Interaction of Light and Temperature Signaling at the Plant Interphase: From Cue to Stress

Light and temperature are two of the most important environmental stimuli regulating plant growth and development. While majority of the studies so far investigated light and temperature signaling in isolation, an understanding of the interaction of the two pathways is essential to generate a holistic view of plant responses to environmental cues. Recent studies have demonstrated significant overlap between the two signaling pathways at the molecular level to optimize plant growth as evident by involvement of phytochromes and downstream transcription factors in both the pathways. Plants respond to limited light availability and high ambient temperature via similar phenotypic response, such as stem elongation. Moreover, the existence of shared signaling components, such as common plant hormones and transcription factors, for the two pathways has also been deciphered. Together, the studies showing a significant overlap between light and temperature signaling cascades at the molecular level that involves an array of transcription factors and phytohormone-related genes suggest a complex cross talk between the two signaling pathways, which is fundamental to plant growth in natural environments.