Vein patterning by tissue-specific auxin transport.

Unlike in animals, in plants, vein patterning does not rely on direct cell-cell interaction and cell migration; instead, it depends on the transport of the plant hormone auxin, which in turn depends on the activity of the PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1) auxin transporter. The current hypotheses of vein patterning by auxin transport propose that, in the epidermis of the developing leaf, PIN1-mediated auxin transport converges to peaks of auxin level. From those convergence points of epidermal PIN1 polarity, auxin would be transported in the inner tissues where it would give rise to major veins. Here, we have tested predictions of this hypothesis and have found them unsupported: epidermal PIN1 expression is neither required nor sufficient for auxin transport-dependent vein patterning, whereas inner-tissue PIN1 expression turns out to be both required and sufficient for auxin transport-dependent vein patterning. Our results refute all vein patterning hypotheses based on auxin transport from the epidermis and suggest alternatives for future tests.