Plants have evolved a sophisticated set of pathways to detect and respond to light, which allows them to adjust their development in response to changing conditions. Red and far-red wavelengths are detected by photoreceptors called phytochromes (phys), with phyB being the major phytochrome involved in red-light response in the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Phytochrome levels are regulated by an E3 ubiquitin-ligase complex that includes the target-adaptor Light-Response BTB1 or BTB2 (LRB1 or LRB2) proteins. The Gingerich lab studies lines of Arabidopsis that contain mutations in the LRB1, LRB2, and PHYB genes. Analysis of growth responses to light and other environmental or physiological factors that intersect with light response helps us better understand how the phytochrome pathway regulates development. Here, we present an analysis of germination responses to red and far-red light and seedling development responses to the hormone methyl jasmonate in our lines. Germination response to red and far-red light is well-studied, and recent analyses have suggested roles for phyB in modulating jasmonate responses; thus, studies of these responses in lines with alterations of the phytochrome pathway might be informative.
