Conserved eukaryotic factors XCT and COP1 work together to control circadian clock function and reproductive timing in plants

Circadian rhythms align biological processes with environmental cycles to enhance fitness. Eukaryotic circadian oscillators rely on transcriptional-translational feedback loops, although specific oscillator components vary among lineages. The plant oscillator consists of a uniquely complex network of transcriptional regulators. These clock genes regulate each other's expression and influence key developmental processes such as the transition from vegetative to reproductive growth. Here, we investigate the function of XAP5 CIRCADIAN TIMEKEEPER (XCT), a protein conserved across eukaryotes and previously implicated in RNA processing and circadian regulation in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>. We show that XCT genetically and physically interacts with CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 (COP1), an E3 ubiquitin ligase also conserved across eukaryotes. Both XCT and COP1 regulate the abundance and activity of the oscillator component EARLY FLOWERING3 (ELF3) to modulate circadian function and flowering time. These findings demonstrate how broadly conserved factors collaborate with plant-specific regulators to maintain circadian integrity and coordinate developmental timing.