Project description:To incorporate the far-red light (FR) signal into a strategy for optimizing plant growth, FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL1 (FHY1) mediates the nuclear translocation of the FR photoreceptor phytochrome A (phyA) and facilitates the association of phyA with the promoters of numerous associated genes crucial for the response to environmental stimuli. However, whether FHY1 plays additional roles following FR irradiation remains elusive. Here, by the global identification of FHY1 chromatin association sites through ChIP-seq analysis and by the comparison of FHY1-associated sites with phyA- associated sites, we demonstrated that nuclear FHY1 can either act independently of phyA or act in association with phyA to activate the expression of distinct target genes. We also determined that phyA can act independently of FHY1 in regulating phyA-specific target genes. Furthermore, we determined that the independent FHY1 nuclear pathway is involved in crucial developmental aspects, as in the case of inhibited seed germination under FR during salt-stress. Notably, the differential presence of cis-elements and transcription factors in common and unique FHY1 and/or phyA associated genes are indicative of the complexity of the independent and coordinated FHY1 and phyA pathways. Our study uncovers new aspects of FHY1 function beyond its currently recognized role in phyA-dependent photomorphogenesis. The 35S: GFP-FHY1 fhy1-1 transgenic line and the fhy1-1 mutant were grown under the same light conditions used (D4d+FR3h) for RNA preparation and sequencing. Three biologically replicates were subjected to high-throughput Solexa (Illumina) sequencing.
Project description:The absorption of visible light in aquatic environments has led to the common assumption that aquatic organisms sense and adapt to penetrative blue/green light wavelengths, but show little or no response to the more attenuated red/far-red wavelengths. Here we show that two marine diatom species, Phaeodactylum tricornutum and Thalassiosira pseudonana, possess a bona fide red/far-red light sensing phytochrome (DPH) that uses biliverdin as a chromophore and displays accentuated red-shifted absorbance peaks compared to other characterized plant and algal phytochromes. Exposure to both red and far-red light causes changes in gene expression in P. tricornutum and the responses to far-red light disappear in DPH knockout cells, demonstrating that P. tricornutum DPH mediates far-red light signaling. The identification of DPH genes in diverse diatom species widely distributed along the water column further emphasizes the ecological significance of far-red light sensing, raising questions about the sources of far-red light. Our analyses indicate that, although far-red wavelengths from sunlight are only detectable at the ocean surface, chlorophyll fluorescence and Raman scattering can generate red/far-red photons in deeper layers. This study opens up novel perspectives on phytochrome-mediated far-red light signaling in the ocean and on the light sensing and adaptive capabilities of marine phototrophs.
Project description:To incorporate the far-red light (FR) signal into a strategy for optimizing plant growth, FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL1 (FHY1) mediates the nuclear translocation of the FR photoreceptor phytochrome A (phyA) and facilitates the association of phyA with the promoters of numerous associated genes crucial for the response to environmental stimuli. However, whether FHY1 plays additional roles following FR irradiation remains elusive. Here, by the global identification of FHY1 chromatin association sites through ChIP-seq analysis and by the comparison of FHY1-associated sites with phyA- associated sites, we demonstrated that nuclear FHY1 can either act independently of phyA or act in association with phyA to activate the expression of distinct target genes. We also determined that phyA can act independently of FHY1 in regulating phyA-specific target genes. Furthermore, we determined that the independent FHY1 nuclear pathway is involved in crucial developmental aspects, as in the case of inhibited seed germination under FR during salt-stress. Notably, the differential presence of cis-elements and transcription factors in common and unique FHY1 and/or phyA associated genes are indicative of the complexity of the independent and coordinated FHY1 and phyA pathways. Our study uncovers new aspects of FHY1 function beyond its currently recognized role in phyA-dependent photomorphogenesis
Project description:To incorporate the far-red light (FR) signal into a strategy for optimizing plant growth, FAR-RED ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL1 (FHY1) mediates the nuclear translocation of the FR photoreceptor phytochrome A (phyA) and facilitates the association of phyA with the promoters of numerous associated genes crucial for the response to environmental stimuli. However, whether FHY1 plays additional roles following FR irradiation remains elusive. Here, by the global identification of FHY1 chromatin association sites through ChIP-seq analysis and by the comparison of FHY1-associated sites with phyA- associated sites, we demonstrated that nuclear FHY1 can either act independently of phyA or act in association with phyA to activate the expression of distinct target genes. We also determined that phyA can act independently of FHY1 in regulating phyA-specific target genes. Furthermore, we determined that the independent FHY1 nuclear pathway is involved in crucial developmental aspects, as in the case of inhibited seed germination under FR during salt-stress. Notably, the differential presence of cis-elements and transcription factors in common and unique FHY1 and/or phyA associated genes are indicative of the complexity of the independent and coordinated FHY1 and phyA pathways. Our study uncovers new aspects of FHY1 function beyond its currently recognized role in phyA-dependent photomorphogenesis
Project description:Sun-loving plants have the ability to detect and avoid shading through sensing of both blue and red light wavelengths. Higher plant cryptochromes (CRYs) control how plants modulate growth in response to changes in blue light. For growth under a canopy, where blue light is diminished, CRY1 and CRY2 perceive this change and respond by directly contacting two bHLH transcription factors, PIF4 and PIF5. These factors are also known to be controlled by phytochromes, the red/far-red photoreceptors; however, transcriptome analyses indicate that the gene regulatory programs induced by the different light wavelengths are distinct. Our results indicate that CRYs signal by modulating PIF activity genome-wide, and that these factors integrate binding of different plant photoreceptors to facilitate growth changes under different light conditions.
