Light responses articles within Nature Communications

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• Article
  30 March 2024 | Open Access

  The thylakoid proton antiporter KEA3 regulates photosynthesis in response to the chloroplast energy status

  Thylakoid K⁺/H⁺ exchange by KEA3 optimizes photosynthesis during light fluctuations. Here, the authors show that a combination of stromal pH, ATP, ADP and NADP⁺, NADPH induces structural re-arrangements required for KEA3 regulation in vivo.

  • Michał Uflewski
  • , Tobias Rindfleisch
  •  & Ute Armbruster

• Article
  27 February 2024 | Open Access

  Core clock genes adjust growth cessation time to day-night switches in poplar

  Alique et al. show that poplar trees adjust their seasonal growth timing by finely tuning the daily expression level of the photoperiodic integrator FT2 through a mechanism governed by the circadian clock’s core genes.

  • Daniel Alique
  • , Arturo Redondo López
  •  & Mariano Perales

• Article
  20 February 2024 | Open Access

  Phosphorylation of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase Thr881 participates in light-induced stomatal opening

  Comprehensive phosphoproteomic analysis using guard cell protoplasts revealed that Thr881 phosphorylation in addition of a penultimate residue, Thr948 of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase are important for its function and light-induced stomatal opening.

  • Yuki Hayashi
  • , Kohei Fukatsu
  •  & Toshinori Kinoshita

• Article
  20 February 2024 | Open Access

  Light-induced stomatal opening requires phosphorylation of the C-terminal autoinhibitory domain of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase

  Light-induced stomatal opening is crucial for photosynthesis. Here the authors show that blue light triggers phosphorylation of two Thr residues in the C-terminal autoinhibitory domain of plasma membrane H⁺-ATPase, thereby promoting stomatal opening.

  • Saashia Fuji
  • , Shota Yamauchi
  •  & Atsushi Takemiya

• Article
  09 February 2024 | Open Access

  Phosphorylation of Arabidopsis UVR8 photoreceptor modulates protein interactions and responses to UV-B radiation

  This paper reports that the Arabidopsis UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 is phosphorylated in vivo and that phosphorylation of Serine 402 modifies UVR8 activity and promotes flavonoid biosynthesis, a key response to UV-B exposure.

  • Wei Liu
  • , Giovanni Giuriani
  •  & Gareth I. Jenkins

• Article
  27 January 2024 | Open Access

  The mechanism of low blue light-induced leaf senescence mediated by GmCRY1s in soybean

  This study provides insights into how shade induces leaf senescence in soybean. The reduction of blue light intensity deactivates GmCRY1s, leading to the degradation of GmRGAs and the upregulation of WRKY100, ultimately promoting leaf senescence.

  • Zhuang Li
  • , Xiangguang Lyu
  •  & Bin Liu

• Article
  06 November 2023 | Open Access

  Adjustment of light-responsive NADP dynamics in chloroplasts by stromal pH

  NADP⁺ is the final electron acceptor for linear electron transfer in photosynthesis. Here, the authors show that the NADP pool size is modulated by its interconversion with NAD via ΔpH regulation in response to varying light conditions.

  • Yusuke Fukuda
  • , Chinami Ishiyama
  •  & Shin-nosuke Hashida

• Article
  03 November 2023 | Open Access

  Growth in fluctuating light buffers plants against photorespiratory perturbations

  The detoxification pathway photorespiration has been thought to be photoprotective in dynamic light. The authors report that, instead, growth in dynamic light buffers plants against photorespiratory lesions by reducing photosynthesis and inducing metabolite re-routing.

  • Thekla von Bismarck
  • , Philipp Wendering
  •  & Ute Armbruster

• Article
  28 October 2023 | Open Access

  Shade-induced RTFL/DVL peptides negatively regulate the shade response by directly interacting with BSKs in Arabidopsis

  Shade avoidance responses help plants to compete with neighbors for light. Here, the authors show that low R:FR-induced RTFLs interact with BSK3/6 and reduce the protein levels of PIF4 to prevent exaggerated shade avoidance responses.

