Blue light calling: ZmFKF1a and ZmGI1 team up to trigger maize flowering

ZmGI1), an interaction favored by blue light.By interacting with ZmGI1, ZmFKF1a acts to protect 1 ZmGI1 from degradation. 2For ZmGI1 to function properly, its partitioning between the nucleus and cytoplasm is essential. 3The authors demonstrated that blue light illumination promotes the accumulation of the ZmFKF1a-4 ZmGI1 complex in the nucleus, allowing the activation of floral regulators such as ZMM4 flowering, senescence, seed size, and circadian rhythms, highlighting its structure, 1 function, and evolutionary adaptations.2 Romero-Lozada et al. (2025) revealed photoperiod-dependent rhythms in transcripts, 3 proteins, and physiological processes, uncovering dynamic plastic orchestration and 4 temporal offsets critical for environmental adaptation in Ostreococcus tauri.