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thermomorphogenesis

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Hidden molecular brake fine-tunes how plants grow in the heat

PubMed · 2026-07-04

Scientists discovered a molecular brake called BLH1 that keeps Arabidopsis plants from overreacting to heat. When temperatures rise, this brake gets released, allowing a known growth-promoting circuit to drive the elongation response plants use to cope with warmth.

1

BLH1 directly suppresses PIF4 at both the gene and protein level, acting as a dual-layer brake on the heat-elongation response.

2

Plants overexpressing BLH1 are insensitive to high temperature, while plants lacking BLH1 and its relatives show exaggerated heat responses.

3

BZR1 directly represses BLH1 expression, forming a negative feedback loop within the BZR1-PIF4-auxin-brassinosteroid circuit that prevents runaway thermomorphogenesis.

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