Coordinated regulation of Arabidopsis microRNA biogenesis and red light signaling through Dicer-like 1 and phytochrome-interacting factor 4

Light and microRNAs (miRNAs) are key external and internal signals for plant development respectively. However the relationship between light signaling and miRNA biogenesis pathways remains unknown. Here we found that miRNA processer DCL1/HYL1 interacts with a basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factor, phytochrome-interacting factor 4 (PIF4), which mediates the destabilization of DCL1 during dark-red light transition. PIF4 acts as a transcription factor for some miRNA genes and is necessary for the proper accumulation of miRNAs. DCL1/HYL1 and mature miRNAs play roles in the regulation of plant hypocotyl growth. These results uncovered a previously unknown crosstalk between miRNA biogenesis and red light signaling through the PIF4-dependent regulation of miRNA transcription and processing to affect red light-directed plant photomorhogenesis. Examination of small RNA populations in Arabidopsis Wild Type and pif4-2 mutant or Wild Type and hyl1-2 mutant