A research team led by Prof. CAO Xiaofeng at the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology (IGDB) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has uncovered the cooperative roles of photoreceptors, epigenetic modifiers, and transcription factors in regulating light-responsive genes in plants.
Their findings were published in PNAS on March 10.
Light is not only the primary energy source for photosynthesis but also a crucial environmental cue that shapes various plant developmental processes, including seed germination, seedling morphogenesis, leaf expansion, stem elongation, flowering time, circadian rhythms, and shade avoidance. When a seedling emerges from the soil, light signals rapidly trigger photomorphogenesis, a critical developmental transition characterized by suppressed hypocotyl elongation, expanded and greened cotyledons, and the initiation of photosynthesis.
