How Environment Turns the Plant Biological Clock

Researchers from the University of Cambridge have made an interesting discovery regarding the influence of the environment on plant circadian clocks. They discovered that a signaling molecule called cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR), known to be important in plant environmental stress response, also regulates the circadian clock. The discovery changes the current understanding that circadian clock is restricted in the cell nucleus via control of gene loops. The researchers established that the signaling network includes components throughout the cell.

The roles played by cADPR in both environment signal response and circadian signaling show how plants can change or stabilize the timing of biological events in response to stresses like drought and salinity. Knowledge of the molecular mechanism underlying plant circadian clocks will aid in increasing agricultural output for both food and biofuel demands. Accurate operation of the circadian clock can increase the rate of photosynthesis thereby doubling plant productivity.

The abstract of the paper published by Science is available at  http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/318/5857/1789