低等植物蓝光受体信号传导研究

拟南芥含有5个已分离的蓝光受体和至少1个未鉴定的蓝光/紫外光-A受体.隐花色素(CRY1、CRY2和CRY3) 调节植物的形态建成、开花和生物节律性,而向光素 (PHOT1和PHOT2) 调节植物的向光性、叶绿体运动和气孔开放.黄素可以吸收蓝光和紫外光-A,是CRY和PHOT蓝光受体的生色团.对这些光受体的结构和作用模式已了解很多.苔藓植物小立碗藓中含有2个已分离的隐花色素(CRY1a和CRY1b),负责调节侧枝形成和调控生长素反应;有4个向光素(PHOTA1,PHOTA2,PHOTB1,PHOTB2) 调节叶绿体的运动.苔藓细胞内蓝光/紫外光-A引发的信号转导有Ca2+参与.     

苔藓植物蓝光/紫外光-A 信号传导的研究

种子植物含有5个已分离的光受体和至少1个未鉴定的蓝光/紫外光-A受体。隐花色素(CRY1、CRY2和CRY3) 调节植物的生长发育,而向光蛋白(PHOT1和PHOT2) 调节植物对光的营养反应。黄素可以吸收蓝光和紫外光-A,是生色团。对这些光受体的结构和作用模式已了解很多。苔藓植物小立碗藓中含有2个已分离的隐花色素(CRY1a和CRY1b),负责调节侧枝形成和生长素代谢;有4个向光蛋白(PHOTA1,PHOTA2,PHOTB1,PHOTB2) 调节叶绿体的运动。苔藓细胞内蓝光/紫外光-A刺激引发的信号转导有Ca2+参与。     

拟南芥蓝光受体CRY2的功能及其介导的光形态建成

植物具备一套复杂的由两种蓝光受体和多种信号转导下游组分组成的蓝光感应系统,通过感受光照强度、光的方向和光周期,调节自身对蓝光的应答.蓝光反应的有效波长是蓝光和近紫外光(320～400nm),故蓝光受体也叫蓝光/近紫外光受体.CRY2(Cryptochromes,CRY)是一个核蛋白,在转录水平受蓝光的调节,它的作用是增加拟南芥对蓝光的敏感性.植物蓝光调节的反应主要有向光性、抑制幼茎伸长、叶绿体迁移、刺激气孔张开和调节基因表达等.对植物蓝光反应突变体分子生物学研究进展进行了综述,对蓝光受体及信号转导下游组分在植物发育中的作用及蓝光诱发植物作出反应的分子机制进行了探讨.     

向光素调节植物向光性及其与光敏色素/隐花色素的相互关系

蓝光受体向光素(PHOT1/PHOT2)调节蓝光诱导的植物运动反应, 包括植物向光性、叶绿体运动、气孔运动和叶片伸展等。其中, 向光素介导的植物向光性能够促使植物弯向光源, 确保其以最佳取向捕获光源, 优化光合作用。光敏色素和隐花色素作为光受体也参与植物的向光性调节。该文综述了向光素介导的拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana)下胚轴向光弯曲信号转导及其与光敏色素、隐花色素协同作用的分子机制, 以期为改造植物光捕获能力及提高光利用效率提供理论基础。     

植物向光素

向光素是继光敏色素、隐花色素之后发现的一种蓝光受体,分子量120 kD,能够结合黄素单核苷酸(FMN)进行自动磷酸化作用,它介导植物向光性运动、叶绿体移动与气孔开放等反应,在蓝光信号传导反应中它启动生长素载体的运动和诱导Ca2 的流动,从而调节植物细胞相关的反应.文章就这一领域的研究作介绍.     

拟南芥NPH3/RPT2-Like(NRL)家族蛋白在向光素信号转导通路中的作用研究进展

向光素PHOT1和PHOT2感受蓝光刺激后发生自磷酸化激活,调节植物气孔开放、叶绿体运动、叶片伸展和定位以及向光性(包括根的负向光性和下胚轴的向光性)等多种适应性反应。拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana) NRL (NPH3/RPT2-Like)家族成员在向光素介导的信号途径中发挥重要作用,其中NPH3特异调控下胚轴的向光性以及叶片的伸展与定位,RPT2参与调节植物向光性、叶片的伸展与定位以及叶绿体聚光反应等。NCH1是新发现的NRL家族成员,与RPT2以功能冗余的方式调节叶绿体的聚光反应,但不调节避光反应。该文主要综述了NRL蛋白家族成员在向光素介导蓝光信号通路中的作用,并展望了未来的研究方向,旨在为全面揭示NRL家族成员的功能提供线索。     

