TANDEM ZINC-FINGER/PLUS3: a multifaceted integrator of light signaling.

TANDEM ZINC-FINGER/PLUS3 (TZP) is a nuclear-localized protein with multifaceted roles in modulating plant growth and development under diverse light conditions. The unique combination of two intrinsically disordered regions (IDRs), two zinc-fingers (ZFs), and a PLUS3 domain provide a platform for interactions with the photoreceptors phytochrome A (phyA) and phyB, light signaling components, and nucleic acids. TZP controls flowering and hypocotyl elongation by regulating gene expression and protein abundance in a blue, red, or far-red light-specific context.

Light and high temperatures control epigenomic and epitranscriptomic events in Arabidopsis.

Light and temperature are two key environmental factors that control plant growth and adaptation by influencing biomolecular events. This review highlights the latest milestones on the role of light and high temperatures in modulating the epigenetic and epitranscriptomic landscape of Arabidopsis to trigger developmental and adaptive responses to a changing environment. Recent discoveries on how light and high temperature signals are integrated in the nucleus to modulate gene expression are discussed, as well as highlighting research gaps and future perspectives in further understanding how to promote plant resilience in times of climate change.

25 Years of thermomorphogenesis research: milestones and perspectives.

In 1998, Bill Gray and colleagues showed that warm temperatures trigger arabidopsis hypocotyl elongation in an auxin-dependent manner. This laid the foundation for a vibrant research discipline. With several active members of the 'thermomorphogenesis' community, we here reflect on 25 years of elevated ambient temperature research and look to the future.

Deep inside the epigenetic memories of stressed plants.

Recent evidence sheds light on the peculiar type of plant intelligence. Plants have developed complex molecular networks that allow them to remember, choose, and make decisions depending on the stress stimulus, although they lack a nervous system. Being sessile, plants can exploit these networks to optimize their resources cost-effectively and maximize their fitness in response to multiple environmental stresses.

Natural and induced epigenetic variation for crop improvement.

Maintaining global food security is a major challenge that requires novel strategies for crop improvement. Epigenetic regulation of plant responses to adverse environmental conditions provides a tunable mechanism to optimize plant growth, adaptation and ultimately yield. Epibreeding employs agricultural practices that rely on key epigenetic features as a means of engineering favorable phenotypic traits in target crops.

Light, chromatin, action: nuclear events regulating light signaling in Arabidopsis.

The plant nucleus provides a major hub for environmental signal integration at the chromatin level. Multiple light signaling pathways operate and exchange information by regulating a large repertoire of gene targets that shape plant responses to a changing environment. In addition to the established role of transcription factors in triggering photoregulated changes in gene expression, there are eminent reports on the significance of chromatin regulators and nuclear scaffold dynamics in promoting light-induced plant responses.

TANDEM ZINC-FINGER/PLUS3 regulates phytochrome B abundance and signaling to fine-tune hypocotyl growth.

TANDEM ZINC-FINGER/PLUS3 (TZP) is a transcriptional regulator that acts at the crossroads of light and photoperiodic signaling. Here, we unveil a role for TZP in fine-tuning hypocotyl elongation under red light and long-day conditions. We provide genetic evidence for a synergistic action between TZP and PHOTOPERIODIC CONTROL OF HYPOCOTYL 1 (PCH1) in regulating the protein abundance of PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) and downstream gene expression in response to red light and long days (LDs).

Low Fluence Ultraviolet-B Promotes Ultraviolet Resistance 8-Modulated Flowering in .

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B) irradiation (280-320 nm) is an integral part of sunlight and a pivotal environmental cue that triggers various plant responses, from photoprotection to photomorphogenesis and metabolic processes. UV-B is perceived by ULTRAVIOLET RESISTANCE 8 (UVR8), which orchestrates UV-B signal transduction and transcriptional control of UV-B-responsive genes. However, there is limited information on the molecular mechanism underlying the UV-B- and UVR8-dependent regulation of flowering time in plants.

An Epigenetic Alphabet of Crop Adaptation to Climate Change.

Crop adaptation to climate change is in a part attributed to epigenetic mechanisms which are related to response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Although recent studies increased our knowledge on the nature of these mechanisms, epigenetics remains under-investigated and still poorly understood in many, especially non-model, plants, Epigenetic modifications are traditionally divided into two main groups, DNA methylation and histone modifications that lead to chromatin remodeling and the regulation of genome functioning. In this review, we outline the most recent and interesting findings on crop epigenetic responses to the environmental cues that are most relevant to climate change.

The Epigenetic Mechanisms Underlying Thermomorphogenesis and Heat Stress Responses in .

Integration of temperature cues is crucial for plant survival and adaptation. Global warming is a prevalent issue, especially in modern agriculture, since the global rise in average temperature is expected to impact crop productivity worldwide. Hence, better understanding of the mechanisms by which plants respond to warmer temperatures is very important.

Epigenetics for Crop Improvement in Times of Global Change.

Epigenetics has emerged as an important research field for crop improvement under the on-going climatic changes. Heritable epigenetic changes can arise independently of DNA sequence alterations and have been associated with altered gene expression and transmitted phenotypic variation. By modulating plant development and physiological responses to environmental conditions, epigenetic diversity-naturally, genetically, chemically, or environmentally induced-can help optimise crop traits in an era challenged by global climate change.

Deciphering the Epigenetic Alphabet Involved in Transgenerational Stress Memory in Crops.

