Home > Press > Scientists decipher structure of nature’s ‘light switch’
 |
| Left: 3-D phytochrome map; Right: Fit-together fragments forming two sister units (one shown as ribbon, the other in space-filling format), revealing twisted structure. |
Abstract:
When the first warm rays of springtime sunshine trigger a burst of new plant growth, it's almost as if someone flicked a switch to turn on the greenery and unleash a floral profusion of color.
Scientists decipher structure of nature’s ‘light switch’
Posted on June 23rd, 2010Opening a window into this process, scientists at DOE's Brookhaven Lab and collaborators at the University of Wisconsin have deciphered the structure of a molecular "switch" known as a phytochrome that is much like the one plants use to sense light. They used a combination of electron microscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and computational techniques to produce a 3-D map of the full structure. They then used this map to piece together the detailed structures of small phytochrome fragments that had been previously determined using x-ray crystallography.
The new structure revealed a long twisted area of contact between two individual "sister" units, with a good deal of flexibility at the untwisted ends. This structure supports the idea that the absorption of light somehow adjusts the strength or orientation of the contact, and through a series of conformation changes, transmits a signal down the length of the molecular interface. Understanding how these changes in shape send signals that help plants know when to flower, produce chlorophyll, and grow may help scientists design new ways to modify plant growth.
####
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Karen McNulty Walsh
631.344.8350
Copyright © DOE Pulse
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Possible Futures
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev researchers several steps closer to harnessing patient's own T-cells to fight off cancer June 6th, 2025
Researchers unveil a groundbreaking clay-based solution to capture carbon dioxide and combat climate change June 6th, 2025
Cambridge chemists discover simple way to build bigger molecules – one carbon at a time June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Academic/Education
Rice University launches Rice Synthetic Biology Institute to improve lives January 12th, 2024
Multi-institution, $4.6 million NSF grant to fund nanotechnology training September 9th, 2022
Announcements
Electrifying results shed light on graphene foam as a potential material for lab grown cartilage June 6th, 2025
Quantum computers simulate fundamental physics: shedding light on the building blocks of nature June 6th, 2025
A 1960s idea inspires NBI researchers to study hitherto inaccessible quantum states June 6th, 2025
Food/Agriculture/Supplements
SMART researchers pioneer first-of-its-kind nanosensor for real-time iron detection in plants February 28th, 2025
Silver nanoparticles: guaranteeing antimicrobial safe-tea November 17th, 2023
Night-time radiative warming using the atmosphere November 17th, 2023
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||