拟南芥NPH3/RPT2-Like (NRL)家族蛋白在向光素信号转导通路中的作用研究进展

向光素PHOT1和PHOT2感受蓝光刺激后发生自磷酸化激活, 调节植物气孔开放、叶绿体运动、叶片伸展和定位以及向光性(包括根的负向光性和下胚轴的向光性)等多种适应性反应。拟南芥(Arabidopsis thaliana) NRL (NPH3/RPT2-Like)家族成员在向光素介导的信号途径中发挥重要作用, 其中NPH3特异调控下胚轴的向光性以及叶片的伸展与定位, RPT2参与调节植物向光性、叶片的伸展与定位以及叶绿体聚光反应等。NCH1是新发现的NRL家族成员, 与RPT2以功能冗余的方式调节叶绿体的聚光反应, 但不调节避光反应。该文主要综述了NRL蛋白家族成员在向光素介导蓝光信号通路中的作用, 并展望了未来的研究方向, 旨在为全面揭示NRL家族成员的功能提供线索。     

向光色素Phototropin1的细胞和亚细胞定位

向光色素 1 (ｐｈｏｔ1 )是在蓝光 (ＢＬ)下进行自我磷酸化的Ｓｅｒ/Ｔｈｒ型光受体激酶 ,它的两个保守的ｄｏｍａｉｎ分别结合着作为发色团的两个ＦＭＮ分子。它是与原生质膜 (ＰＭ)结合的 1 2 0ｋＤ的蛋白。ｐｈｏｔ 1和ｐｈｏｔ 2蛋白都是植物向光性反应的光受体 ,它们也是调节叶绿体运动、开闭气孔和快速抑制黄化芽延长生长的蓝光受体。为了解ｐｈｏｔ 1和ｐｈｏｔ 2调节这 4个反应的机理 ,有必要了解其细胞和亚细胞定位。将编码融合的ｐｈｏｔ 1和ＧＦＰ(绿色荧光蛋白 )的结构 (在内源ＰＨＯＴ1启动子控制下 )转化无ｐｈｏｔ1的拟南芥…     

植物向光素受体与信号转导机制研究进展

向光素(phototropin,PHOT)是继光敏色素、隐花色素之后分离的植物蓝光受体。PHOT介导蓝光诱导的向光反应,叶绿体运动,气孔开放、叶片伸展及叶片定位等生理反应。近年来关于PHOT受体介导这些生理反应的分子机制探讨愈来愈受研究者的广泛关注。主要从拟南芥PHOT结构及信号转导方面的研究进展进行综述。     

植物隐花色素结构与功能研究进展

隐花色素是植物感受外界环境变化的重要光受体之一,对蓝光和近紫外线非常敏感.近年来随着研究的逐步深入,已知其广泛存在于动植物中.隐花色素为黄素类蛋白,在蓝光和近紫外线下能够抑制植物胚轴、胚芽鞘等伸长,调控植物开花时间;而且对生物钟及气孔开放也起到调节作用,近来还发现隐花色素在感知磁场、细胞凋亡等方面有调节作用.本文综述了隐花色素的分子结构、它所包含的结构域和相应功能以及植物中隐花色素基因家族的成员组成与进化关系,重点在分子水平上介绍了隐花色素的生理功能与作用机制.     

Phototropins 1 and 2: versatile plant blue-light receptors

Blue and ultraviolet-A light regulate a wide range of responses in plants, including phototropism, chloroplast migration and stomatal opening. However, the photoreceptors for these light responses have been identified only recently. The phototropins (phot1 and phot2) represent a new class of receptor kinases that appear to be exclusive to plants. Recent genetic analysis has shown that phot1 and phot2 exhibit partially overlapping functions in mediating phototropism, chloroplast migration, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis. Although significant progress has been made in understanding the early photochemical and biochemical events that follow phototropin excitation, the details of how this excitation activates such different responses remain to be elucidated.     

Functional analyses of the activation loop of phototropin2 in Arabidopsis

Phototropins (phot1 and phot2) are autophosphorylating blue-light receptor kinases that mediate blue-light responses such as phototropism, chloroplast accumulation, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Only phot2 induces the chloroplast avoidance response under strong blue light. The serine (Ser) residues of the kinase activation loop in phot1 are autophosphorylated by blue light, and autophosphorylation is essential for the phot1-mediated responses. However, the role of autophosphorylation in phot2 remains to be determined. In this study, we substituted the conserved residues of Ser-761 and Ser-763 with alanine (S761A S763A) in the phot2 activation loop and analyzed their function by investigating the phot2-mediated responses after the transformation of phot1 phot2 double mutant with this mutant phot2 gene. Transgenic plants expressing the mutant phot2 protein exhibited impaired responses in chloroplast movement, stomatal opening, phototropic bending, leaf flattening, and plant growth; and those expressing phot2 with S761D S763D mutations showed the normal responses. Substitution of both Ser-761 and Ser-763 with alanine in phot2 did not significantly affect the kinase activity in planta. From these results, we conclude that phosphorylation of Ser-761 and Ser-763 in the activation loop may be a common primary step for phot2-mediated responses.     

