It has been reported that Arabidopsis phytochrome (phy) A and phyB are crucial photoreceptors that display synergistic and antagonistic action during seedling de-etiolation in multiple light signaling pathways. However, the functional relationship between phyA and phyB is not fully understood under different kinds of light and in response to different intensities of such light. In this work, we compared hypocotyl elongation of the phyA-211 phyB-9 double mutant with the wild type, the phyA-211 and phyB-9 single mutants under different intensities of far-red (FR), red (R), blue (B) and white (W) light. We confirmed that phyA and phyB synergistically promote seedling de-etiolation in B-, B plus R-, W- and high R-light conditions. The correlation of endogenous ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL 5 (HY5) protein levels with the trend of hypocotyl elongation of all lines indicate that both phyA and phyB promote seedling photomorphogenesis in a synergistic manner in high-irradiance white light. Gene expression analyses of RBCS members and HY5 suggest that phyB and phyA act antagonistically on seedling development under FR light.

In Arabidopsis, phytochrome (phy) A, phyB, and cryptochrome 1 (cry1) are representative far‐red, red, and blue light photoreceptors, respectively. Members of the SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA‐105 (SPA) protein family (SPA1–SPA4) form E3 ubiquitin ligase complexes with CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1 (COP1), which mediates the degradation of photomorphogenesis‐promoting factors to desensitize light signaling. SPA2 has been reported to promote seedling etiolation in the dark. However, the unique roles of SPA2 and its three functional domains in suppressing photomorphogenesis under different light conditions are largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that overexpression of the full‐length or the central coiled‐coil and C‐terminal WD‐repeat domains of SPA2 cause hyper‐etiolation phenotypes under several light conditions. The SPA2 central coiled‐coil and C‐terminal WD‐repeat domains are necessary and sufficient for repressing seedling de‐etiolation, cotyledon unfolding, and promoting hypocotyl negative gravitropism under several light conditions. Furthermore, phyA, phyB, cry1, and COP1 repress protein accumulation or nuclear translocation of SPA2 through direct interactions with its kinase‐like and coiled‐coil domains located in the N‐terminus in response to far‐red, red, and blue light treatments, respectively. Taken together, our results demonstrate that SPA2 functions under multiple light conditions; moreover, light‐activated photoreceptors rapidly suppress SPA2 activity via direct interactions in response to different light treatments.

The phytochrome gene family, which is in Arabidopsis thaliana, consists of phytochromes A-E (phyA to phyE), regulates plant responses to ambient light environments. PhyA and phyB have been characterized in detail, but studies on phyC to phyE have reported discrepant functions. In this study, we show that phyD regulates the Arabidopsis gravitropic response by inhibiting negative gravitropism of hypocotyls under red light condition. PhyD had only a limited effect on the gravitropic response of roots in red light condition. PhyD also enhanced phyB-regulated gravitropic responses in hypocotyls. Moreover, the regulation of hypocotyl gravitropic responses by phyD was dependent upon the red light fluence rate.

Phosphate (Pi) deficiency in soil can have severe impacts on the growth, development, and production of maize worldwide. In this study, a cDNA‐sequence‐related amplified polymorphism (cDNA‐SRAP) transcript profiling technique was used to evaluate the gene expression in leaves and roots of maize under Pi stress for seven days. A total of 2494 differentially expressed fragments (DEFs) were identified in response to Pi starvation with 1202 and 1292 DEFs in leaves and roots, respectively, using a total of 60 primer pairs in the cDNA‐SRAP analysis. These DEFs were categorized into 13 differential gene expression patterns. Results of sequencing and functional analysis showed that 63 DEFs (33 in leaves and 30 in roots) were annotated to a total of 54 genes involved in diverse groups of biological pathways, including metabolism, photosynthesis, signal transduction, transcription, transport, cellular processes, genetic information, and organismal system. This study demonstrated that (1) the cDNA‐SRAP transcriptomic profiling technique is a powerful method to analyze differential gene expression in maize showing advantageous features among several transcriptomic methods; (2) maize undergoes a complex adaptive process in response to low Pi stress; and (3) a total of seven differentially expressed genes were identified in response to low Pi stress in leaves or roots of maize and could be used in the genetic modification of maize.