Abscisic Acid Machinery Is under Circadian Clock Regulation at Multiple Levels

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The authors should provide review on a sub-title on "Non-coding RNAs regulation on Circadian Clock"

Author Response

The authors should provide review on a sub-title on "Non-coding RNAs regulation on Circadian Clock"

I agree that "Non-coding RNAs regulation on Circadian Clock" is a very interest topic. Moreover, it is a hot topic right now, and could be a topic for a whole review. But nevertheless, non-coding RNAs does not participate as ABA machinery component, at least there is no report about this. Thus, non-coding RNAs topic is outside the content that I want to review in this article. Even more, non-coding RNAs is neither included in the main components of circadian oscillator. Although you can find in the literature information about involvement of non-coding RNA in circadian clock in-put and out-put patways (i.e. photic entrainment and flowering respectively), but again it is a topic that I am not reviewing here.

Reviewer 2 Report

The review has well described information on the involvement of ABA in circadian regulation. The role of various circadian cycle components in the ABA synthesis, transport, signaling and metabolism has been well-explained. The article may be accepted with some revisions as follows:

Line 8-18: In the abstract, write in brief how ABA is related to plant circadian system (directly or indirectly) instead of generalising.

Line 28,29: ABA has been studied in other stress conditions too; so, instead of mentioning only about drought mention about other stress conditions too.

Line 47-48: Explain predictive homeostasis in sentence?

Line 57: Arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart beats with an irregular or abnormal rhythm. Use of correct words is required. Author should clearly state what they want to say.

Line 130: Author is suggested to mention the plant species used for the studies while referring to particular research. Check at other places in the manuscript too.  

Line 132: It is difficult to understand what author wants to say. Please rectify the statements.

Author is suggested to quote research gaps and questions while describing the current knowledge about the topic. For instance, how ABA and circadian cycle interaction differs in stressed versus un-stressed conditions.

In the concluding remarks (Line 322-326): Concluding remarks should also highlight several research gaps and should suggest various approaches which may be explored in order to advance in the research related to the specified topic. So, instead of quoting references, author is suggested to put forward their view on this topic.

Author Response

The review has well described information on the involvement of ABA in circadian regulation. The role of various circadian cycle components in the ABA synthesis, transport, signaling and metabolism has been well-explained. The article may be accepted with some revisions as follows:

Line 8-18: In the abstract, write in brief how ABA is related to plant circadian system (directly or indirectly) instead of generalising.

These two sentences were added to the abstract: The circadian oscillator components regulate expression and post-translational modification of ABA machinery elements, from synthesis to perception and signaling response.  Circadian clock establishes a gating in ABA response during the day, which fine tunes stomatal closure and plant growth response.

Line 28,29: ABA has been studied in other stress conditions too; so, instead of mentioning only about drought mention about other stress conditions too.

For sure ABA has been studied in several biotic and abiotic conditions, you are totally right. But with any doubt drought stress is the most studied conditions for ABA. But nevertheless this sentence was added: “among others biotic and abiotic stresses,”

Line 47-48: Explain predictive homeostasis in sentence?

This sentence was added: Predictive homeostasis is an anticipatory response to an expected environmental challenge in the future, such as the diurnal light-dark cycles or temperatures changes.

Line 57: Arrhythmia is a condition in which the heart beats with an irregular or abnormal rhythm. Use of correct words is required. Author should clearly state what they want to say.

I have changed the word arrhythmia for its meaning “complete rhythm abolishment”

Line 130: Author is suggested to mention the plant species used for the studies while referring to particular research. Check at other places in the manuscript too.  

In line 134 I am specifying that I am talking about  A. thaliana. Then, along the text also mention the species that is been discussed. If you find a specific paragraph in where you think a mention must be given I can specify for sure.

Line 132: It is difficult to understand what author wants to say. Please rectify the statements.

Sentence was modified as follows: For instance, after stress conditions and the concomitant hormonal induction, ABA levels have to diminish to normal or non-stress values to resume optimal growth and development.

Author is suggested to quote research gaps and questions while describing the current knowledge about the topic. For instance, how ABA and circadian cycle interaction differs in stressed versus un-stressed conditions.

There is not enough information to understand how ABA and circadian cycle interaction differs in stressed versus un-stressed conditions. Although this is a very interesting question to tackle. Of course it is challenging because the feedback of ABA response over circadian rhythm.

In the concluding remarks (Line 322-326): Concluding remarks should also highlight several research gaps and should suggest various approaches which may be explored in order to advance in the research related to the specified topic. So, instead of quoting references, author is suggested to put forward their view on this topic.

These two sentences were added to concluding remarks: An interesting way to understand circadian clock regulated ABA gating could involve the use of reporter lines with GFP or LUCIFERASE driven by promoters carrying ABA response cis-acting elements. This kind of approach might answer specifically the time and degree of ABA response along the day.