Strigolactone receptor D14 integrates phosphate and strigolactone signaling by interacting with and stabilizing PHR1.

Under low phosphate in plants, strigolactone-induced anthocyanin accumulation requires PHR1, and the D14–PHR1 interaction stabilizes PHR1 to amplify SL/LP outputs.

• Why it matters: SL and low-phosphate pathways coordinate plant architecture, but how PHR1 and the SL receptor connect to explain condition-dependent SL effects remains unclear.
• What they did: The study used genetic tests showing PHR1 dependence of SL-triggered anthocyanin under low phosphate, and biochemistry to reveal an SL-dependent physical interaction between PHR1 and DWARF14 (D14) that promotes PHR1 dimerization and blocks ubiquitination-mediated degradation.
• The result: The D14–PHR1 complex binds and up-regulates MAX3 and anthocyanin biosynthesis genes, inhibiting branching and hypocotyl elongation while promoting anthocyanin accumulation, and in phr1 mutants exogenous SL inhibits lateral roots under both low and Pi-sufficient conditions.

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