the biosynthesis, catabolism and signaling pathways of other phytohormones. We present a transcriptional overview of the auxin response. Specific interactions between auxin and other phytohormones are highlighted, particularly the regulation of their metabolism. Our analysis provides a roadmap for auxin-dependent processes that underpins the concept of an ‘auxin code’—a tissue-specific fingerprint of gene expression that initiates specific developmental processes.