Light Signalling in Plant Developmental Regulation

Abstract

Plants, as sessile organisms, have evolved means to sense, and adapt their development to, the complex and changing environment. Light is one of the most crucial environmental cues, not only as energy for photosynthesis, but also as positional information. Several varied plant photoreceptors capture the different characteristics of light (e.g. colour, intensity, direction, duration) and convert it into cellular and biochemical signals. The extensive molecular interplay between external (e.g. light and temperature) and internal (e.g. phytohormones and circadian clock) signals ensures the high developmental plasticity of plants. This chapter summarizes most information about the molecular mechanisms of light perception, signal transduction and some examples of how it integrates with endogenous cues. Some of the physiological responses commonly studied for analyzing light signalling and some applied aspects of photomorphogenesis research are documented.