Phytochrome-mediated development in land plants: red light sensing evolves to meet the challenges of changing light environments

Brassicaceae phylogeny inferred from phytochrome A and ndhF sequence data: tribes and trichomes revisited

The family Brassicaceae comprises 3710 species in 338 genera, 25 recently delimited tribes, and three major lineages based on phylogenetic results from the chloroplast gene ndhF. To assess the credibility of the lineages and newly delimited tribes, we sequenced an approximately 1.8-kb region of the nuclear phytochrome A (PHYA) gene for taxa previously sampled for the chloroplast gene ndhF. Using parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian methods, we reconstructed the phylogeny of the gene and used the approximately unbiased (AU) test to compare phylogenetic results from PHYA with findings from ndhF. We also combined ndhF and PHYA data and used a Bayesian mixed model approach to infer phylogeny. PHYA and combined analyses recovered the same three large lineages as those recovered in ndhF trees, increasing confidence in these lineages. The combined tree confirms the monophyly of most of the recently delimited tribes (only Alysseae, Anchonieae, and Descurainieae are not monophyletic), while 13 of the 23 sampled tribes are monophyletic in PHYA trees. In addition to phylogenetic results, we documented the trichome branching morphology of species across the phylogeny and explored the evolution of different trichome morphologies using the AU test. Our results indicate that dendritic, medifixed, and stellate trichomes likely evolved independently several times in the Brassicaceae.

The phytochrome red/far-red photoreceptor superfamily

The phytochrome protein superfamily reveals a diversity of mechanisms of action.

Proteins of the phytochrome superfamily of red/far-red light receptors have a variety of biological roles in plants, algae, bacteria and fungi and demonstrate a diversity of spectral sensitivities and output signaling mechanisms. Over the past few years the first three-dimensional structures of phytochrome light-sensing domains from bacteria have been determined.

FHY1 mediates nuclear import of the light-activated phytochrome A photoreceptor

The phytochrome (phy) family of photoreceptors is of crucial importance throughout the life cycle of higher plants. Light-induced nuclear import is required for most phytochrome responses. Nuclear accumulation of phyA is dependent on two related proteins called FHY1 (Far-red elongated HYpocotyl 1) and FHL (FHY1 Like), with FHY1 playing the predominant function. The transcription of FHY1 and FHL are controlled by FHY3 (Far-red elongated HYpocotyl 3) and FAR1 (FAr-red impaired Response 1), a related pair of transcription factors, which thus indirectly control phyA nuclear accumulation. FHY1 and FHL preferentially interact with the light-activated form of phyA, but the mechanism by which they enable photoreceptor accumulation in the nucleus remains unsolved. Sequence comparison of numerous FHY1-related proteins indicates that only the NLS located at the N-terminus and the phyA-interaction domain located at the C-terminus are conserved. We demonstrate that these two parts of FHY1 are sufficient for FHY1 function. phyA nuclear accumulation is inhibited in the presence of high levels of FHY1 variants unable to enter the nucleus. Furthermore, nuclear accumulation of phyA becomes light- and FHY1-independent when an NLS sequence is fused to phyA, strongly suggesting that FHY1 mediates nuclear import of light-activated phyA. In accordance with this idea, FHY1 and FHY3 become functionally dispensable in seedlings expressing a constitutively nuclear version of phyA. Our data suggest that the mechanism uncovered in Arabidopsis is conserved in higher plants. Moreover, this mechanism allows us to propose a model explaining why phyA needs a specific nuclear import pathway.

PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE4 modulates phytochrome-mediated control of hypocotyl growth orientation

Gravity and light are major factors shaping plant growth. Light perceived by phytochromes leads to seedling deetiolation, which includes the deviation from vertical hypocotyl growth and promotes hypocotyl phototropism. These light responses enhance survival of young seedlings during their emergence from the soil. The PHYTOCHROME KINASE SUBSTRATE (PKS) family is composed of four members in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana): PKS1 to PKS4. Here we show that PKS4 is a negative regulator of both phytochrome A- and B-mediated inhibition of hypocotyl growth and promotion of cotyledon unfolding. Most prominently, pks4 mutants show abnormal phytochrome-modulated hypocotyl growth orientation. In dark-grown seedlings hypocotyls change from the original orientation defined by seed position to the upright orientation defined by gravity and light reduces the magnitude of this shift. In older seedlings with the hypocotyls already oriented by gravity, light promotes the deviation from vertical orientation. Based on the characterization of pks4 mutants we propose that PKS4 inhibits changes in growth orientation under red or far-red light. Our data suggest that in these light conditions PKS4 acts as an inhibitor of asymmetric growth. This hypothesis is supported by the phenotype of PKS4 overexpressers. Together with previous findings, these results indicate that the PKS family plays important functions during light-regulated tropic growth responses.

