Light and temperature cues: multitasking receptors and transcriptional integrators

The combined information provided by light and temperature cues helps to optimise plant body architecture and physiology. Plants possess elaborate systems to sense and respond to these stimuli. Simultaneous perception of light and temperature by dual receptors such as phytochrome B and phototropin leads to immediate signalling convergence. Conversely, cue asynchronies initiate separate pathways and the information of the earliest cue is stored, awaiting the arrival of the later cue to control transcription. Storage mechanisms can involve changes in the activity of selected clock components or epigenetic modifications, depending on the time delay between cues (hours, days or several months). We propose a conceptual framework in which the mechanisms of integration relate to the timing of cue sensing.