ELONGATED HYPOCOTYL5 (HY5), a bZIP-type transcription factor, acts as a master regulator that regulates various physiological and biological processes in plants such as photomorphogenesis, root growth, flavonoid biosynthesis and accumulation, nutrient acquisition, and response to abiotic stresses. HY5 is evolutionally conserved in function among various plant species. HY5 acts as a master regulator of light-mediated transcriptional regulatory hub that directly or indirectly controls the transcription of approximately one-third of genes at the whole genome level. The transcription, protein abundance, and activity of HY5 are tightly modulated by a variety of factors through distinct regulatory mechanisms. This review primarily summarizes recent advances on HY5-mediated molecular and physiological processes and regulatory mechanisms on HY5 in the model plant Arabidopsis as well as in crops.

Seed-weight is one of the most important traits determining soybean yield. Hence, it is prerequisite to have detailed understanding of the genetic basis regulating seed-weight for the development of improved cultivars. In this regard, the present study used high-density interspecific linkage map of NJIR4P recombinant inbred population evaluated in four different environments to detect stable Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) as well as mine candidate genes for 100-seed weight. In total, 19 QTLs distributed on 12 chromosomes were identified in all individual environments plus combined environment, out of which seven were novel and eight are stable identified in more than one environment. However, all the novel QTLs were minor (R2 < 10%). The remaining 12 QTLs detected in this study were co-localized with the earlier reported QTLs with narrow genomic regions, and out of these only 2 QTLs were major (R2 > 10%) viz., qSW-17-1 and qSW-17-4. Beneficial alleles of all identified QTLs were derived from cultivated soybean parent (Nannong493-1). Based on Protein ANalysis THrough Evolutionary Relationships, gene annotation information, and literature search, 29 genes within 5 stable QTLs were predicted to be possible candidate genes that might regulate seed-weight/size in soybean. However, it needs further validation to confirm their role in seed development. In conclusion, the present study provides better understanding of trait genetics and candidate gene information through the use high-density inter-specific bin map, and also revealed considerable scope for genetic improvement of 100-seed weight in soybean using marker-assisted breeding.

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Abstractphytochrome B (phyB) acts as the red light photoreceptor and negatively regulates the growth-promoting factor PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING 4 (PIF4) through a direct physical interaction, which in turn changes the expression of a large number of genes. phyB-PIF4 module regulates a variety of biological and developmental processes in plants. In this study, we demonstrate that B-BOX PROTEIN 11 (BBX11) physically interacts with both phyB and PIF4. BBX11 negatively regulates PIF4 accumulation as well as its biochemical activity, consequently leading to the repression of PIF4-controlled genes’ expression and promotion of photomorphogenesis in the prolonged red light. This study reveals a regulatory mechanism that mediates red light signal transduction and sheds a light on phyB-PIF4 module in promoting red light-dependent photomorphognenesis.