Sorry, you do not have access to this eBook
A subscription is required to access the full text content of this book.
Phytochromes are photoreceptors that regulate many aspects of plant growth and development in response to red/far-red light signals from the environment. 1–3 Phytochromes in higher plants are encoded by small gene families. 4 For example, the completed whole genome sequences of Arabidopsis thaliana and Oryza sativa phytochromes reveal five (PHYA to PHYE) and three (PHYA to PHYC) genes, respectively. 5,6 Phytochromes are dimeric chromoproteins having covalently linked open tetrapyrrole phytochromobilin and exist in two photochromic species, red-light-absorbing Pr and far-red-light-absorbing Pfr forms. They are biosynthesized as the Pr form in the dark, which can be phototransformed into the Pfr form upon exposure to red light. The Pr-to-Pfr phototransformation of phytochromes induces the highly regulated signaling network for photomorphogenesis in plants. 7–9 Recent studies on the molecular mechanisms of the phytochrome-mediated light signaling reveal that phytochrome photoactivation impacts on the control of protein subcellular localization, 10,11 transcription, 12,13 protein stability, 14,15 and protein phosphorylation. 16 Here, we highlight the current knowledge about the molecular mechanisms of phytochrome function based on the recent advances.
A subscription is required to access the full text content of this book.
Other ways to access this content: