Molecular and functional dissection of EARLY-FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) and ELF4 in Arabidopsis

• Published in: Plant science (Limerick) Vol. 303; p. 110786
• Main Authors: Zhao, Hang, Xu, Di, Tian, Tian, Kong, Fanying, Lin, Ke, Gan, Shuo, Zhang, Haisen, Li, Gang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 01.02.2021
• Subjects: Arabidopsis; Arabidopsis - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - metabolism; Arabidopsis Proteins - physiology; Circadian clock; Circadian Rhythm; Early flowering; Gene Expression Regulation, Plant; Hypocotyl elongation; Transcription Factors - metabolism; Transcription Factors - physiology; Early flowering; Circadian clock; Hypocotyl elongation; Arabidopsis
• ISSN: 0168-9452; 1873-2259
• DOI: 10.1016/j.plantsci.2020.110786

•We highlight the recent advances of the regulatory mechanisms of ELF3 and ELF4 in plants.•ELF3 and ELF4 are involved in the circadian clock by integrating light and temperature signals to the central oscillator.•ELF3 and ELF4 interact with multiple proteins to repress the transcription of diverse targets. The circadian clock is an endogenous timekeeper system that generates biological rhythms of approximately 24 h in most organisms. EARLY FLOWERING 3 (ELF3) and ELF4 were initially identified as negative regulators of flowering time in Arabidopsis thaliana. They were then found to play crucial roles in the circadian clock by integrating environmental light and ambient temperature signals and transmitting them to the central oscillator, thereby regulating various downstream cellular and physiological processes. At dusk, ELF3 acts as a scaffold, interacting with ELF4 and the transcription factor LUX ARRHYTHMO (PHYTOCLOCK1) to form an EVENING COMPLEX (EC). This complex represses the transcription of multiple circadian clock-related genes, thus inhibiting hypocotyl elongation and flowering. Subsequent studies have expanded knowledge about the regulatory roles of the EC in thermomorphogenesis and shade responses. In addition, ELF3 and ELF4 also form multiple complexes with other proteins including chromatin remodeling factors, histone deacetylase, and transcription factors, thus enabling the transcriptional repression of diverse targets. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in elucidating the regulatory mechanisms of ELF3 and ELF4 in plants and discuss directions for future research on ELF3 and ELF4.