  • Sha Huang
  • , Yu Ma
  •  & Lin Li

• Article
  26 October 2023 | Open Access

  PH13 improves soybean shade traits and enhances yield for high-density planting at high latitudes

  How plant height is adaptive to high latitudes and high density planting is unclear. Here, the authors report a retrotransposon insertion in a WD40 protein encoding gene PH13 affects its interaction with GmCOP1s and increases the abundance of STF1/2, leading to reduced soybean height and increased shade resistance.

  • Chao Qin
  • , Ying-hui Li
  •  & Bin Liu

• Article
  20 September 2023 | Open Access

  Mechanodetection of neighbor plants elicits adaptive leaf movements through calcium dynamics

  Pantazopoulou et al. discovered that leaves sense neighbors by mutual touching of hairs on their surface, called trichomes. Using fluorescent biosensors, they show that this triggers a calcium wave to activate leaf movement away from competitors

  • Chrysoula K. Pantazopoulou
  • , Sara Buti
  •  & Ronald Pierik

• Article
  08 September 2023 | Open Access

  Understanding the mechanism of red light-induced melatonin biosynthesis facilitates the engineering of melatonin-enriched tomatoes

  Melatonin is a physiological regulator in many organisms including plants. Here, the authors demonstrate a molecular mechanism of red light-induced melatonin biosynthesis in tomato fruit which could guide the engineering of melatonin-enriched tomatoes.

  • Zixin Zhang
  • , Xin Zhang
  •  & Yang Zhang

• Article
  03 June 2023 | Open Access

  Flavodiiron-mediated O₂ photoreduction at photosystem I acceptor-side provides photoprotection to conifer thylakoids in early spring

  Generally, net O₂ consumption becomes dominant when photosynthesis is suppressed at night in green organisms. Here, Bag et al. show that Scots pine and Norway spruce needles display strong O₂ consumption when extremely low temperatures coincide with high solar irradiation during early spring.

  • Pushan Bag
  • , Tatyana Shutova
  •  & Stefan Jansson

• Article
  10 May 2023 | Open Access

  Widening the landscape of transcriptional regulation of green algal photoprotection

  A consensus genome-scale gene regulatory network reconstruction allows dissection of the transcriptional regulation of microalgal responses to light and carbon availability and discovery of novel regulators of photoprotection and CO₂ acquisition.

  • Marius Arend
  • , Yizhong Yuan
  •  & Dimitris Petroutsos

• Article
  08 April 2023 | Open Access

  Light-independent regulation of algal photoprotection by CO₂ availability

  Photosynthetic algae have evolved to survive in suboptimal light and CO₂ conditions. Here, the authors show that depletion of CO₂ can drive photoprotection and carbon acquisition even in the absence of light, that was previously believed to be indispensable for the activation of these processes.

  • M. Águila Ruiz-Sola
  • , Serena Flori
  •  & Dimitris Petroutsos

• Article
  27 March 2023 | Open Access

  Phytochrome B photobodies are comprised of phytochrome B and its primary and secondary interacting proteins

  Phytochrome is a photoreceptor forming a membraneless organelle called a photobody. The authors isolated the photobody and found that the photobody is made of not only phytochrome but also its primary and secondary interacting proteins.

  • Chanhee Kim
  • , Yongmin Kwon
  •  & Giltsu Choi

• Article
  22 March 2023 | Open Access

  MicroRNA156 conditions auxin sensitivity to enable growth plasticity in response to environmental changes in Arabidopsis

  Plants respond to light and temperature changes via the photoreceptor phytochrome B and the phytohormone auxin. Here the authors reveal microRNA156 as a previously uncharacterized developmental signal that gates environmentally regulated plant growth by licensing auxin sensitivity.

