Chinese Bulletin of Botany ›› 2018, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (4): 456-467.DOI: 10.11983/CBB17226

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

Wei Hua1,2, Wang Yan1,2, Liu Baohui3, Wang Lei1,2,*()   

  1. 1Key Laboratory of Plant Molecular Physiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
    2University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
    3School of Life Sciences, Guangzhou University, Guangzhou 510006, China
  • Received:2017-11-28 Accepted:2018-02-09 Online:2018-07-01 Published:2018-09-11
  • Contact: Wang Lei
  • About author:† These authors contributed equally to this paper

Abstract: 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.

Key words: circadian system, environmental adaption, growth and development, circadian rhythm, stresses response