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Special Issue "Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light"

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A special issue of International Journal of Molecular Sciences (ISSN 1422-0067). This special issue belongs to the section "Molecular Plant Sciences".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (28 September 2023) | Viewed by 6101

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Prof. Dr. Qichang Yang

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Guest Editor

Institute of Urban Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences (IUA-CAAS), Chengdu, China
Interests: vertical farming; plant factory; LED lighting; greenhouse horticulture; energy use efficiency; environmental control
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Prof. Dr. Byoung Ryong Jeong

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Guest Editor

Department of Horticulture, Division of Applied Life Science, Graduate School, Gyeongsang National University (GNU), Jinju 52828, Republic of Korea
Interests: floriculture; transplants (micropropagated and plug); silicon in horticulture; plant factory; protected horticulture; hydroponics
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The absorption of light energy by the plant is the basis for photosynthesis, and growth and development. However, different photoreceptors in the plant specifically recognize different wavelengths of light signals to regulate growth and development. Hence, light can be manipulated for the purpose of controlling many aspects of the plants including flowering and photomorphogenesis. In addition to natural light, the significant development and wide applications of artificial lighting systems, such as fluorescent, high-pressure sodium and metal halide lamps, and even light-emitting diodes, are used as supplemental or sole sources of light for varied purposes. As opposed to the natural sunlight which provides a whole range of light spectrum, artificial lights contain limited range of spectrum and therefore, the composition of the spectrum can be added on to accomplish the desired efficacy. The light can now be used in plant tissue culture, promotion of growth and development nursery plants, photoperiodic control of flowering, and enhancing horticultural productivity in greenhouses and plant factories. As researchers have put various effort to reveal the roles of light in the plant for a long period of time, more and more underlying mechanisms at cellular and molecular levels are revealed, making this as one of the most interesting research topics in current plant science.

In this special issue, we would like to invite authors to publish original research papers and critical reviews on ‘Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light’. Although it is not exclusive, the focus will be on expression of genes, biosynthesis of metabolites and antioxidants, resistance to stresses, photomorphogenesis, photoperiodic responses, and nutrient uptake of plants in response to light.

Prof. Dr. Qichang Yang
Prof. Dr. Byoung Ryong Jeong
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. International Journal of Molecular Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. There is an Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal. For details about the APC please see here. Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

celluar mechanism
light
molecular mechanism
plant growth, Plant development
gene expression
primary and secondary metabolites
photomorphogenesis
photoperiod response
stress resistance
nutrient uptake

Published Papers (6 papers)

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Open AccessArticle

Integrated Analysis of Morphological, Physiological, Anatomical and Molecular Responses of Cassava Seedlings to Different Light Qualities

and

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(18), 14224; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241814224 - 18 Sep 2023

Viewed by 246

Abstract

Light quality is highly important for growth control of in vitro plant cultures. Here, we investigated the effect of blue light (BL), red light (RL) and combined red and blue light (RBL) on in vitro cassava growth. Our results indicate that RL facilitated radial elongation of cassava and increased stomatal conductance as well as glucose, sucrose, fructose and starch content in leaves and cellulose content in the stem. It also enhanced SOD and POD activities but decreased the stomatal density and chlorophyll and carotenoid content in leaves. In addition, RL leads to shorter palisade cells, denser chloroplasts and more starch granules. These phenotypic changes were inverted following BL treatment. The expression levels of photosynthesis-related genes MeLHCA1, MeLHCA3, MePSB27-2, MePSBY, MePETE1 and MePNSL2 in leaves were at their lowest following RL treatment, while the expression levels of MePSB27-2, MePSBY, MePETE1 and MePNSL2 were at their highest after BL treatment. The phenotypic changes after RBL treatment were between the values observed for the RL and BL treatments alone. Moreover, the responses of SC8 and SC9 cassava varieties to light quality were largely conserved. As such, we believe that the results of this study lay the foundation for controlling the in vitro growth of cassava seedlings by light quality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light)

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Open AccessArticle

XAANTAL1 Reveals an Additional Level of Flowering Regulation in the Shoot Apical Meristem in Response to Light and Increased Temperature in Arabidopsis