  • Qing Sang
  • , Lusheng Fan
  •  & Xuemei Chen

• Article
  15 February 2023 | Open Access

  Uphill energy transfer mechanism for photosynthesis in an Antarctic alga

  A light-harvesting chlorophyll-binding protein complex from an Antarctic green alga called Prasiola crispa can excite photosystem II with low energy far-red light. Here, through Cryo-EM analysis, the authors reveal its ring-shaped structure with 11-fold symmetry at 3.13 Å resolution.

  • Makiko Kosugi
  • , Masato Kawasaki
  •  & Toshiya Senda

• Article
  09 February 2023 | Open Access

  Light prevents pathogen-induced aqueous microenvironments via potentiation of salicylic acid signaling

  Pseudomonas syringae alters plant abscisic acid signaling to close stomata and induce water accumulation in infected tissues. Light and salicylic acid counteract infection by promoting stomatal opening, depriving bacteria of an aqueous environment.

  • Gaële Lajeunesse
  • , Charles Roussin-Léveillée
  •  & Peter Moffett

• Article
  02 December 2022 | Open Access

  Anterograde signaling controls plastid transcription via sigma factors separately from nuclear photosynthesis genes

  Photoreceptors in the nucleus control plastid transcription by utilizing sigma factors as nucleus-to-plastid signals in parallel with the light regulation of nuclear photosynthesis genes.

  • Youra Hwang
  • , Soeun Han
  •  & Meng Chen

• Article
  02 December 2022 | Open Access

  N⁶-methyladenosine RNA modification regulates photosynthesis during photodamage in plants

  Efficient photoprotection is vital for the maintenance of photosynthetic efficiency during photodamage. Here, the authors reveal that m⁶A writer VIRILIZER acts as a molecular switch of photoprotection by post-transcriptional regulation in plants.

  • Man Zhang
  • , Yunping Zeng
  •  & Hong-Lei Jin

• Article
  17 November 2022 | Open Access

  CRY2 interacts with CIS1 to regulate thermosensory flowering via FLM alternative splicing

  CRY2 mediates photoperiod-responsive floral initiation in Arabidopsis. Here the authors show that CRY2 also regulates temperature sensitive flowering and that CRY2 can interact with and regulate the splicing factor CIS1 to affect alternative splicing of transcripts that regulate flowering.

  • Zhiwei Zhao
  • , Craig Dent
  •  & Hongtao Liu

• Article
  28 October 2022 | Open Access

  Light activation of Orange Carotenoid Protein reveals bicycle-pedal single-bond isomerization

  Orange Carotenoid protein (OCP) is the only photoreceptor with a carotenoid for sensing. Here, the authors report crystal structures of the early OCP photoproduct, suggesting that photo-sensing involves single bond isomerization.

  • Volha U. Chukhutsina
  • , James M. Baxter
  •  & Jasper J. van Thor

• Article
  10 October 2022 | Open Access

  A combination of plasma membrane sterol biosynthesis and autophagy is required for shade-induced hypocotyl elongation

  Plants subject to vegetative shade receive a low quantity of blue light (LB) and a low ratio of red to far-red light (LFLR). Here the authors show that while LB induces autophagy, LFLR leads to changes in lipid metabolism, and propose that these processes may contribute to shade avoidance responses.

  • Yetkin Çaka Ince
  • , Johanna Krahmer
  •  & Christian Fankhauser

• Article
  05 October 2022 | Open Access

  Aschoff’s rule on circadian rhythms orchestrated by blue light sensor CRY2 and clock component PRR9

  Circadian pace is modulated by light intensity. Here the authors show that CRY2 interacts with PRR9 to mediate blue light input to the circadian clock and is degraded at higher light intensity offering a mechanistic explanation as to how intensity can modify clock place.

  • Yuqing He
  • , Yingjun Yu
  •  & Lei Wang

• Article
  29 August 2022 | Open Access

  PIF7 is a master regulator of thermomorphogenesis in shade

  Plant hypocotyl elongation response to light and temperature. Here the authors show that shade combined with warm temperature synergistically enhances the hypocotyl growth response via the PIF7 transcription factor, auxin, and as yet unknown factor.

