Expression of the Cytokinin-Induced Type-A Response Regulator Gene ARR9 Is Regulated by the Circadian Clock in Arabidopsis thaliana

In Arabidopsis thaliana, a set of type-A authentic response regulator (ARR) genes, consisting of 10 homologous members, is induced primarily in response to the phytohormone cytokinin. Among these, we found that the expression of ARR9 is uniquely regulated through the circadian clock in a cytokinin-independent manner. This finding appears to be compatible to the current idea that some ARR genes (namely, ARR3, ARR4, ARR8, and ARR9) are implicated in an additional level of regulation of the circadian clock. Hence, the result of this study provided us with a new insight into the complex molecular mechanisms underlying both the cytokinin signaling and circadian rhythm.