PKS1 plays a role in red-light-based positive phototropism in roots

Aerial parts of plants curve towards the light (i.e. positive phototropism), and roots typically grow away from the light (i.e. negative phototropism). In addition, Arabidopsis roots exhibit positive phototropism relative to red light (RL), and this response is mediated by phytochromes A and B (phyA and phyB). Upon light stimulation, phyA and phyB interact with the phytochrome kinase substrate (PKS1) in the cytoplasm. In this study, we investigated the role of PKS1, along with phyA and phyB, in the positive phototropic responses to RL in roots. Using a high-resolution feedback system, we studied the phenotypic responses of roots of phyA, phyB, pks1, phyA pks1 and phyB pks1 null mutants as well as the PKS1-overexpressing line in response to RL. PKS1 emerged as an intermediary in the signalling pathways and appears to promote a negative curvature to RL in roots. In addition, phyA and phyB were both essential for a positive response to RL and act in a complementary fashion. However, either photoreceptor acting without the other results in negative curvature in response to red illumination so that the mode of action differs depending on whether phyA and phyB act independently or together. Our results suggest that PKS1 is part of a signalling pathway independent of phyA and phyB and that PKS1 modulates RL-based root phototropism.

DNA transposons and the evolution of eukaryotic genomes

Transposable elements are mobile genetic units that exhibit broad diversity in their structure and transposition mechanisms. Transposable elements occupy a large fraction of many eukaryotic genomes and their movement and accumulation represent a major force shaping the genes and genomes of almost all organisms. This review focuses on DNA-mediated or class 2 transposons and emphasizes how this class of elements is distinguished from other types of mobile elements in terms of their structure, amplification dynamics, and genomic effect. We provide an up-to-date outlook on the diversity and taxonomic distribution of all major types of DNA transposons in eukaryotes, including Helitrons and Mavericks. We discuss some of the evolutionary forces that influence their maintenance and diversification in various genomic environments. Finally, we highlight how the distinctive biological features of DNA transposons have contributed to shape genome architecture and led to the emergence of genetic innovations in different eukaryotic lineages.

Paths through the phytochrome network

Since the discovery of the physical interaction between phytochrome B and the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor (TF) PIF3 a decade ago, plant phytochrome-signalling research has largely focused on understanding the mechanisms through which phytochromes and members of this bHLH family signal. This concerted effort has revealed how phytochrome and bHLH TF control gene expression and plant growth, and has assigned precise roles to a number of genes in the PIF3-like bHLH TF clade. This work has focused largely on cell autonomous signalling events; however, to synchronize plant growth and developmental events at the tissue and organ level, temporal and spatial signal integration is crucial. This review brings together current knowledge of phytochrome signalling through phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs)/phytochrome-interacting factor-like (PILs), and it evaluates the current evidence for cross-tissue signal integration.

SOMNUS, a CCCH-type zinc finger protein in Arabidopsis, negatively regulates light-dependent seed germination downstream of PIL5

Light absorbed by seed phytochromes of Arabidopsis thaliana modulates abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellic acid (GA) signaling pathways at least partly via PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR3-LIKE5 (PIL5), a phytochrome-interacting basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor. Here, we report a new mutant, somnus (som), that germinates in darkness, independently of various light regimens. SOM encodes a nucleus-localized CCCH-type zinc finger protein. The som mutant has lower levels of ABA and elevated levels of GA due to expressional changes in ABA and GA metabolic genes. Unlike PIL5, however, SOM does not regulate the expression of GA-INSENSITIVE and REPRESSOR OF GA1 (RGA/RGA1), two DELLA genes encoding GA negative signaling components. Our in vivo analysis shows that PIL5 activates the expression of SOM by binding directly to its promoter, suggesting that PIL5 regulates ABA and GA metabolic genes partly through SOM. In agreement with these results, we also observed that the reduced germination frequency of a PIL5 overexpression line is rescued by the som mutation and that this rescue is accompanied by expressional changes in ABA and GA metabolic genes. Taken together, our results indicate that SOM is a component in the phytochrome signal transduction pathway that regulates hormone metabolic genes downstream of PIL5 during seed germination.

