Institute of Agricultural and Nutritional Sciences, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Betty-Heimann Strasse 5, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
Department of Molecular Signal Processing, Leibniz Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Weinberg 3, 06120 Halle (Saale), Germany.
Nat Plants. 2016 Jan 6;2:15190. doi: 10.1038/nplants.2015.190.
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.
温度是控制植物分布和季节性行为的主要因素。由于植物是固定生长的，它们对温度的微小差异非常敏感，并相应地调整其生长和发育。在热应激范围以下，由环境高温引起的一系列形态和结构变化被统称为热形态发生。在气候变化的背景下，了解热形态发生的分子遗传电路特别重要，因为这一知识将是合理培育耐热作物品种的关键。直到最近，温度感知和信号传递的基本机制仍然未知。我们对温度信号的理解正在取得进展，主要是通过利用模式植物拟南芥。转录因子 PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4（PIF4）已成为调节植物激素水平及其活性的关键因素。为了控制热形态发生，有多个调节回路来调节 PIF4 的水平、活性和下游机制。热形态发生受到各种光信号通路、生物钟、表观遗传机制和染色质水平调节的综合控制。在这篇综述中，我们总结了该领域的最新进展，并讨论了拟南芥中出现的新知识如何转移到相关作物系统。