  • Yogev Burko
  • , Björn Christopher Willige
  •  & Joanne Chory

• Article
  12 May 2022 | Open Access

  Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2 forms photobodies with TCP22 under blue light and regulates the circadian clock

  Cryptochrome signaling has been reported to regulate circadian oscillations in plants. Here the authors show that CRY2 and the TCP22 transcription factors can form photobodies in a blue light dependent manner and induce expression of CCA1, a core component of the circadian oscillator.

  • Weiliang Mo
  • , Junchuan Zhang
  •  & Zecheng Zuo

• Article
  06 May 2022 | Open Access

  Cryo-EM structures of thylakoid-located voltage-dependent chloride channel VCCN1

  VCCN1 is a plant homolog of bestrophin channels and tunes photoreaction as a voltage-gated anion channel at thylakoids. Here, authors report the cryo-EM structures and functional features of apple VCCN1, with insights into its activation mechanism.

  • Tatsuya Hagino
  • , Takafumi Kato
  •  & Osamu Nureki

• Article
  04 April 2022 | Open Access

  Radiationless mechanism of UV deactivation by cuticle phenolics in plants

  Phenolics are abundant in plant cuticles. Here, via transient absorption spectroscopy and quantum chemical calculations, the authors propose a model by which cuticle phenolics provide photoprotection due to ultrafast and non-radiative excited state deactivation combined with fluorescence emission.

  • Ana González Moreno
  • , Abel de Cózar
  •  & Antonio Heredia

• Article
  29 March 2022 | Open Access

  The phytochrome interacting proteins ERF55 and ERF58 repress light-induced seed germination in Arabidopsis thaliana

  Phytochromes regulate light-dependent seed germination in plants. Here the authors show that light-activated phytochromes bind two ERF transcriptional regulators and repress their activity to allow completion of germination.

  • Zenglin Li
  • , David J. Sheerin
  •  & Andreas Hiltbrunner

• Article
  10 January 2022 | Open Access

  Dynamics and mechanism of dimer dissociation of photoreceptor UVR8

  UVR8 is a plant photoreceptor that dissociates into monomers after sensing UV. Here, via ultrafast spectroscopy and computational calculations, the authors describe the dynamics of charge separation and charge neutralization in UVR8 and describe how these unzip interactions at the dimer interface.

  • Xiankun Li
  • , Zheyun Liu
  •  & Dongping Zhong

• Article
  21 October 2021 | Open Access

  Regulation of plant phototropic growth by NPH3/RPT2-like substrate phosphorylation and 14-3-3 binding

  The plasma membrane-localized NPH3 protein is required for phototropic growth in Arabidopsis. Here the authors show that phototropin 1 phosphorylates NPH3 at a conserved C-terminal sequence motif triggering binding of 14-3-3 proteins to NPH3 that is necessary for the phototropic response.

  • Stuart Sullivan
  • , Thomas Waksman
  •  & John M. Christie

• Article
  21 October 2021 | Open Access

  Light-triggered and phosphorylation-dependent 14-3-3 association with NON-PHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL 3 is required for hypocotyl phototropism

  NPH3 is required for auxin-dependent plant phototropism. Here Reuter et al. show that NPH3 is a plasma membrane-bound phospholipid-binding protein and that in response to blue light, NPH3 is phosphorylated and associates with 14-3-3 proteins which leads to dissociation from the plasma membrane.

  • Lea Reuter
  • , Tanja Schmidt
  •  & Claudia Oecking

• Article
  23 September 2021 | Open Access

  Direct photoresponsive inhibition of a p53-like transcription activation domain in PIF3 by Arabidopsis phytochrome B

  Photoactivated phytochrome B regulates gene expression by interacting with PIF transcription factors. Here the authors show that PIF3 contains a p53-like transcription activation domain (AD) and that PHYB can directly suppress PIF3 transactivation activity by binding adjacent to the AD.