Phytochrome-mediated light signaling in plants: emerging trends

Phytochromes maximally absorb in the red and far-red region of the solar spectrum and play a key role in regulating plant growth and development. Our understanding of the phytochrome-mediated light perception and signal transduction has improved dramatically during the past decade. However, some recent findings challenge a few of the well-accepted earlier models regarding phytochrome structure and function. Identification of a serine/threonine specific protein phosphatase 2A (FyPP) and a type 5 protein phosphatases (PAPP5), and the phytochrome-mediated phosphorylation of phytochrome interacting factor 3 (PIF3), auxin inducible genes (Aux/IAA) and cryptochromes have opened new vistas in phytochrome biology. Importantly, the significance of proteolysis and chromatin-remodeling pathways in phytochrome signaling is becoming more apparent. The emerging concept of phytochrome as a master regulator in orchestrating downstream signaling components has become more convincing with the advent of global expression profiling of genes. Upcoming data also provide fresh insights into the nuclear localization, speckle formation, nucleo-cytoplasmic partitioning and organ-specificity aspects of phytochromes. This article highlights recent advances in phytochrome biology with emphasis on the elucidation of novel components of light signal transduction.

Decoding of light signals by plant phytochromes and their interacting proteins

Phytochromes are red/far-red light photoreceptors that convert the information contained in external light into biological signals. The decoding process starts with the perception of red light, which occurs through photoisomerization of a chromophore located within the phytochrome, leading to structural changes that include the disruption of intramolecular interactions between the N- and C-terminal domains of the phytochrome. This disruption exposes surfaces required for interactions with other proteins. In contrast, the perception of far-red light reverses the photoisomerization, restores the intramolecular interaction, and closes the interacting surfaces. Light information represented by the concentration of opened interacting surfaces is converted into biological signals through the modulating activity of interacting proteins. This review summarizes plant phytochromes, phytochrome-interacting proteins, and signal transmission from phytochromes to their interacting proteins.

A rice phytochrome A in Arabidopsis: The Role of the N-terminus under red and far-red light

The phytochrome (phy)A and phyB photoreceptors mediate three photobiological response modes in plants; whereas phyA can mediate the very-low-fluence response (VLFR), the high-irradiance response (HIR) and, to some extent, the low fluence response (LFR), phyB and other type II phytochromes only mediate the LFR. To investigate to what level a rice phyA can complement for Arabidopsis phyA or phyB function and to evaluate the role of the serine residues in the first 20 amino acids of the N-terminus of phyA, we examined VLFR, LFR, and HIR responses in phyB and phyAphyB mutant plants transformed with rice PHYA cDNA or a mutant rice PHYA cDNA in which the first 10 serine residues were mutated to alanines (phyA SA). Utilizing mutants without endogenous phyB allowed the evaluation of red-light-derived responses sensed by the rice phyA. In summary, the WT rice phyA could complement VLFR and LFR responses such as inhibition of hypocotyl elongation under pulses of FR or continuous R light, induction of flowering and leaf expansion, whereas the phyA SA was more specific for HIR responses (e.g. inhibition of hypocotyl elongation and anthocyanin accumulation under continuous far-red light). As the N-terminal serines can no longer be phosphorylated in the phyA SA mutant, this suggests a role for phosphorylation discriminating between the different phyA-dependent responses. The efficacy of the rice phyA expressed in Arabidopsis was dependent upon the developmental age of the plants analyzed and on the physiological response, suggesting a stage-dependent downstream modulation of phytochrome signaling.

Light-independent phytochrome signaling mediated by dominant GAF domain tyrosine mutants of Arabidopsis phytochromes in transgenic plants

The photoreversibility of plant phytochromes enables continuous surveillance of the ambient light environment. Through expression of profluorescent, photoinsensitive Tyr-to-His mutant alleles of Arabidopsis thaliana phytochrome B (PHYB(Y276H)) and Arabidopsis phytochrome A (PHYA(Y242H)) in transgenic Arabidopsis plants, we demonstrate that photoconversion is not a prerequisite for phytochrome signaling. PHYB(Y276H)-expressing plants exhibit chromophore-dependent constitutive photomorphogenesis, light-independent phyB(Y276H) nuclear localization, constitutive activation of genes normally repressed in darkness, and light-insensitive seed germination. Fluence rate analyses of transgenic plants expressing PHYB(Y276H), PHYA(Y242H), and other Y(GAF) mutant alleles of PHYB demonstrate that a range of altered light-signaling activities are associated with mutation of this residue. We conclude that the universally conserved GAF domain Tyr residue, with which the bilin chromophore is intimately associated, performs a critical role in coupling light perception to signal transduction by plant phytochromes.