植物的蓝光受体

文章介绍植物隐花色素、向光素和其他蓝光受体的研究进展。     

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.     

植物的隐花色素及其光信号转导

介绍了近年来植物隐花色素介导的光信号转导分子机制的研究进展.     

光受体介导信号转导调控植物开花研究进展

光照是影响植物生长发育的重要环境因子, 开花是高等植物生活史上最重要的事件。植物通过光受体感知外界环境中的光照变化, 激活一系列信号转导过程从而适时开花。该文介绍了高等植物光受体的种类、结构特征和生理功能的研究进展, 并系统阐述了红光/远红光受体光敏色素、蓝光受体隐花色素以及FKF1/ZTL/LKP2等介导光信号调控植物开花的分子机制, 包括光受体对CO转录及转录后水平调控和对FT转录水平的调控等。此外, 还介绍了光受体整合光信号与温度和赤霉素等信号调控植物开花的研究进展, 并展望了未来的研究方向。     

植物的蓝光效应

本文概述了植物蓝光效应的研究进展。探讨了蓝光效应的作用光谱、蓝光受体的可能结构、蓝光诱导的快速反应以及蓝光对碳水化合物和蛋白质代谢、气孔开启、叶片衰老、质膜蛋白磷酸化和基因表达的调控。     

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。     

植物的蓝光受体及其信号转导

近年来,对拟南芥及其它植物的分子遗传研究,在隐花色素和向光素的分子、基因和蓝光信号转导方面取得了显著进展。本文就这两种蓝光受体的基本结构及蓝光信号转导进行介绍。     

胞外钙离子以及细胞膜组分参与蓝光诱导拟南芥叶片花色素苷的积累

以野生型和hy4突变体拟南芥为材料,运用药物学方法研究可能参与蓝光诱导叶片花色素苷积累和CHS基因表达的信号组分。培养基中外施Ca2 、钙离子通道剂A23187、螯合剂EGTA、钙通道阻断剂尼群地平(nifedipine,Nif)以及异博定(verapermil)的实验证实,蓝光诱导13d龄叶片花色素苷积累和CHS基因表达需要胞外Ca2 的参与,而蓝光作用是由cry1(cryptochrome1)介导的。此外,质膜黄素蛋白抑制剂DPI(diphenylene iodonium)抑制蓝光诱导的花色素苷积累,质膜H -ATPase激活剂壳梭胞素(fusicoccin,FC)抑制蓝光反应,而抑制剂钒酸钠则起促进作用。CaM拮抗剂W7、Ca2 -ATPase抑制剂EB(erythrosine B)、G蛋白激活剂霍乱霉素(cholera toxin,CTX)以及抑制剂百日咳毒素(pertussis toxin,PTX)对蓝光下野生型与hy4的花色素苷积累都有影响。对药物实验的分析表明,质膜氧化还原系统、H -ATPase可能参与依赖于外源Ca2 的蓝光反应。     

植物的光受体及其调控机制的研究

近年来,通过对植物的分子遗传学研究,在植物光受体及其在光形态建成中对植物生长发育的调控机制方面取得了显著进展。从光受体及基因家族的概况,包括光敏色素、隐花色素、向光素的基本结构、分子特征、基因和信号转导等,介绍了光受体在光控发育调节机制方面的研究进展情况。     

蓝光诱导的苋红素合成—隐花色素的作用

蓝光对尾穗苋黄化苗苋红素的合成有明显的诱导效应.不同苗龄的幼苗对蓝光的敏感性不同:萌发22小时起开始合成苋红素,42小时达到高峰,92小时后趋向消失.苋红素合成带后期为3—4小时,蓝光诱导18小时后色素积累进入饱和期.吸收蓝光的隐花色素和吸收红光的光敏色素有协同调节作用.红光预处理能增强其后的光诱导效应,蓝光预处理抑制种子的萌发.隐花色素可能是黄素类物质.     

An experimental test of the adaptive evolution of phototropins: blue-light photoreceptors controlling phototropism in Arabidopsis thaliana

Phototropins are blue-light photoreceptor molecules mediating the capacity for phototropism or bending toward or away from directional light. Like the red-light sensing phytochromes that control shade avoidance, phototropins modulate developmental plasticity in plant architecture. Yet, unlike phytochromes, the adaptive significance of phototropins has been largely a topic of conjecture. In Arabidopsis thaliana, phototropism of seedling and plant stems is under the control of two paralogous genes, PHOT1 and PHOT2, that encode different phototropins with partially redundant light response qualities. The PHOT1 gene product interacts with the NPH3 gene product to cause phototropic bending over a broad range of light intensity, from very weak light in the soil to stronger light in the aerial environment. The PHOT2 gene product modulates shoot bending in response to light of higher intensity only. We compared the fitness of wild-type, phot1, phot2, and nph3 genotypes over a range of light conditions in the field. Seeds were sown in the field on the soil surface and left bare or covered with either gravel or bark mulch chips. Plantings were made under full sun and dense canopy cover. Rates of seedling emergence, survival to flowering, and total seed set were measured. All mutant genotypes had significantly reduced lifetime fitness compared to wild-type. Consistent with their different fluence rate sensitivities, phot1 and phot2 signaling pathways affected fitness at discrete life-cycle stages. Fitness costs of phot1 and nph3 were expressed mainly during seedling emergence from the soil whereas that of phot2 was expressed solely after emergence. Surprisingly, the only significant genotype-by-environment interaction for fitness occurred during emergence: genotypes blind to dim blue light (phot1 and nph3) had poor emergence in the open, but not in the shade. Possibly, the loss of negative phototropism in seedling roots of mutant genotypes reduced establishment success in open (dry soil) conditions. Results show that phototropin-modulated pathways are adaptive and that their evolution has involved functional specialization. However, mechanism(s) of selection on these pathways remain a mystery.     

