Central Project

光对藻类有重要的影响：(1)作为光合作用的能源；(2)在感光感受器的控制下触发行为反应；(3)通过明暗循环调节生物钟。在第二个资助期，我们将主要集中研究三种单细胞藻类的光驱动过程，包括已测序的基因组和已建立的遗传工具，这三种藻类是绿藻莱茵衣藻、硅藻三角褐指藻和红藻蓝藻，以便进行完整的基因组和蛋白质组分析。这些生物中涉及光驱动过程的相关蛋白质将被研究，包括潜在的/同时已知的光激活的光感受器，如植物、动物和短促的类隐色素(Crys)、金色(Aureos)和新型视紫红质。在一个跨学科的团队中，我们将阐明它们的详细分子功能，进行生物物理光谱分析，并解决选定蛋白质的晶体结构。我们将特别强调可能的转录因子Aureo和植物样CRYP(都是棕指藻)的光激活，它们在具有呐喊特征的同时影响光捕获复杂蛋白的表达。我们还重点研究了类动物的aCRY，它不仅在蓝色区域被激活，而且在视觉光谱的红色区域也被激活，以及紫外线吸收酶-视紫红质(两者都是衣藻)。此外，还将研究红藻C.merolae的几个候选哭声中的一个。Crys是在这种超小型单细胞红藻基因组中发现的唯一光感受器。我们的研究还将在不同水平上进一步探讨硅藻光合作用的光驱动调控机制。硅藻对地球初级生产力的贡献高达20%，人们对它们的光合作用知之甚少。

Light has major impacts on algae (i) serving as energy source for photosynthesis, (ii) triggering behavioral responses under the control of sensory photoreceptors and (iii) entraining their circadian clocks by light-dark cycles. In the second funding period, we will mainly focus on light-driven processes in three unicellular algae with sequenced genomes and established genetic tools, the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum, and the red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae, allowing both integrated genome and proteome analyses. Relevant proteins involved in light-driven processes in these organisms will be under investigation, including potential/meanwhile known light-activated photoreceptors such as plant-, animal- and DASH-like cryptochromes (CRYs), aureochromes (AUREOs) and novel rhodopsins. Within an interdisciplinary team, we will elucidate their detailed molecular function, conduct biophysical spectroscopic analysis, and solve the crystal structure of selected proteins. We will put special emphasis on the light activation of the putative transcription factor AUREO and the plant-like CRY, CryP (both Phaeodactylum) that influences light harvesting complex protein expression whilst having CRY-DASH features. We also focus on the animal-like aCRY that is activated not only in the blue, but also in the red region of the visual spectrum, and on the UV-absorbing enzyme-rhodopsins (both Chlamydomonas). Moreover, one out of several CRY candidates of the red alga C. merolae will be studied. CRYs are the only photoreceptors found in the genome of this ultrasmall unicellular red alga. Our studies will also further investigate the mechanisms of light-driven regulation of diatom photosynthesis on different levels. Diatoms contribute up to 20% to the primary production on Earth, and little is yet known about their photosynthesis.