Molecular structure and function of molecules involved in environmental sensing of plants.

2014 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Environmental sensing of plants: Signal perception, processing and cellular responses
• Project/Area Number: 22120005
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Biological Sciences
• Research Institution: Osaka Prefecture University
• Principal Investigator: TOKUTOMI SATORU 大阪府立大学, 理学(系)研究科(研究院), 教授 (90142009)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): YOSHIHARA Shizue 大阪府立大学, 理学系研究科, 助教 (20382236)
• Co-Investigator(Renkei-kenkyūsha): OKAJIMA Koji 大阪府立大学, 理学系研究科, 特認助教 (20438425) ; ZIKIHARA Kazunori 大阪府立大学, 理学系研究科, 客員研究員 (90458000) ; KATSURA Hitomi 大阪府立大学, 理学系研究科, 博士研究員 (50621124)
• Project Period (FY): 2010-04-01 – 2015-03-31
• Keywords: 植物光受容体 / フィトクロム / フォトトロピン / 分子構造 / 光受容反応 / シグナル伝達

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Light is one of the important environmental signals for plant. Plant has multiple blue light receptors e.g. phototropin, cryptochrome, etc. and a red light receptor, phytochrome, to perceive light signals. We have studied the structures and functions of these photoreceptors and obtained the following results. 1) Phototropin is a blue light-regulated Ser/Thr kinase. Using Arabidopsis and Chlamydomonas phototropin with various constructs, we performed structural and amino acid substitution studies and got useful information concerning the molecular mechanism of light regulation of the kinase. 2) Phytochrome is a red / far-red light reversible photoreceptor. We established the preparation system for the photoactive N-terminal Sensory Module and its variants of Arabidopsis phytochrome B. Useful information concerning their molecular structures and new information regarding the interaction between the phytochrome B and PIF3, a signal transduction component, were obtained.

Free Research Field

光生物学