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MicroRNA156 conditions auxin sensitivity to enable growth plasticity in response to environmental changes in Arabidopsis.

Qing SangLusheng FanTianxiang LiuYongjian QiuJuan DuBeixin MoMeng ChenXuemei Chen
Published in: Nature communications (2023)
MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play diverse roles in plant development, but whether and how miRNAs participate in thermomorphogenesis remain ambiguous. Here we show that HYPONASTIC LEAVES 1 (HYL1)-a key component of miRNA biogenesis-acts downstream of the thermal regulator PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 in the temperature-dependent plasticity of hypocotyl growth in Arabidopsis. A hyl1-2 suppressor screen identified a dominant dicer-like1 allele that rescues hyl1-2's defects in miRNA biogenesis and thermoresponsive hypocotyl elongation. Genome-wide miRNA and transcriptome analysis revealed microRNA156 (miR156) and its target SQUAMOSA PROMOTER-BINDING-PROTEIN-LIKE 9 (SPL9) to be critical regulators of thermomorphogenesis. Surprisingly, perturbation of the miR156/SPL9 module disengages seedling responsiveness to warm temperatures by impeding auxin sensitivity. Moreover, miR156-dependent auxin sensitivity also operates in the shade avoidance response at lower temperatures. Thus, these results unveil the miR156/SPL9 module as a previously uncharacterized genetic circuit that enables plant growth plasticity in response to environmental temperature and light changes.
Keyphrases
  • cell proliferation
  • long non coding rna
  • transcription factor
  • plant growth
  • long noncoding rna
  • genome wide
  • dna methylation
  • binding protein
  • arabidopsis thaliana
  • gene expression
  • mouse model
  • cell wall
  • single cell