Illuminating the Interconnected Pathways of Growth and Photoresponse in Plants

Abstract

Plants have evolved a range of photoreceptors that enable them to perceive and respond to different wavelengths of light, which in turn regulate various aspects of plant growth and development. However, recent research has revealed that these photoreceptors do not act in isolation but instead interact with each other and with other signaling pathways to coordinate growth responses across different organs of the plant. This phenomenon, known as inter-organ effects, involves the communication and integration of signals from various organs such as leaves, stems, and roots. Understanding the inter-organ effects in the photocontrol of growth is crucial to elucidating the complex signaling networks that govern plant development and to developing strategies to optimize plant growth and productivity. In this review, we highlight recent advances in our understanding of inter-organ effects in the photocontrol of growth and discuss the implications of this knowledge for improving agricultural yields and sustainability. The presence of non-green plastids (etioplasts), which are typically found in chloroplast-containing plant tissues, is a common indicator of the state of etiolation. Etiolation occurs in tandem with a process of growth known as skotomorphogenesis in the widely used dark-grown seedling system. In reaction to illumination, de-etiolation occurs, which is demonstrated by the transition from etioplast to chloroplast therefore, at the seedlings level, a change to photomorphogenic development. It is crucial to comprehend the etiolation and de-etiolation processes in order to comprehend how physiological capability develops over chloroplast biogenesis in addition to how plants react to sunlight, which is the most significant signal for an organism's survival and growth.