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Molecular and genetic control of plant thermomorphogenesis

Abstract

Temperature is a major factor governing the distribution and seasonal behaviour of plants. Being sessile, plants are highly responsive to small differences in temperature and adjust their growth and development accordingly. The suite of morphological and architectural changes induced by high ambient temperatures, below the heat-stress range, is collectively called thermomorphogenesis. Understanding the molecular genetic circuitries underlying thermomorphogenesis is particularly relevant in the context of climate change, as this knowledge will be key to rational breeding for thermo-tolerant crop varieties. Until recently, the fundamental mechanisms of temperature perception and signalling remained unknown. Our understanding of temperature signalling is now progressing, mainly by exploiting the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. The transcription factor PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) has emerged as a critical player in regulating phytohormone levels and their activity. To control thermomorphogenesis, multiple regulatory circuits are in place to modulate PIF4 levels, activity and downstream mechanisms. Thermomorphogenesis is integrally governed by various light signalling pathways, the circadian clock, epigenetic mechanisms and chromatin-level regulation. In this Review, we summarize recent progress in the field and discuss how the emerging knowledge in Arabidopsis may be transferred to relevant crop systems.

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Figure 1: Typical thermomorphogenesis phenotypes of Arabidopsis thaliana plants.
Figure 2: Simplified model of the central role of PIF4 in the molecular genetic circuitries underlying thermomorphogenesis.
Figure 3: Thermomorphogenesis in crop species.

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Acknowledgements

We thank J. Bellstädt for graphical support and J. Trenner for the photographs in Fig. 3 (Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Halle (Saale), Germany). This work was supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft to M.Q. (Qu 141/3-1) and NWO VENI grant 863.11.008 to M.v.Z.

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Correspondence to Marcel Quint or Martijn van Zanten.

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Quint, M., Delker, C., Franklin, K. et al. Molecular and genetic control of plant thermomorphogenesis. Nature Plants 2, 15190 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/nplants.2015.190

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