Phytochromes and shade-avoidance responses in plants.
OBJECTIVE
The ability to detect and respond to the impending threat of shade can confer significant selective advantage to plants growing in natural communities. This Botanical Briefing highlights (a) the regulation of shade-avoidance responses by endogenous and exogenous factors and (b) current understanding of the molecular components involved in red to far-red ratio signal transduction.


METHODS
The Briefing covers: (a) the shade-avoidance syndrome in higher plants; (b) the adaptive significance of shade avoidance in natural light environments; (c) phytochrome regulation of shade-avoidance responses; (d) the role of blue light signals in shade avoidance; (e) gating of rapid shade-avoidance responses by the circadian clock; (f) potential signalling components and future perspectives.
Franklin
Keara A
KA
Department of Biology, University of Leicester, Leicester LE1 7RH, UK.
Whitelam
Garry C
GC
D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D003624:Darkness; D005030:Ethylenes / Q000378:metabolism; D008027:Light; D010834:Phytochrome / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D063245:Plant Development; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000528:radiation effects; D015398:Signal Transduction
D005030:Ethylenes; D010834:Phytochrome; C036216:ethylene