RPT2 is a signal transducer involved in phototropic response and stomatal opening by association with phototropin 1 in Arabidopsis thaliana

Phototropin 1 (phot1) and phot2, which are blue light receptor kinases, function in blue light-induced hypocotyl phototropism, chloroplast relocation, and stomatal opening in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana). Previous studies have shown that the proteins RPT2 (for ROOT PHOTOTROPISM2) and NPH3 (for NONPHOTOTROPIC HYPOCOTYL3) transduce signals downstream of phototropins to induce the phototropic response. However, the involvement of RPT2 and NPH3 in stomatal opening and in chloroplast relocation mediated by phot1 and phot2 was unknown. Genetic analysis of the rpt2 mutant and of a series of double mutants indicates that RPT2 is involved in the phot1-induced phototropic response and stomatal opening but not in chloroplast relocation or phot2-induced movements. Biochemical analyses indicate that RPT2 is purified in the crude microsomal fraction, as well as phot1 and NPH3, and that RPT2 makes a complex with phot1 in vivo. On the other hand, NPH3 is not necessary for stomatal opening or chloroplast relocation. Thus, these results suggest that phot1 and phot2 choose different signal transducers to induce three responses: phototropic response of hypocotyl, stomatal opening, and chloroplast relocation.     

Phototropins promote plant growth in response to blue light in low light environments

Phototropins (phot1 and phot2) are plant-specific blue light receptors for phototropism, chloroplast movement, leaf expansion, and stomatal opening. All these responses are thought to optimize photosynthesis by helping to capture light energy efficiently, reduce photodamage, and acquire CO2. However, experimental evidence for the promotion of plant growth through phototropins is lacking. Here, we report dramatic phototropin-dependent effects on plant growth. When plants of Arabidopsis thaliana wild type, the phot1 and phot2 mutants, and the phot1 phot2 double mutant were grown under red light, no significant growth differences were observed. However, if a very low intensity of blue light (0.1 micromol m(-2) s(-1)) was superimposed on red light, large increases in fresh weight up to threefold were found in those plants that carried functional PHOT1 genes. When the intensity of blue light was increased to 1 micromol m(-2) s(-1), the growth enhancement was also found in the phot1 single mutant, but not in the double mutant, indicating that phot2 mediated similar responses as phot1 with a lower sensitivity. The effects occurred under low photosynthetically active radiation in particular. The well-known physiological phototropin-mediated responses, including chloroplast movement, stomatal opening, and leaf expansion, in the different lines tested indicated an involvement of these responses in the blue light-induced growth enhancement. We conclude that phototropins promote plant growth by controlling and integrating a variety of responses that optimize photosynthetic performance under low photosynthetically active radiation in the natural environment.     

Molecular basis of the functional specificities of phototropin 1 and 2

A blue-light photoreceptor in plants, phototropin, mediates phototropism, chloroplast relocation, stomatal opening, and leaf-flattening responses. Phototropin is divided into two functional moieties, the N-terminal photosensory and the C-terminal signaling moieties. Phototropin perceives light stimuli by the light, oxygen or voltage (LOV) domain in the N-terminus; the signal is then transduced intramolecularly to the C-terminal kinase domain. Two phototropins, phot1 and phot2, which have overlapping and distinct functions, exist in Arabidopsis thaliana. Phot1 mediates responses with higher sensitivity than phot2. Phot2 mediates specific responses, such as the chloroplast avoidance response and chloroplast dark positioning. To elucidate the molecular basis for the functional specificities of phot1 and phot2, we exchanged the N- and C-terminal moieties of phot1 and phot2, fused them to GFP and expressed them under the PHOT2 promoter in the phot1 phot2 mutant background. With respect to phototropism and other responses, the chimeric phototropin consisting of phot1 N-terminal and phot2 C-terminal moieties (P1n/2cG) was almost as sensitive as phot1; whereas the reverse combination (P2n/1cG) functioned with lower sensitivity. Hence, the N-terminal moiety mainly determined the sensitivity of the phototropins. Unexpectedly, both P1n/2cG and P2n/1cG mediated the chloroplast avoidance response, which is specific to phot2. Hence, chloroplast avoidance activity appeared to be suppressed specifically in the combination of N- and C-terminal moieties of phot1. Unlike the chloroplast avoidance response, chloroplast dark positioning was observed for P2G and P2n/1cG but not for P1G or P1n/2cG, suggesting that a specific structure in the N-terminal moiety of phot2 is required for this activity.     

