Using a Chemical Genetics Approach to Characterize the Auxin Signaling Pathway in Arabidopsis thaliana

Auxins are plant hormones involved in cell elongation, phototropism, and root development. Chemical genetics combines combinatorial synthetic chemistry, high-throughput screening, and genetic analysis to understand signaling pathways by identifying small molecules that inhibit its output. Previous work identified two small molecules, furylacrylic acid and Compound C, that attenuate auxin responses. I have determined the effect derivatives of these molecules have on auxin-induced reporter gene expression, seed germination, root elongation, and activity of the SCFTIR1-Aux/IAA auxin receptor. Collectively, these data establish the specificity and the minimal components of the biologically active molecules. Future experiments will focus on confirming putative cellular targets of these molecules