In this study, the research group has found that a peptide called EPIDERMAL PATTERNING FACTOR - LIKE 2 (EPFL2) and its receptor protein, ERECTA family receptor kinases, control the amount of
auxin during leaf tooth growth.
This difference in the concentration of
auxin is necessary for the development of
leaf protrusions, but the origin of this concentration difference
during tooth growth has been unexplained up till now.