Roots anchor plants and deliver water and nutrients from the soil. The root endodermis provides the crucial extracellular diffusion barrier by setting up a supracellular network of lignified cell walls, called Casparian strips, supported by a subsequent formation of suberin lamellae. Whereas lignification is thought to be irreversible, formation of suberin lamellae was demonstrated to be dynamic, facilitating adaptation to different soil conditions. Plants shape their root system through the regulated formation of lateral roots emerging from within the endodermis, requiring local breaking and re-sealing of the endodermal diffusion barriers. Here, we show that differentiated endodermal cells have a distinct auxin-mediated transcriptional response that regulates cell wall remodelling. Based on this data set we identify a set of GDSL-lipases that are essential for suberin formation. Moreover, we find that another set of GDSLlipases mediates suberin degradation, which enables the developmental plasticity of the endodermis required for normal lateral root emergence.