Pivotal Roles of the Phytochrome-Interacting Factors in Cryptochrome Signaling

Light, as both energy source and informational signal, profoundly influences plant growth and development during the whole life span from seed germination to flowering. Plant senses light through multiple photoreceptors including the blue/UV-A photoreceptors cryptochromes (CRY, CRY1/2) and phototropins (PHOT, PHOT1/2), the red/far-red photoreceptors phytochromes (PHY, phyA-E), and the UV-B photoreceptor UVR8. In Arabidopsis, both CRY and PHY are involved in mediating light regulation of hypocotyl elongation, cotyledon/leaf expansion, anthocyanin accumulation, flowering, stomatal development, and light entrainment of the circadian clock.