Mónica Rodríguez-Bolaños

María de la Paz Sanchez

Elena R. Álvarez-Buylla

and

Berenice García-Ponce

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(16), 12773; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms241612773 - 14 Aug 2023

Viewed by 422

Abstract

Light and photoperiod are environmental signals that regulate flowering transition. In plants like Arabidopsis thaliana, this regulation relies on CONSTANS, a transcription factor that is negatively posttranslational regulated by phytochrome B during the morning, while it is stabilized by PHYA and cryptochromes 1/2 at the end of daylight hours. CO induces the expression of FT, whose protein travels from the leaves to the apical meristem, where it binds to FD to regulate some flowering genes. Although PHYB delays flowering, we show that light and PHYB positively regulate XAANTAL1 and other flowering genes in the shoot apices. Also, the genetic data indicate that XAL1 and FD participate in the same signaling pathway in flowering promotion when plants are grown under a long-day photoperiod at 22 °C. By contrast, XAL1 functions independently of FD or PIF4 to induce flowering at higher temperatures (27 °C), even under long days. Furthermore, XAL1 directly binds to FD, SOC1, LFY, and AP1 promoters. Our findings lead us to propose that light and temperature influence the floral network at the meristem level in a partially independent way of the signaling generated from the leaves. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light)

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Open AccessArticle

Light Quality and Sucrose-Regulated Detached Ripening of Strawberry with Possible Involvement of Abscisic Acid and Auxin Signaling

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5681; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065681 - 16 Mar 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 805

Abstract

The regulation of detached ripening is significant for prolonging fruit shelf life. Although light quality and sucrose affecting strawberry fruit ripening have been widely reported, little information is available about how they co-regulate the strawberry detached ripening process. In this study, different light qualities (red light—RL, blue light—BL, and white light—WL) and 100 mM sucrose were applied to regulate the ripening of initial red fruits detached from the plant. The results showed RL-treated samples (RL + H₂O, RL + 100 mM sucrose) had brighter and purer skin color with a higher L*, b*, and C* value, and promoted the ascorbic acid. Almost all light treatments significantly decreased TSS/TA (total soluble solid/titratable acid) and soluble sugar/TA ratio, which is exacerbated by the addition of sucrose. Blue or red light in combination with sucrose notably increased total phenolic content and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) accumulation. In addition, blue or red light combined with sucrose increased abscisic acid (ABA) content and promoted ABA signaling by inducing ABA-INSENSITIVE 4 (ABI4) expression and inhibiting SUCROSE NONFERMENTING1-RELATED PROTEIN KINASE 2.6 (SnRK2.6) expression. The strawberries exposed to blue and red light significantly improved auxin (IAA) content compared to the control (0 d), whereas the addition of sucrose inhibited IAA accumulation. Moreover, sucrose treatment suppressed the AUXIN/INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID 11 (AUX/IAA11) and AUXIN RESPONSE FACTOR 6 (ARF6) expression under different light qualities. Overall, these results indicated that RL/BL + 100 mM sucrose might promote the detached ripening of strawberries by regulating abscisic acid and auxin signaling. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light)

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Open AccessArticle

Effects of Light Intensity on Physiological Characteristics and Expression of Genes in Coumarin Biosynthetic Pathway of Angelica dahurica

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(24), 15912; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232415912 - 14 Dec 2022

