Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40263580›Full record

ArticleNature plants2025

Transport of phenoxyacetic acid herbicides by PIN-FORMED auxin transporters.

Lukas Schulz, Kien Lam Ung, Lorena Zuzic, Sarah Koutnik-Abele, Birgit Schiøtt, David L Stokes, Bjørn Panyella Pedersen, Ulrich Z Hammes

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Nature plants, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Synthesis and Auxin-like Activity of Halogenated Alkylphenoxyacetic Acids.International journal of molecular sciences · 2026
    Article
  2. Review
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  4. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Lukas Schulz *Plant Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.ORCID 0009-0005-1105-0075
Kien Lam Ung *Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0003-4896-774X
Lorena ZuzicDepartment of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0002-7834-612X
Sarah Koutnik-AbelePlant Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany.ORCID 0009-0006-7266-0704
Birgit SchiøttDepartment of Chemistry, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
David L StokesDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Pharmacology, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5455-8163
Bjørn Panyella PedersenDepartment of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark. bpp@mbg.au.dk.ORCID 0000-0001-7860-7230
Ulrich Z HammesPlant Systems Biology, School of Life Sciences Weihenstephan, Technical University of Munich, Freising, Germany. ulrich.hammes@tum.de.ORCID 0000-0002-3663-4908

Funding

Molecular Mechanisms of Ion Transport - Equipment supplementR35GM144109 · NIGMS · NEW YORK UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE · PI David L. Stokes · 2022 to 2026
$3.2M
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) HA3468/6-3Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) HA3468/8-1EC | EU Framework Programme for Research and Innovation H2020 | H2020 Priority Excellent Science | H2020 European Research Council (H2020 Excellent Science - European Research Council) 101000936NIGMS NIH HHS R35 GM144109
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Auxins are a group of phytohormones that control plant growth and development. Their crucial role in plant physiology has inspired development of potent synthetic auxins that can be used as herbicides. Phenoxyacetic acid derivatives are a widely used group of auxin herbicides in agriculture and research. Despite their prevalence, the identity of the transporters required for distribution of these herbicides in plants is both poorly understood and the subject of controversial debate. Here we show that PIN-FORMED auxin transporters transport a range of phenoxyacetic acid herbicides across the membrane. We go on to characterize the molecular determinants of substrate specificity using a variety of different substrates as well as protein mutagenesis to probe the binding site. Finally, we present cryogenic electron microscopy structures of Arabidopsis thaliana PIN8 bound to either 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or 4-chlorophenoxyacetic acid. These structures represent five key states from the transport cycle, allowing us to describe conformational changes associated with the transport cycle. Overall, our results reveal that phenoxyacetic acid herbicides use the same export machinery as endogenous auxins and exemplify how transporter binding sites undergo transformations that dictate substrate specificity. These results provide a foundation for future development of novel synthetic auxins and for precision breeding of herbicide-resistant crop plants.

Indexed as

ArabidopsisArabidopsis ProteinsGlycolatesHerbicidesIndoleacetic AcidsMembrane Transport Proteins2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic AcidAcetatesBiological Transport2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic AcidAcetatesArabidopsis ProteinsGlycolatesHerbicidesIndoleacetic AcidsMembrane Transport Proteinsphenoxyacetic acid

Identifiers

PMID40263580
PMCPMC12095047

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.