植物生物钟及其调控生长发育的研究进展

Deciphering the Underlying Mechanism of the Plant Circadian System and Its Regulation on Plant Growth and Development

作为植物细胞内部的授时机制,生物钟系统主要包括信号输入、核心振荡器和信号输出3个主要部分。该系统通过感受外界光照和温度等环境因子的昼夜周期性变化动态,协调植物生长发育、代谢与生理反应,赋予植物对生存环境的适应性。植物生物钟系统的核心振荡器通过多层级调控复杂的下游信号转导网络来参与调节植物生长发育及对生物与非生物胁迫的适应性。该文概述了近年来生物钟核心振荡器及其调控植物生长发育过程诸方面的研究进展,并初步提出了植物时间生物学研究领域一些亟待解决的科学问题,以期为生物钟领域的研究成果在作物分子育种方面的利用提供理论借鉴。

The plant circadian system mostly includes input pathways, a core oscillator and output pathways to sense and anticipate the timing cues of the environment to optimize plant growth and fitness. As the cellular core coordinating system, the plant circadian system can sense the daily recurring light and temperature dynamics to coordinate the metabolism and multiple physiology processes, providing an adaptive advantage for plant growth and development. The core circadian oscillator regulates multiple complex downstream networks at various levels. Here, we summarize recent major research progress in deciphering the underlying mechanisms of the core oscillator and its regulatory networks. We also highlight a few fundamental questions needing to be resolved.