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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 8, 2026

Poplar Adventitious Roots Induced by Stem Canker Pathogens: An Experimental System for Studying Roots Biology and Light Response-Related Processes

Poplar Adventitious Roots Induced by Stem Canker Pathogens: An Experimental System for Studying Roots Biology and Light Response-Related Processes

Published on: October 11, 2024

Cryptochrome-mediated signaling in root development.

Melina Pérez Torres¹, Ullas V Pedmale¹

¹Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, Cold Spring Harbor, NY, 11724, USA.

The New Phytologist

|July 6, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Cryptochromes (CRYs), blue-light sensors, regulate plant root development through both local and long-distance signaling pathways. These photoreceptors influence auxin and sugar transport, impacting root growth and cell division.

Keywords:

blue‐light signaling cryptochrome photomorphogenesis photoreceptors root development shoot‐to‐root signaling thermomorphogenesis

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Area of Science:

Plant Biology
Molecular Biology
Photobiology

Background:

Cryptochromes (CRYs) are vital UV-A/blue-light photoreceptors conserved across species.
CRYs regulate diverse processes including plant photomorphogenesis, circadian rhythms, and animal physiology.
While CRY roles in shoots are known, emerging evidence highlights their function in plant root development.

Purpose of the Study:

To review the multifaceted roles of CRYs in regulating plant root growth.
To explore both systemic and autonomous CRY-mediated pathways in roots.
To discuss environmental influences and conservation of CRY function in root development.

Main Methods:

Literature review of studies on cryptochromes in plant root systems.
Analysis of research on CRY-mediated signaling, including auxin and sucrose transport.
Synthesis of findings on environmental modulation and cross-species conservation of CRY function.

Main Results:

Photoactivated CRYs form nuclear condensates to regulate light-dependent transcription in shoots.
CRYs influence root development via long-distance signaling and local activity.
CRYs modulate auxin-mediated growth, sucrose signaling, and cell division in roots under various conditions.

Conclusions:

Cryptochromes play a significant, yet underappreciated, role in regulating plant root architecture and development.
Understanding CRY pathways in roots is crucial for comprehending plant adaptation to environmental cues.
Further research is needed to fully elucidate the complex mechanisms of CRY-regulated root growth.