Expression data from 7-day-old dark-grown wild-type and dez mutant seedlings from control (1 M) and high-Zn (100 M) media

The transition between growth in the dark (skotomorphogenesis) and growth in the light (photomorphogenesis) is one of the most critical in plant development. Here the newly identified mutant dez is photomorphogenic in the dark and is strongly enhanced in high Zn. dez displays a shortened hypocotyl, expanded cotyledons, an elongated root and differentiated plastids in the dark contrast to wild-type seedlings that are typically skotomorphogenic, with a long hypocotyl and unexpanded cotyledons protected by an apical hook, and undifferentiated etioplasts

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