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Dawn and photoperiod sensing by phytochrome A

View ORCID ProfileDaniel D Seaton, Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz, Akane Kubota, Ashwin Ganpudi, View ORCID ProfileTakato Imaizumi, View ORCID ProfileKaren J Halliday
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/253989
Daniel D Seaton
1SynthSys, School of Biological Sciences, CH Waddington Building, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
4Current address: European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, CB10 1SD, UK
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Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz
2Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, LA1 4YQ, UK
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Akane Kubota
3Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA
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Ashwin Ganpudi
1SynthSys, School of Biological Sciences, CH Waddington Building, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
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Takato Imaizumi
3Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195-1800, USA
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Karen J Halliday
1SynthSys, School of Biological Sciences, CH Waddington Building, University of Edinburgh, EH9 3BF, UK
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Abstract

In plants, light receptors play a pivotal role in photoperiod sensing, enabling them to track seasonal progression. Photoperiod sensing arises from an interaction between the plant’s endogenous circadian oscillator and external light cues. Here, we characterise the role of phytochrome A (phyA) in photoperiod sensing. Our meta-analysis of functional genomic datasets identified phyA as a principal transcriptional regulator of morning-activated genes, specifically in short photoperiods. We demonstrate that PHYA expression is under the direct control of the PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR transcription factors, PIF4 and PIF5. As a result, phyA protein accumulates during the night, especially in short photoperiods. At dawn phyA activation by light results in a burst of gene expression, with consequences for anthocyanin accumulation. The combination of complex regulation of PHYA transcript and the unique molecular properties of phyA protein make this pathway a sensitive detector of both dawn and photoperiod.

Significance statement The changing seasons subject plants to a variety of challenging environments. In order to deal with this, many plants have mechanisms for inferring the season by measuring the duration of daylight in a day. A number of well-known seasonal responses such as flowering are responsive to daylength or photoperiod. Here, we describe how the photoreceptor protein phytochrome A senses short photoperiods. This arises from its accumulation during long nights, as happens during winter, and subsequent activation by light at dawn. As a result of this response, the abundance of red anthocyanin pigments is increased in short photoperiods. Thus, we describe a mechanism underlying a novel seasonal phenotype in an important model plant species.

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted January 25, 2018.
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Dawn and photoperiod sensing by phytochrome A
Daniel D Seaton, Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz, Akane Kubota, Ashwin Ganpudi, Takato Imaizumi, Karen J Halliday
bioRxiv 253989; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/253989
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Dawn and photoperiod sensing by phytochrome A
Daniel D Seaton, Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz, Akane Kubota, Ashwin Ganpudi, Takato Imaizumi, Karen J Halliday
bioRxiv 253989; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/253989

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