MYB112 connects light and circadian clock signals to promote hypocotyl elongation in Arabidopsis

Abstract

Ambient light and the endogenous circadian clock play key roles in regulating Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedling photomorphogenesis. PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4) acts downstream of both light and the circadian clock to promote hypocotyl elongation. Several members of the R2R3-MYB transcription factor (TF) family, the most common type of MYB TF family in Arabidopsis, have been shown to be involved in regulating photomorphogenesis. Nonetheless, whether R2R3-MYB TFs are involved in connecting the light and clock signaling pathways during seedling photomorphogenesis remains unknown. Here, we report that MYB112, a member of the R2R3-MYB family, acts as a negative regulator of seedling photomorphogenesis in Arabidopsis. The light signal promotes the transcription and protein accumulation of MYB112. myb112 mutants exhibit short hypocotyls in both constant light and diurnal cycles. MYB112 physically interacts with PIF4 to enhance the transcription of PIF4 target genes involved in the auxin pathway, including YUCCA8 (YUC8), INDOLE-3-ACETIC ACID INDUCIBLE 19 (IAA19), and IAA29. Furthermore, MYB112 directly binds to the promoter of LUX ARRHYTHMO (LUX), the central component of clock oscillators, to repress its expression mainly in the afternoon and relieve LUX-inhibited expression of PIF4. Genetic evidence confirms that LUX acts downstream of MYB112 in regulating hypocotyl elongation. Thus, the enhanced transcript accumulation and transcriptional activation activity of PIF4 by MYB112 additively promotes the expression of auxin-related genes, thereby increasing auxin synthesis and signaling and fine-tuning hypocotyl growth under diurnal cycles.