Although epigenetic modifications have been intensely investigated over the last decade due to their role in crop adaptation to rapid climate change, it is unclear which epigenetic changes are heritable and therefore transmitted to their progeny. The identification of epigenetic marks that are transmitted to the next generations is of primary importance for their use in breeding and for the development of new cultivars with a broad-spectrum of tolerance/resistance to abiotic and biotic stresses. In this review, we discuss general aspects of plant responses to environmental stresses and provide an overview of recent findings on the role of transgenerational epigenetic modifications in crops.

Wavelength-dependent effects of artificial light at night on phytoplankton growth and community structure.

Artificial light at night (ALAN) is a disruptive form of pollution, impacting physiological and behavioural processes that may scale up to population and community levels. Evidence from terrestrial habitats show that the severity and type of impact depend on the wavelength and intensity of ALAN; however, research on marine organisms is still limited. Here, we experimentally investigated the effect of different ALAN colours on marine primary producers.

Photobody Detection Using Immunofluorescence and Super-Resolution Imaging in Arabidopsis.

Light triggers changes in plant nuclear architecture to control differentiation, adaptation, and growth. A series of genetic, molecular, and imaging approaches have revealed that the nucleus forms a hub for photo-induced protein interactions and gene regulatory events. However, the mechanism and function of light-induced nuclear compartmentalization is still unclear.

CIPK23 regulates blue light-dependent stomatal opening in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Phototropins (phot1 and phot2) are plant blue light receptor kinases that function to mediate phototropism, chloroplast movement, leaf flattening, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis. Considerable progress has been made in understanding the mechanisms associated with phototropin receptor activation by light. However, the identities of phototropin signaling components are less well understood by comparison.

The diverse and unanticipated roles of histone deacetylase 9 in coordinating plant development and environmental acclimation.

Plants tightly control gene transcription to adapt to environmental conditions and steer growth and development. Different types of epigenetic modifications are instrumental in these processes. In recent years, an important role for the chromatin-modifying RPD3/HDA1 class I HDAC HISTONE DEACETYLASE 9 (HDA9) emerged in the regulation of a multitude of plant traits and responses.

The impact of light and temperature on chromatin organization and plant adaptation.

Light and temperature shape the developmental trajectory and morphology of plants. Changes in chromatin organization and nuclear architecture can modulate gene expression and lead to short- and long-term plant adaptation to the environment. Here, we review recent reports investigating how changes in chromatin composition, structure, and topology modulate gene expression in response to fluctuating light and temperature conditions resulting in developmental and physiological responses.

Let it bloom: cross-talk between light and flowering signaling in Arabidopsis.

The terrestrial environment is complex, with many parameters fluctuating on daily and seasonal basis. Plants, in particular, have developed complex sensory and signaling networks to extract and integrate information about their surroundings in order to maximize their fitness and mitigate some of the detrimental effects of their sessile lifestyles. Light and temperature each provide crucial insights on the surrounding environment and, in combination, allow plants to appropriately develop, grow and adapt.

HISTONE DEACETYLASE 9 stimulates auxin-dependent thermomorphogenesis in by mediating H2A.Z depletion.

Many plant species respond to unfavorable high ambient temperatures by adjusting their vegetative body plan to facilitate cooling. This process is known as thermomorphogenesis and is induced by the phytohormone auxin. Here, we demonstrate that the chromatin-modifying enzyme HISTONE DEACETYLASE 9 (HDA9) mediates thermomorphogenesis but does not interfere with hypocotyl elongation during shade avoidance.

Temporal phosphate gradients reveal diverse acclimation responses in phytoplankton phosphate uptake.

Phytoplankton face environmental nutrient variations that occur in the dynamic upper layers of the ocean. Phytoplankton cells are able to rapidly acclimate to nutrient fluctuations by adjusting their nutrient-uptake system and metabolism. Disentangling these acclimation responses is a critical step in bridging the gap between phytoplankton cellular physiology and community ecology.

Light and temperature shape nuclear architecture and gene expression.

Environmental stimuli play a major role in modulating growth and development throughout the life-cycle of a plant. Quantitative and qualitative variations in light and temperature trigger changes in gene expression that ultimately shape plant morphology for adaptation and survival. Although the phenotypic and transcriptomic basis of plant responses to the constantly changing environment have been examined for decades, the relationship between global changes in nuclear architecture and adaption to environmental stimuli is just being uncovered.

ZINC-FINGER interactions mediate transcriptional regulation of hypocotyl growth in .

Integration of environmental signals and interactions among photoreceptors and transcriptional regulators is key in shaping plant development. TANDEM ZINC-FINGER PLUS3 (TZP) is an integrator of light and photoperiodic signaling that promotes flowering in Here we elucidate the molecular role of TZP as a positive regulator of hypocotyl elongation. We identify an interacting partner for TZP, the transcription factor ZINC-FINGER HOMEODOMAIN 10 (ZFHD10), and characterize its function in coregulating the expression of blue-light-dependent transcriptional regulators and growth-promoting genes.

Ultraviolet Rays Light Up Transcriptional Networks Regulating Plant Growth.

Light and hormones tightly regulate plant growth and development by both synergistic and antagonistic actions. In the current issue of Developmental Cell, Liang et al. (2018) uncover how the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8 mediates inhibition of plant growth via direct interactions with key transcriptional regulators of brassinosteroid signaling.