title: An Evolutionarily Conserved DOF-CONSTANS Module Controls Plant Photoperiodic Signaling.
abstract: The response to daylength is a crucial process that evolved very early in plant evolution, entitling the early green eukaryote to predict seasonal variability and attune its physiological responses to the environment. The photoperiod responses evolved into the complex signaling pathways that govern the angiosperm floral transition today. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii DNA-Binding with One Finger (CrDOF) gene controls transcription in a photoperiod-dependent manner, and its misexpression influences algal growth and viability. In short days, CrDOF enhances CrCO expression, a homolog of plant CONSTANS (CO), by direct binding to its promoter, while it reduces the expression of cell division genes in long days independently of CrCO. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), transgenic plants overexpressing CrDOF show floral delay and reduced expression of the photoperiodic genes CO and FLOWERING LOCUS T. The conservation of the DOF-CO module during plant evolution could be an important clue to understanding diversification by the inheritance of conserved gene toolkits in key developmental programs.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, Plant Development Unit, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Seville, Spain (E.L.-R., J.M.R., F.V.); andDepartamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Grupo de Investigación en Computación Natural, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain (F.J.R.-C.).
authors.forename: Eva
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4113-2064
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lucas-Reina
authors.affiliation: Institute for Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, Plant Development Unit, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Seville, Spain (E.L.-R., J.M.R., F.V.); andDepartamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Grupo de Investigación en Computación Natural, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain (F.J.R.-C.).
authors.forename: Francisco J
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9834-030X
authors.initials: FJ
authors.lastname: Romero-Campero
authors.affiliation: Institute for Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, Plant Development Unit, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Seville, Spain (E.L.-R., J.M.R., F.V.); andDepartamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Grupo de Investigación en Computación Natural, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain (F.J.R.-C.).
authors.forename: José M
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-4621-5934
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Romero
authors.affiliation: Institute for Plant Biochemistry and Photosynthesis, Plant Development Unit, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas and Universidad de Sevilla, 41092 Seville, Spain (E.L.-R., J.M.R., F.V.); andDepartamento de Ciencias de la Computación e Inteligencia Artificial, Grupo de Investigación en Computación Natural, Universidad de Sevilla, 41012 Seville, Spain (F.J.R.-C.) federico.valverde@ibvf.csic.es.
authors.forename: Federico
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8063-0974
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Valverde
mesh_terms: D017360:Arabidopsis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D002453:Cell Cycle; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development / Q000378:metabolism*; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D017124:Conserved Sequence; D019143:Evolution, Molecular; D035264:Flowers / Q000502:physiology; D020869:Gene Expression Profiling; D018506:Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; D008954:Models, Biological; D017440:Photoperiod; D010802:Phylogeny; D010940:Plant Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D030821:Plants, Genetically Modified; D011485:Protein Binding; D017434:Protein Structure, Tertiary; D015398:Signal Transduction; D014157:Transcription Factors / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D010940:Plant Proteins; D014157:Transcription Factors