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 940

Abstract

Plants are affected by changes in light and adaptation mechanisms can affect secondary metabolite synthesis. In this study, the physiological response and regulation of the coumarin biosynthetic pathway of Angelica dahurica to different light intensities (natural light (CK), shade rate 50% (L1), shade rate 70% (L2), and shade rate 90% (L3)) were examined. The chlorophyll content, level of the enzymes of the antioxidant system, extent of lipid peroxidation, and concentrations of the osmoregulatory solute levels were determined in potted plants. Root transcriptome under different light intensities was sequenced using high-throughput technology, and differentially expressed genes (DEGs) related to coumarin biosynthesis were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). With increasing shade, Chl a, Chl b, Chl a + b, and Chl a/b content increased, while the Chl a/b ratio decreased. The antioxidant enzyme system activity and extent of membrane lipid peroxidation increased. The soluble protein (SP) and proline (Pro) content decreased with the reduction in the light intensity, and soluble sugar (SS) content was found to be highest at 50% shade. The RNA-seq analysis showed that 9388 genes were differentially expressed in the L3 group (7561 were upregulated and 1827 were downregulated). In both the L1 and L2 groups, DEGs were significantly enriched in “Ribosome biosynthesis”; meanwhile, in the L3 group, the DEGs were significantly enriched in “Amino and ribonucleotide sugar metabolism” in KEGG metabolic pathway analysis. Additionally, 4CL (TRINITY_DN40230_c0_g2) and COMT (TRINITY_DN21272_c0_g1) of the phenylpropanoid metabolic pathway were significantly downregulated in the L3 group. In conclusion, A. dahurica grew best under 50% shade and the secondary-metabolite coumarin biosynthetic pathway was inhibited by 90% shade, affecting the yield and quality of medicinal compounds. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light)

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Open AccessArticle

Physiological and Transcriptomic Analysis Revealed the Molecular Mechanism of Pinus koraiensis Responses to Light

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2022, 23(21), 13608; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms232113608 - 06 Nov 2022

Viewed by 1023

Abstract

Korean pine (Pinus koraiensis Sieb. et Zucc.), as the main tree species in northeast China, has important economic and ecological values. Currently, supplementary light has been widely used in plant cultivation projects. However, the studies about different supplementary light sources on the growth and development of Korean pine are few. In this study, the one with no supplementary light was used as the control, and two kinds of light sources were set up: light-emitting diode (LED) and incandescent lamp, to supplement light treatment of Korean pine. The spectrum and intensity of these two light sources were different. The results showed that the growth and physiological–biochemical indicators were significantly different under different supplementary light treatments. The biomass of supplementary light treatment was significantly lower than the control. Compared with the control, IAA and GA were lower, and JA, ABA, ZT, and ETH were higher under supplementary light conditions. Photosynthetic parameters in supplementary light conditions were significantly lower than the control. Supplemental light induces chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, total chlorophyll, and carotenoid accumulation. From RNA-seq data, differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were observed in all the comparison groups, and there were 487 common DEGs. The expression levels of DEGs encoding transcription factors were also changed. According to GO and KEGG analysis, the plant hormone signal transduction, circadian rhythm-plant, and flavonoid biosynthesis pathways were the most enriched. These results provided a theoretical basis for the response of Korean pine to different supplementary lights. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light)

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Open AccessReview

The Role of Light-Regulated Auxin Signaling in Root Development

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Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2023, 24(6), 5253; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms24065253 - 09 Mar 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1536

Abstract

The root is an important organ for obtaining nutrients and absorbing water and carbohydrates, and it depends on various endogenous and external environmental stimulations such as light, temperature, water, plant hormones, and metabolic constituents. Auxin, as an essential plant hormone, can mediate rooting under different light treatments. Therefore, this review focuses on summarizing the functions and mechanisms of light-regulated auxin signaling in root development. Some light-response components such as phytochromes (PHYs), cryptochromes (CRYs), phototropins (PHOTs), phytochrome-interacting factors (PIFs) and constitutive photo-morphorgenic 1 (COP1) regulate root development. Moreover, light mediates the primary root, lateral root, adventitious root, root hair, rhizoid, and seminal and crown root development via the auxin signaling transduction pathway. Additionally, the effect of light through the auxin signal on root negative phototropism, gravitropism, root greening and the root branching of plants is also illustrated. The review also summarizes diverse light target genes in response to auxin signaling during rooting. We conclude that the mechanism of light-mediated root development via auxin signaling is complex, and it mainly concerns in the differences in plant species, such as barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), changes of transcript levels and endogenous IAA content. Hence, the effect of light-involved auxin signaling on root growth and development is definitely a hot issue to explore in the horticultural studies now and in the future. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of Plant Responses to Light)

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