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Circadian clock component, LHY, tells a plant when to respond photosynthetically to light in nature
Author(s) -
Joo Youngsung,
Fragoso Variluska,
Yon Felipe,
Baldwin Ian T.,
Kim SangGyu
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
journal of integrative plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.734
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1744-7909
pISSN - 1672-9072
DOI - 10.1111/jipb.12547
Subject(s) - dusk , photosynthesis , biology , circadian clock , photoperiodism , botany , photosynthetically active radiation , plant physiology , circadian rhythm , ecology , neuroscience
The circadian clock is known to increase plant growth and fitness, and is thought to prepare plants for photosynthesis at dawn and dusk; whether this happens in nature was unknown. We transformed the native tobacco, Nicotiana attenuata to silence two core clock components, NaLHY (irLHY) and NaTOC1 (irTOC1). We characterized growth and light‐ and dark‐adapted photosynthetic rates ( A c ) throughout a 24 h day in empty vector‐transformed (EV), irLHY, and irTOC1 plants in the field, and in NaPhyA‐ and NaPhyB1‐silenced plants in the glasshouse. The growth rates of irLHY plants were lower than those of EV plants in the field. While irLHY plants reduced A c earlier at dusk, no differences between irLHY and EV plants were observed at dawn in the field. irLHY, but not EV plants, responded to light in the night by rapidly increasing A c . Under controlled conditions, EV plants rapidly increased A c in the day compared to dark‐adapted plants at night; irLHY plants lost these time‐dependent responses. The role of NaLHY in gating photosynthesis is independent of the light‐dependent reactions and red light perceived by NaPhyA, but not NaPhyB1. In summary, the circadian clock allows plants not to respond photosynthetically to light at night by anticipating and gating red light‐mediated in native tobacco.