  • Chan Yul Yoo
  • , Jiangman He
  •  & Meng Chen

• Article
  07 July 2021 | Open Access

  Chaperone-like protein DAY plays critical roles in photomorphogenesis

  Chloroplast development and brassinosteroid (BR) signaling both regulate plant photomorphogenesis. Here the authors show that DAY, a DnaJ-like domain-containing membrane protein, regulates both processes by binding and stabilizing both BRI1, the BR receptor, and POR, a key enzyme in chlorophyll biosynthesis.

  • Ho-Seok Lee
  • , Ilyeong Choi
  •  & Hyun-Sook Pai

• Article
  16 June 2021 | Open Access

  Identification of a dual orange/far-red and blue light photoreceptor from an oceanic green picoplankton

  Blue light penetrates deeper than red light in ocean, thus blue light sensing is critical for adaptation to marine environments. Here, the authors report the genome of Pyconococcus provasolii and identify a chimeric dual orange/far-red and blue light receptor composed of a phytochrome and a cryptochrome by analyzing the marine metagenomes.

  • Yuko Makita
  • , Shigekatsu Suzuki
  •  & Minami Matsui

• Article
  16 June 2021 | Open Access

  Spatial regulation of thermomorphogenesis by HY5 and PIF4 in Arabidopsis

  Plants undergo morphological changes collectively termed thermomorphogenesis when exposed to elevated temperature. Here the authors show that the SPA1 kinase regulates distinct thermomorphogenic responses according to tissue type by interactions with PIF4 and HY5 in shoots and roots, respectively.

  • Sanghwa Lee
  • , Wenli Wang
  •  & Enamul Huq

• Article
  07 June 2021 | Open Access

  Light regulates stomatal development by modulating paracrine signaling from inner tissues

  Light promotes stomatal development in plants. Here Wang et al. show that light stimulates stomatal development via the HY5 transcription factor which induces expression of STOMAGEN, a mesophyll-derived secreted peptide, that in turn leads to stabilization of a master regulator of stomatal development in the epidermis.

  • Shenqi Wang
  • , Zimin Zhou
  •  & On Sun Lau

• Article
  12 April 2021 | Open Access

  Regulation of Arabidopsis photoreceptor CRY2 by two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases

  The fate of proteins in cells is determined by not only synthesis but also degradation. Here Chen et al. show that degradation of the plant blue light receptor CRY2 is determined by two distinct E3 ubiquitin ligases, Cul4^COP1/SPAs and Cul3^LRBs, regulating the function of CRY2 under different light conditions.

  • Yadi Chen
  • , Xiaohua Hu
  •  & Chentao Lin

• Article
  16 March 2021 | Open Access

  Impact of artificial light at night on diurnal plant-pollinator interactions

  There is growing recognition that artificial light at night has wide-ranging effects on plants and animals, including disruption of nocturnal pollination. Here, Giavi et al. show that artificial light at night can also alter the daytime interactions between plants and pollinators.

  • Simone Giavi
  • , Colin Fontaine
  •  & Eva Knop

• Article
  29 January 2021 | Open Access

  Role of an ancient light-harvesting protein of PSI in light absorption and photoprotection

  LHCR proteins are ancient chlorophyll a-binding antennas that evolved in diverse algae of the red lineage. Here Lu et al. characterize a red lineage LHCR mutant and show reduced oxidative damage in high light but attenuated growth under low light, thus demonstrating how LHCR proteins impact the balance between photoprotection and light harvesting.

  • Yandu Lu
  • , Qinhua Gan
  •  & Krishna K. Niyogi

• Article
  03 December 2020 | Open Access

  Docking of acetyl-CoA carboxylase to the plastid envelope membrane attenuates fatty acid production in plants

  In plants, light-dependent activation fatty acid synthesis (FAS) is mediated in part by acetyl-CoA carboxylase (ACCase). Here the authors identify a family of genes encoding carboxyltransferase interactors that attenuate FAS in the light by docking acetyl-CoA carboxylase to the plastid envelope.

