SMAX1 potentiates phytochrome B-mediated hypocotyl thermomorphogenesis

Abstract

SMAX1 functions as a "thermosensitizer" that modulates the thermal sensitivity of plant morphogenesis. Plant thermosensors help optimize plant development and architecture for ambient temperatures, and morphogenic adaptation to warm temperatures has been extensively studied in recent years. Phytochrome B (phyB)-mediated thermosensing and the gene regulatory networks governing thermomorphogenic responses are well understood at the molecular level. However, it is unknown how plants manage their responsiveness to fluctuating temperatures in inducing thermomorphogenic behaviors. Here, we demonstrate that SUPPRESSOR OF MAX2 1 (SMAX1), known as a karrikin signaling repressor, enhances the thermosensitivity of hypocotyl morphogenesis in Arabidopsis thaliana. Hypocotyl thermomorphogenesis was largely disrupted in SMAX1-deficient mutants. SMAX1 interacts with phyB to alleviate its suppressive effects on the transcription factor activity of PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING FACTOR 4 (PIF4), promoting hypocotyl thermomorphogenesis. Interestingly, the SMAX1 protein is slowly destabilized at warm temperatures, preventing hypocotyl overgrowth. Our findings indicate that the thermodynamic control of SMAX1 abundance serves as a molecular gatekeeper for phyB function in thermosensitizing PIF4-mediated hypocotyl morphogenesis.