Integration of Light Signaling, Circadian Clock and Metabolic Responses in a Changing Climate

Dear Colleagues,

Plants use light as an environmental input to coordinate their physiological and developmental processes in order to maximize their survival. Light signals also reset the circadian clock, an essential internal time-keeping mechanism that controls and anticipates daily biological processes. On the other hand, the circadian clock “gates” light responses to ensure that multiple physiological outputs occur at a precise time. Therefore, this interconnection of endogenous circadian signals with light-cycling inputs is essential to optimize both diel and seasonal plant growth responses, developmental transitions, and metabolism. This knowledge will be critical to face the challenges imposed by climate change on agricultural systems. Moreover, a large proportion of oscillating transcripts and their physiological outputs are important for environmental stress responsiveness; however, further research is required to identify the signaling cascades involved, the trade-offs imposed, and the degree of conservation between model plants and crops. This Special Issue will focus on the integration of the circadian clock with light signaling and the metabolic responses that mediate plant growth and development under different environmental conditions, both in model plants and crops. It will also highlight how research in this area can contribute to the optimization of emerging technologies for agricultural production while minimizing the detrimental effects of climate change.

Dr. Gabriela Toledo-Ortiz
Dr. Rossana Henriques
Dr. Elena Monte
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Plants is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• circadian clock
• light signals
• photoreceptors
• plant growth and metabolism
• photomorphogenesis
• signal integration
• climate change
• seasonal growth
• chloroplast retrograde signaling

Title: Metabolism in Sync: Circadian Clock as central hub for Metabolic Entrainment by Light
Authors: Asa Strand; Luis Cervela-Cardona
Affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, SE-901 87 Umeå, Sweden