  • Yajin Ye
  • , Krisztina Nikovics
  •  & Jay J. Thelen

• Article
  23 April 2020 | Open Access

  Arabidopsis FHY3 and FAR1 integrate light and strigolactone signaling to regulate branching

  In plants, branching is regulated by both hormones and external cues such as light. Here the authors show that in Arabidopsis, the phytochrome A-signaling components FHY3 and FAR1, and SMXL proteins that repress strigolactone signaling, both interact with SPL proteins to control expression of the branching regulator BRC1.

  • Yurong Xie
  • , Yang Liu
  •  & Haiyang Wang

• Article
  03 April 2020 | Open Access

  Increasing ambient temperature progressively disassembles Arabidopsis phytochrome B from individual photobodies with distinct thermostabilities

  Temperature modulates plant development and environmental responses. Here, the authors show that increasing ambient temperature reduces the number of sub-nuclear photobodies in Arabidopsis by promoting selective disassembly of thermo-unstable photobodies in a manner dependent on phytochrome B’s photosensory module.

  • Joseph Hahm
  • , Keunhwa Kim
  •  & Meng Chen

• Article
  27 March 2020 | Open Access

  Modulation of BIN2 kinase activity by HY5 controls hypocotyl elongation in the light

  HY5 is a bZIP transcription factor and master regulator of photomorphogenesis in plants. Here, the authors show that in addition to regulating transcription, HY5 promotes the activity of the GSK3-like kinase BIN2 thus negatively regulating hypocotyl elongation by suppressing brassinosteroid signaling.

  • Jian Li
  • , William Terzaghi
  •  & Xing Wang Deng

• Article
  13 March 2020 | Open Access

  How paired PSII–LHCII supercomplexes mediate the stacking of plant thylakoid membranes unveiled by structural mass-spectrometry

  The supramolecular organization of PSII-LHCII supercomplexes determines the plant thylakoid structure. Here, via structural mass spectrometry, Albanese et al. show how stroma-exposed N-termini of LHCII subunits, interacting with each other in adjacent membranes, can mediate membrane folding in grana stacks.

  • Pascal Albanese
  • , Sem Tamara
  •  & Cristina Pagliano

• Article
  12 March 2020 | Open Access

  Cryptochrome-mediated blue-light signalling modulates UVR8 photoreceptor activity and contributes to UV-B tolerance in Arabidopsis

  The Arabidopsis UVR8 photoreceptor is a dimer that monomerizes in response to UV-B. Here the authors show that cryptochromes contribute to UV tolerance and facilitate UVR8 redimerization via induction of RUP proteins in response to blue light, modifying UV-B signalling in polychromatic light environments.

  • Nicolas Tissot
  •  & Roman Ulm

• Article
  06 December 2019 | Open Access

  Responses of unicellular predators to cope with the phototoxicity of photosynthetic prey

  Photosynthesis generates reactive oxygen species that can damage cells. Here, the authors show that unicellular predators of photosynthetic prey have shared responses to photosynthetic oxidative stress and these may also have been important for the evolution of endosymbiosis.

  • Akihiro Uzuka
  • , Yusuke Kobayashi
  •  & Shin-ya Miyagishima

• Review Article
  19 November 2019 | Open Access

  Molecular mechanisms underlying phytochrome-controlled morphogenesis in plants

  Perception of red and far-red light by photosensory phytochromes regulates plant development and adaptive responses to light. Here, Legris et al. review current models of phytochrome function connecting light-induced conformational changes to physiological outputs and highlight open questions for future research.

  • Martina Legris
  • , Yetkin Çaka Ince
  •  & Christian Fankhauser

• Article
  27 September 2019 | Open Access

  UVR8 disrupts stabilisation of PIF5 by COP1 to inhibit plant stem elongation in sunlight

  UV-B light suppresses the shade avoidance response in plants by reducing the abundance of PIF transcription factors by an undefined mechanism. Here the authors show that UV-B perceived by the UVR8 receptor inhibits the shade avoidance response by preventing stabilisation of PIF5 by COP1.

  • Ashutosh Sharma
  • , Bhavana Sharma
  •  & Keara A. Franklin