LNK1 and LNK2 recruitment to the evening element require morning expressed circadian related MYB-like transcription factors

Transcriptional feedback loops in Arabidopsis circadian clock is composed of more repressive components, while the knowledge of activation mechanism remains limited. We recently reported 2 members from a family of NIGHT LIGHT-INDUCIBLE AND CLOCK-REGULATED genes, LNK1 and LNK2, dynamically interact with morning-phased transcriptional factors, like CIRCADIAN CLOCK ASSOCIATED1 (CCA1), LATE ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL (LHY), REVEILLE8 (RVE8) and RVE4, and function as coactivators for the expression of TIMING OF CAB EXPRESSION1 (TOC1) and PSEUDO-RESPONSE REGULATOR5 (PRR5) via transcriptional factors RVE8 and RVE4. Here we provide evidence that both LNK1 and LNK2 play critical role in the transcriptional activation of PRR5, LNK1 may contribute more than LNK2 did under experimental conditions. We also identified that both LNK1 and LNK2 recruitment to the evening element of PRR5 promoter via LNK1-RVE8 or LNK2-RVE8 proteins complex through electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Therefore LNK1 and LNK2 function as coactivator of dawn-phased MYB-like transcription factors, such as RVE8 in morning complex to regulate the target genes expression.