Final Activity Report Summary - DARK SIGNALING (Dark signaling mechanisms involved in the regulation of the developmental switch from dark to light growth in Arabidopsis seedlings)
The specific objective of this IRG project was to gain insight into the role of the bHLH-type transcription factor PIF3 (for phytochrome-interacting factor 3) as a plant growth regulator. PIF3 interacts with the activated form of the light photoreceptor phytochrome, and it is of critical importance in many aspects of light-regulated plant growth and development. However, its basic mechanism of action remains still largely unknown. Using a combination of (1) microarray analysis to analyse PIF3-regulated expression changes and (2) reverse genetics using mutants of the model plant Arabidopsis, we have identified several PIF3-regulated nuclear factors that are novel regulators of plant growth. This scientific achievement contributes to increase our understanding of how plants work, and further future characterisation of these novel factors will reveal their interactions and their role in the decision-making process of plants to regulate their responses to their environment.