PHH1 , a novel gene from Arabidopsis thaliana that encodes a protein similar to plant blue-light photoreceptors and microbial photolyases

 A cDNA from Arabidopsis thaliana similar to microbial photolyase genes, and designated AT-PHH1, was isolated using a photolyase-like cDNA from Sinapsis alba (SA-PHR1) as a probe. Multiple isolations yielded only PHH1 cDNAs, and a few blue-light-receptor CRY1 (HY4) cDNAs (also similar to microbial photolyase genes), suggesting the absence of any other highly similar Arabidopsis genes. The AT-PHH1 and SA-PHR1 cDNA sequences predict 89% identity at the protein level, except for an AT-PHH1 C-terminal extension (111 amino acids), also not seen in microbial photolyases. AT-PHH1 and CRY1 show less similarity (54% protein identity), including respective C-terminal extensions that are themselves mostly dissimilar. Analysis of fifteen AT-PHH1 genomic isolates reveals a single gene, with three introns in the coding sequence and one in the 5′-untranslated leader. Full-length AT-PHH1, and both AT-PHH1 and AT-PHH1ΔC-513 (truncated to be approximately the size of microbial photolyase genes) cDNAs, were overexpressed, respectively, in yeast and Escherichia coli mutants hypersensitive to ultraviolet light. The absence of significant effects on resistance suggests either that any putative AT-PHH1 DNA repair activity requires cofactors/chromophores not present in yeast or E. coli, or that AT-PHH1 encodes a blue-light/ultraviolet-A receptor rather than a DNA repair protein. Received: 27 March 1996/Accepted: 30 July 1996     

Knock-out of a putative transporter results in altered blue-light signalling in Chlamydomonas

Nitrogen starvation and blue light are the two environmental cues that control sexual differentiation in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Insertional mutagenesis was applied to generate mutants that still require nitrogen starvation as the initiating signal for gametogenesis but were no longer dependent on irradiation. In one mutant analysed, sequences adjacent to the site of insertion were cloned and used for the isolation of a genomic clone that, upon transformation, could complement the mutant phenotype. The gene identified (LRG6) encodes two mRNAs that appear to be the products of differential splicing. The two putative gene products derived from these mRNAs differ in their C-terminal ends. Both predicted gene products exhibit multiple hydrophobic domains with alpha-helical secondary structure typical for integral membrane proteins. These proteins may form pores, and may function as transporters of as-yet unknown substrates. Since rendering the LRG6 gene non-functional resulted in light-independence of gamete formation, it is suggested that this transporter may inhibit signal flux from the photoreceptor to target genes - either directly by its activity or indirectly by serving as a scaffold for signalling proteins. Shutting off this transporter may be required for the activation of signal flux in this pathway. This concept is supported by the observed reduction in LRG6 mRNA levels during the first phase of gametic differentiation.     

Isolation and characterization of homologues of plant blue-light photoreceptor (cryptochrome) genes from the fern Adiantum capillus-veneris

Many blue-light mediated physiological responses have been studied in the fern Adiantum capillus-veneris. We have isolated genomic clones encoding sequences similar to those encoding blue-light photoreceptors (cryptochromes) in higher plants using the Arabidopsis CRY1 cDNA as a probe, and these positive clones fall into five independent groups. Using RACE procedures, we obtained full-length cDNA sequences for three of these five groups. The deduced amino acid sequences include the photolyase-homologous domain in the N-terminal half, and they also contain a C-terminal extension of about 200 amino acids in length. These structural features indicate that the genes indeed encode Adiantum cryptochromes and represent a small gene family having at least three members. Received: 16 February 1998 / Accepted: 26 April 1998     

Hypocotyl growth orientation in blue light is determined by phytochrome A inhibition of gravitropism and phototropin promotion of phototropism

How developing seedlings integrate gravitropic and phototropic stimuli to determine their direction of growth is poorly understood. In this study we tested whether blue light influences hypocotyl gravitropism in Arabidopsis. Phototropin1 (phot1) triggers phototropism under low fluence rates of blue light but, at least in the dark, has no effect on gravitropism. By analyzing the growth orientation of phototropism-deficient seedlings in response to gravitropic and phototropic stimulations we show that blue light not only triggers phototropism but also represses hypocotyl gravitropism. At low fluence rates of blue light phot1 mutants were agravitropic. In contrast, phyAphot1 double mutants grew exclusively according to gravity demonstrating that phytochrome A (phyA) is necessary to inhibit gravitropism. Analyses of phot1cry1cry2 triple mutants indicate that cryptochromes play a minor role in this response. Thus the optimal growth orientation of hypocotyls is determined by the action of phyA-suppressing gravitropism and the phototropin-triggering phototropism. It has long been known that phytochromes promote phototropism but the mechanism involved is still unknown. Our data show that by inhibiting gravitropism phyA acts as a positive regulator of phototropism.     

