The RALF1–eIF4E1 Signaling Axis Mediates Root Hair Elongation, Flowering Time, and Stress Tolerance During Seed Germination and Early Root Growth in Arabidopsis thaliana

To investigate the coordinated role of RALF1 and eIF4E1 within the FER signaling module in regulating root hair elongation and stress responses in Arabidopsis thaliana, we constructed a ralf1/eif4e1 double mutant via conventional hybridization. Although the roles of the RALF1 and eIF4E1 genes are well known, the simultaneous absence of them remains poorly characterized. The double mutant exhibited significantly reduced root hair numbers and elongation and heightened sensitivity to ABA, Cd2+, and NaCl stress. The ralf1/eif4e1 double mutant exhibited delayed flowering time and higher numbers of rosette leaves. Fluorescence quantitative PCR analyses revealed that several key genes involved in regulating flowering such as FT, LFY and SOC reached maximum levels in wild-type plants. However, other genes that regulated floral meristem exhibited higher expression levels in the ralf1 mutant, followed by in wild-type plants. This work provides new insight into the RALF1-FERONIA-eIF4E1 module, demonstrating that it converges environmental cues to coordinately regulate root hair elongation, stress responses, and flowering time in Arabidopsis.