Biochemical and Molecular Studies of the Transduction of Blue Light Signals in Higher Plants

除了作为光合作用能量来源的重要作用外，光在植物发育的调节中也起着极其重要的作用。虽然关于光敏色素系统对电磁光谱红端波长的响应已知很多，但对光感受器或蓝色端的信号转导链知之甚少。这位研究人员建议继续研究蓝光介导的质膜蛋白的磷酸化，该蛋白被假设参与趋光性和其他蓝光反应。他们计划提纯和鉴定这种蛋白质和其他可能在光接收和早期信号转导中与其相互作用的蛋白质。在基因水平上对该系统的研究将通过克隆和测序编码这些蛋白质的基因来启动。在细胞、生化和分子水平上阐明这一系统应该是我们理解光如何调控植物发育的重要一步。

In addition to its important role as a source of energy for photosynthesis, light plays an extremely important role in the regulation of plant development. While much is known about the phytochrome system, responsive to wavelengths at the red end of the electromagnetic spectrum, little is known about photoreceptors or their signal transduction chains at the blue end. The investigator proposes to continue investigating a blue light mediated phosphorylation of a plasma membrane protein that is hypothesized to be involved in phototropism and perhaps other blue light responses. They plan to purify and characterize the protein and other proteins which may interact with it in photoreception and early signal transduction. Studies of the system at the gene level will be initiated by cloning and sequencing the genes encoding for these proteins. Elucidation of this system at the cell, biochemical and molecular levels should be a major step forward in our understanding of how light regulates plant development.