Interaction between BZR1 and PIF4 integrates brassinosteroid and environmental responses

Plant growth is coordinately regulated by environmental and hormonal signals. Brassinosteroid (BR) plays essential roles in growth regulation by light and temperature, but the interactions between BR and these environmental signals remain poorly understood at the molecular level. Here, we show that direct interaction between the dark- and heat-activated transcription factor phytochrome-interacting factor4 (PIF4) and the BR-activated transcription factor BZR1 integrates the hormonal and environmental signals. BZR1 and PIF4 interact with each other in vitro and in vivo, bind to nearly two thousand common target genes, and synergistically regulate many of these target genes, including the PRE family HLH factors required for promoting cell elongation. Genetic analysis indicates that BZR1 and PIFs are interdependent in promoting cell elongation in response to BR, darkness, or heat. These results show that the BZR1-PIF4 interaction controls a core transcription network, allowing plant growth co-regulation by the steroid and environmental signals.