Integration of UV-B and temperature signalling in plants

光和温度是调节植物生长发育的两个重要信号。热形态建成（对环境温度非胁迫变化的发育适应）是植物生物学中迅速发展的领域，直接应用于气候变化中的作物生产力，生态学和生物多样性管理。虽然红/蓝光感受器和高温信号通路之间的相互作用已经确定，UV-B和高温信号的整合仍然很差的特点。在阳光下生长的植物中，叶片温度随着UV-B的吸收而增加。与实地情况相反，大多数植物科学是在温室和生长柜中进行的，在这些条件下，植物很少或根本没有暴露于UV-B。因此，了解UV-B和高温信号是如何整合的，是我们理解植物在自然环境中的发育的核心。我们最近发表的工作已经确定了一种新的分子机制，通过这种机制，UV-B被UVR 8感光器感知，抑制高温诱导的茎伸长。这为植物在明亮的阳光下提供了重要的制动机制，防止可能导致倒伏和生物量严重减少的过度茎生长。拟议的计划将建立在这些发现的基础上，以获得更深入的分子理解UV-B和温度信号串扰。特别是，我们希望了解UV-B如何调节转录因子PIF 4的转录丰度和蛋白质活性。我们的研究结果将与现有的工业合作直接相关，旨在通过UV-B补充减少商业园艺中的茎伸长。

Light and temperature are two of the most important signals regulating plant development. Thermomorphogenesis (developmental adaptation to non-stressful changes in ambient temperature) is a rapidly expanding field in plant biology with direct applications to crop productivity, ecology and biodiversity management in a changing climate. Although interactions between red/blue photoreceptors and high temperature signalling pathways have been identified, the integration of UV-B and high temperature signalling remains poorly characterised. In sunlight-grown plants, leaf temperature increases concomitantly with UV-B absorption. In contrast to the situation in the field, the majority of plant science is carried out in glasshouses and growth cabinets, conditions in which plants are exposed to little or no UV-B. Understanding how UV-B and high temperature signals are integrated is therefore central to our understanding of plant development in natural environments.Our recently published work has identified a novel molecular mechanism through which UV-B, perceived by the UVR8 photoreceptor, inhibits high temperature-induced stem elongation. This provides plants with an important braking mechanism in bright sunlight, preventing excessive stem growth which could lead to lodging and critical reductions in biomass. The proposed programme will build on these findings to gain deeper molecular understanding of UV-B and temperature signal crosstalk. In particular, we wish to understand how UV-B regulates the transcript abundance and protein activity of the transcription factor, PIF4. Our results will have direct relevance to existing industrial collaborations aiming to reduce stem elongation in commercial horticulture, through UV-B supplementation.