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PMID: 27663772 Published · epublish English Journal Article Review

The Plant Circadian Clock: From a Simple Timekeeper to a Complex Developmental Manager.

Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology ·Vol. 8 ·No. 12 ·2016-12-01

Sanchez SE, Kay SA

Abstract

The plant circadian clock allows organisms to anticipate the predictable changes in the environment by adjusting their developmental and physiological traits. In the last few years, it was determined that responses known to be regulated by the oscillator are also able to modulate clock performance. These feedback loops and their multilayer communications create a complex web, and confer on the clock network a role that exceeds the measurement of time. In this article, we discuss the current knowledge of the wiring of the clock, including the interplay with metabolism, hormone, and stress pathways in the model species Arabidopsis thaliana We outline the importance of this system in crop agricultural traits, highlighting the identification of natural alleles that alter the pace of the timekeeper. We report evidence supporting the understanding of the circadian clock as a master regulator of plant life, and we hypothesize on its relevant role in the adaptability to the environment and the impact on the fitness of most organisms.

MeSH Terms
Arabidopsis/genetics,physiology Circadian Clocks Gene Expression Regulation, Plant Genes, Plant
Authors & Affiliations
2 authors, click to expand affiliations / ORCID
Sanchez Sabrina E
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92093.
Kay Steve A
Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92093.
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Article Info
Journal
Cold Spring Harbor perspectives in biology
Abbr.
Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol
ISSN
1943-0264
DOI
10.1101/cshperspect.a027748
Published
2016-12-01
Epub
2016-00-01
Language
English
Region
United States
NLM ID
101513680
PMCID
PMC5131769
Subset
IM
External Links
PubMed source DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a027748 PMC Full Text View journal details
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