A PIF7-CONSTANS-Centered Molecular Regulatory Network Underlying Shade-Accelerated Flowering

To compete with their neighbors for light and escape shaded environments, sun-loving plants have developed the shade-avoidance syndrome (SAS), a set of responses including alteration of plant architecture and initiation of early flowering and seed set. Previous studies on SAS mainly focused on disse...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Molecular plant 2019-12, Vol.12 (12), p.1587-1597
Main Authors: Zhang, Renshan, Yang, Chuanwei, Jiang, Yupei, Li, Lin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arabidopsis - genetics
Arabidopsis - growth & development
Arabidopsis - metabolism
Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism
DNA-Binding Proteins - metabolism
flowering time
Flowers - growth & development
Gene Expression Regulation, Plant
HFR1
Mutation
PIF7
shade avoidance response
Transcription Factors - metabolism
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Summary:To compete with their neighbors for light and escape shaded environments, sun-loving plants have developed the shade-avoidance syndrome (SAS), a set of responses including alteration of plant architecture and initiation of early flowering and seed set. Previous studies on SAS mainly focused on dissecting molecular basis of hypocotyl elongation in seedlings under shade light; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying shade-accelerated flowering in adult plants remain unknown. In this study, we found that CONSTANS (CO) and PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 7 (PIF7) have an additive effect on shade-induced flowering, but that LONG HYPOCOTYL IN FAR-RED1 (HFR1) represses early flowering by binding to CO and PIF7 and preventing the binding of CO to the promoter of FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT) and the binding of PIF7 to the promoter of pri-MIR156E/F. Under shade, de-phosphorylated PIF7 and accumulated CO, balanced by HFR1, upregulate the expression of FT, TSF, SOC1, and SPLs to accelerate flowering. Moreover, we found that the function of PIF7 in flowering time is independent of phyA. Collectively, these regulatory interactions establish a crucial link between the light signal and genetic network that regulates flowering transition under shade. This study reveals that PIF7, a key transcription factor involved in SAS in Arabidopsis, together with CONSTANS, balanced by HFR1, controls flowering-related gene expression and promotes shade-induced earlier flowering.
ISSN:1674-2052
1752-9867
DOI:10.1016/j.molp.2019.09.007