The role of a 14-3-3 protein in stomatal opening mediated by PHOT2 in Arabidopsis

The 14-3-3 λ isoform is required for normal stomatal opening mediated by PHOT2 in Arabidopsis thaliana. Arabidopsis phototropin2 (PHOT2) interacts with the λ-isoform 14-3-3 protein both in yeast two-hybrid screening and in an in vitro pull-down assay. Further yeast two-hybrid analysis also showed that the PHOT2 C-terminal kinase domain was required for the interaction. Site-directed mutagenesis indicated that PHOT2 Ser-747 is essential for the yeast interaction. Phenotypic characterization of a loss-of-function 14-3-3 λ mutant in a phot1 mutant background showed that the 14-3-3 λ protein was necessary for normal PHOT2-mediated blue light-induced stomatal opening. PHOT2 Ser-747 was necessary for complementation of the blue light-activated stomatal response in a phot1 phot2 double mutant. The 14-3-3 λ mutant in the phot1 mutant background allowed normal phototropism and normal chloroplast accumulation and avoidance responses. It also showed normal stomatal opening mediated by PHOT1 in a phot2 mutant background. The 14-3-3 κ mutant had no effect on stomatal opening in response to blue light. Although the 14-3-3 λ mutant had no chloroplast movement phenotype, the 14-3-3 κ mutation caused a weaker avoidance response at an intermediate blue light intensity by altering the balance between the avoidance and accumulation responses. The results highlight the strict specificity of phototropin-mediated signal transduction pathways.     

A transgene encoding a blue-light receptor, phot1, restores blue-light responses in the Arabidopsis phot1 phot2 double mutant

Phototropins (phot1 and phot2) are suggested to be multifunctional blue-light (BL) receptors mediating phototropism, chloroplast movement, stomatal opening, and leaf expansion. The Arabidpsis phot1 phot2 double mutant lacks all of these responses. To confirm the requirement of phototropins in BL responses, the Arabidopsis phot1 phot2 double mutant was transformed with PHOT1 cDNA and the phenotypic restoration was analysed in the transformants. It was found that all BL responses were restored, although differentially, by the transformation of the Arabidopsis phot1 phot2 double mutant with PHOT1 cDNA. The results showed that phot1 was an essential component for all these BL responses in planta, and that the cellular level of phot1 might determine the individual BL responses.     

Blue light-induced orientation movements of chloroplasts in higher plants: Recent progress in the study of their mechanisms

The discovery of phototropins, photoreceptors for chloroplast responses in Arabidopsis thaliana, brought about renewed interest in these blue light-controlled movements. Recent progress in research on their mechanisms in higher plants is briefly summarized. Phototropins mediate phototropism, chloroplast relocations and stomatal movements. Their functions are partially overlapping, with phot1 active predominantly in weak light and phot2 active in strong light. The accumulation response of chloroplasts appears to be mediated by phot1 and phot2 whereas the avoidance response is controlled by phot2. The role of Ca²⁺ as a potential intracellular messenger has been discussed in view of the recently demonstrated blue light-induced transient increases in the cytosolic Ca²⁺ mediated differently by phot1 and phot2. Differential inhibition of accumulation and avoidance responses by wortmannin, the inhibitor of phosphoinositide-3 kinases, in Lemna trisulca points to an important role of these enzymes in the signal transduction. A new, multi-domain component controlling chloroplast positioning and movement, CHUP1, encodes an actin-binding protein in Arabidopsis.     

Interactions between a blue-green reversible photoreceptor and a separate UV-B receptor in stomatal guard cells

Stomatal opening exhibits two main peaks of activity in the visible range-a red peak, mediated by photosynthesis, and a blue peak, mediated by one or more blue light (BL) photoreceptors. In addition, a pronounced peak in the UV-B region has been characterized, as has a smaller UV-A peak. The BL-induced stomatal opening can be reversed by green light (GL). Here we report that UV-B-induced opening is also antagonized by GL. To determine whether UV-B is being absorbed by the BL photoreceptor or by a separate UV-B receptor, the UV-B responses of two different Arabidopsis mutants, npq1 and phot1/phot2, were tested. Both putative BL-photoreceptor mutants exhibited normal stomatal opening in response to UV-B, consistent with the existence of a separate UV-B photoreceptor. Moreover, GL failed to antagonize UV-B-induced stomatal opening in the phot1/phot2 double mutant and only partially antagonized UV-B opening in npq1. Thus, both phot1 and phot 2, as well as zeaxanthin, are required for the normal GL inhibition of UV-B. A model for a photoreceptor network that regulates stomatal opening is presented. Unlike the situation in guard cells, the UV-B bending response of Arabidopsis hypocotyls during phototropism appears to be mediated by phototropins.