The involvement of cryptochromes in the light- and circadian signaling pathways in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Cryptochromes (CRYs) are flavoproteins that act as sensory blue-light receptors in plants thereby mediating the input of blue light for the entrainment of the circadian clocks. In contrast, mammalian CRYs are components of the circadian oscillatory machinery. In addition, there are DASH-type CRYs, but their biological function is still largely unknown. In the green biflagellate alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, a plant (pCRY) and an animal-like CRY (aCRY) exist as well as two DASH-type CRYs. We discovered that aCRY functions as a sensory blue-light receptor as well as a sensory red-light receptor. This is novel for a flavoprotein in general and a CRY in particular. Recent data also indicate that pCRY and aCRY in C. reinhardtii are functionally intertwined. We will focus on the in vivo mechanism of signal transduction of aCRY based on its spectral properties, its potential light-driven DNA repair function and the detailed role of both CRYs within the circadian clock of C. reinhardtii. Moreover, we will investigate the interplay of both CRYs as well as the function of a DASH-type CRY at different levels. The combination of the interdisciplinary scientific expertises within the research group will allow us to gain information about the spectroscopic, molecular biological and structural properties of the different CRYs.