BLADE-ON-PETIOLE proteins act in an E3 ubiquitin ligase complex to regulate PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR 4 abundance

Plants need light not only for photosynthesis but also for light dependent development (called photomorphogensis). PHYTOCHROME INTERACTING FACTOR (PIF) proteins accumulate in dark to negatively regulate photomorphogensis. PIFs get degraded via 26S proteasome pathway in response to light e.g., PIF4 is known to be targeted and destabilized through polyubiquitination, but the identity of the E3 ligase complex has been unknown. Zhang et al. investigated the nature of the E3 ligase complex for PIF4 degradation and find BLADE-ON-PETIOLE (BOP) genes physically interact with the E3 ubiquitin ligase CULLIN3 to target PIF4 for polyubiquitination and subsequently degradation in response to light and temperature. eLife DOI: 10.7554/eLife.26759