Light receptor action is critical for maintaining plant biomass at warm ambient temperatures

The ability to withstand environmental temperature variation is essential for plant survival. Former studies in Arabidopsis revealed that light signalling pathways had a potentially unique role in shielding plant growth and development from seasonal and daily fluctuations in temperature. In this paper we describe the molecular circuitry through which the light receptors cry1 and phyB buffer the impact of warm ambient temperatures. We show that the light signalling component HFR1 acts to minimise the potentially devastating effects of elevated temperature on plant physiology. Light is known to stabilise levels of HFR1 protein by suppressing proteasome-mediated destruction of HFR1. We demonstrate that light-dependent accumulation and activity of HFR1 are highly temperature dependent. The increased potency of HFR1 at warmer temperatures provides an important restraint on PIF4 that drives elongation growth. We show that warm ambient temperatures promote the accumulation of phosphorylated PIF4. However, repression of PIF4 activity by phyB and cry1 (via HFR1) is critical for controlling growth and maintaining physiology as temperatures rise. Loss of this light-mediated restraint has severe consequences for adult plants which have greatly reduced biomass.     

The critical role of a hydrogen bond between Gln63 and Trp104 in the blue-light sensing BLUF domain that controls AppA activity

AppA is a novel blue-light receptor that controls photosynthetic gene expression in the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The photocycle reaction of the light-sensing domain, BLUF, is unique in the sense that a few hydrogen bond rearrangements are accompanied by only slight structural changes of the bound chromophore. However, the exact features of the hydrogen bond network around the active site are still the subject of some controversy. Here we present biochemical and genetic evidence showing that either Gln63 or Trp104 in the active site of the BLUF domain is crucial for light sensing, which in turn controls the antirepressor activity of AppA. Specifically, the Q63L and W104A mutants of AppA are insensitive to blue light in vivo and in vitro, and their activity is similar to that of the light-adapted wild-type AppA. Based on spectroscopic and structural information described previously, we conclude that light-dependent formation and breakage of the hydrogen bond between Gln63 and Trp104 are critical for the light-sensing mechanism of AppA.     

The xanthopsins: a new family of eubacterial blue-light photoreceptors.

Photoactive yellow protein (PYP) is a photoreceptor that has been isolated from three halophilic phototrophic purple bacteria. The PYP from Ectothiorhodospira halophila BN9626 is the only member for which the sequence has been reported at the DNA level. Here we describe the cloning and sequencing of the genes encoding the PYPs from E.halophila SL-1 (type strain) and Rhodospirillum salexigens. The latter protein contains, like the E.halophila PYP, the chromophore trans p-coumaric acid, as we show here with high performance capillary zone electrophoresis. Additionally, we present evidence for the presence of a gene encoding a PYP homolog in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, the first genetically well-characterized bacterium in which this photoreceptor has been identified. An ORF downstream of the pyp gene from E.halophila encodes an enzyme, which is proposed to be involved in the biosynthesis of the chromophore of PYP. The pyp gene from E.halophila was used for heterologous overexpression in both Escherichia coli and R.sphaeroides, aimed at the development of a holoPYP overexpression system (an intact PYP, containing the p-coumaric acid chromophore and displaying the 446 nm absorbance band). In both organisms the protein could be detected immunologically, but its yellow color was not observed. Molecular genetic construction of a histidine-tagged version of PYP led to its 2500-fold overproduction in E.coli and simplified purification of the heterologously produced apoprotein. HoloPYP could be reconstituted by the addition of p-coumaric anhydride to the histidine-tagged apoPYP (PYP lacking its chromophore). We propose to call the family of photoactive yellow proteins the xanthopsins, in analogy with the rhodopsins.     

Characterization of the BLR1 gene encoding a putative blue-light regulator in the phytopathogenic fungus Bipolaris oryzae

Bipolaris oryzae is a filamentous ascomycetous fungus that causes brown leaf spot disease in rice. We isolated and characterized BLR1, a gene that encodes a putative blue-light regulator similar to Neurospora crassa white-collar 1 (WC-1). The deduced amino acid sequence of BLR1 showed high degrees of similarity to other fungal blue-light regulator protein. Disruption of the BLR1 gene demonstrated that this gene is essential for conidial development after conidiophore formation and for near-UV radiation-enhanced photolyase gene expression.