RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 A Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Transcription Factor in Arabidopsis, MYC2, Acts as a Repressor of Blue Light–Mediated Photomorphogenic Growth JF The Plant Cell JO Plant Cell FD American Society of Plant Biologists SP 1953 OP 1966 DO 10.1105/tpc.105.032060 VO 17 IS 7 A1 Yadav, Vandana A1 Mallappa, Chandrashekara A1 Gangappa, Sreeramaiah N. A1 Bhatia, Shikha A1 Chattopadhyay, Sudip YR 2005 UL http://www.plantcell.org/content/17/7/1953.abstract AB The crosstalk of light signaling pathways with other signaling cascades has just started to be revealed. Here, we report the identification and functional characterization of a Z-box binding factor (ZBF1) in light signaling pathways. Arabidopsis thaliana ZBF1 encodes AtMYC2/JIN1, a basic helix-loop-helix transcription factor, which has recently been shown to be involved in abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonic acid (JA), and jasmonate-ethylene signaling pathways. We demonstrate that AtMYC2 interacts with the Z- and G-box light-responsive elements of minimal light–regulated promoters. AtMYC2 is expressed in various light-grown seedlings, including in red, far red, and blue light. Genetic analyses suggest that AtMYC2 acts as a negative regulator of blue light–mediated photomorphogenic growth and blue and far-red-light–regulated gene expression; however, it functions as a positive regulator of lateral root formation. Our results further demonstrate that atmyc2 mutants have compromised sensitivity to ABA- and JA-mediated responses. Taken together, these results demonstrate that AtMYC2 is a common transcription factor of light, ABA, and JA signaling pathways in Arabidopsis.