A light-dependent, dark-promoted interaction of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 and phytochrome B.

Plant photoreceptors transduce environmental light cues to downstream signaling pathways, regulating a wide array of processes during growth and development. Two major plant photoreceptors with critical roles in photomorphogenesis are phytochrome B (phyB), a red/far-red absorbing photoreceptor, and cryptochrome 1 (CRY1), a UV-A/blue photoreceptor. Despite substantial genetic evidence for crosstalk ...
between phyB and CRY1 pathways, a direct interaction between these proteins has not been observed. Here, we report that Arabidopsis phyB interacts directly with CRY1 in a light-dependent interaction. Surprisingly, the interaction is light-dissociated--CRY1 interacts specifically with the dark/far-red (Pr) state of phyB, but not with the red-light-activated (Pfr) or the chromophore unconjugated form of the enzyme. The interaction is also regulated by light activation of CRY1: phyB Pr interacts only with the unstimulated form of CRY1 but not with the photostimulated protein. Further studies reveal that a small domain extending from the PHR domain of CRY1 regulates the specificity of the interaction with different conformational states of phyB. We hypothesize that in plants the phyB/CRY1 interaction may mediate crosstalk between the red/far-red and blue/UV sensing pathways, enabling fine-tuning of light responses to different spectral inputs.
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Date: May. 10, 2012
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