Project description:Sun-loving plants have the ability to detect and avoid shading through sensing of both blue and red light wavelengths. Higher plant cryptochromes (CRYs) control how plants modulate growth in response to changes in blue light. For growth under a canopy, where blue light is diminished, CRY1 and CRY2 perceive this change and respond by directly contacting two bHLH transcription factors, PIF4 and PIF5. These factors are also known to be controlled by phytochromes, the red/far-red photoreceptors; however, transcriptome analyses indicate that the gene regulatory programs induced by the different light wavelengths are distinct. Our results indicate that CRYs signal by modulating PIF activity genome-wide, and that these factors integrate binding of different plant photoreceptors to facilitate growth changes under different light conditions.
Project description:The goal of this work was to investigate the influence of low red to far-red (R:FR) signals generated by a biological weedy and an artificial source of far-red light on the nitrate assimilation pathway in maize. In the absence of direct resource competition, far-red light reflected from neighboring weeds compromises light quality (red to far-red ratio; R/FR) and causes a wide range of morphological and physiological responses at early growth stages of crop plants. This study has investigated the effects of low R/FR light signals on nitrate assimilation in maize seedlings. The transcript levels of genes, metabolites, and activities of enzyme in the nitrate assimilation pathway under a biological and a simulated low R:FR light environment were compared with a high R:FR control environment. Low R:FR signals stimulated nitrate accumulation in maize leaves, which did not appear to result from the upregulation of nitrate transporter genes. A significant reduction in ferredoxin-dependent glutamine:2-oxoglutarate aminotransferase activity appears to play a major role in nitrate accumulation under low R:FR light environments, while activities of other enzymes of the nitrate assimilation pathway remain unchanged.
Project description:The far-red light (FR) photoreceptor phytochrome A (phyA) contains no DNA binding domain but associates with CHS promoter through its chaperon FHY1 and transcription factors to regulate transcription. Here, we performed a genome-wide identification of phyA targets using a combination of phyA ChIP- and RNA-sequencing methods. Our results indicate that the phyA signaling widely impact gene promoters involved in multiple FR-modulated aspects of plant growth. Furthermore, there was an enrichment of hormones- and stresses-responsive elements in the phyA direct target promoters, indicating that a much broader than expected range of transcription factors are involved in the phyA signaling. To verify our hypothesis that phyA regulates genes other than light-responsive ones through interaction with corresponding transcription factors, we examined the phyA action on one of its direct target gene NAC019, encoding an ABAdependent transcription factor. The phyA signaling cascade, consisting of FHY1 and HY5, not only targets two G-boxes on NAC019 promoter for subsequent transcriptional regulation, but also positively coordinates with ABA response for the root elongation inhibition under FR. Our study provides new insights into how plants rapidly fine-tune their growth strategy upon dynamic light environment by escorting photoreceptors to the promoters of hormones- or stresses-responsive genes for individualized modulation. The wild-type seedlings and the phyA-1 mutant (both of the Landsberger ecta [Ler] ecotype) were grown in the same conditions used for the phyA ChIP-seq analysis (D4d+FR3h) prior to RNA isolation. Three independent biological replicates were subjected to RNA-seq analysis.