How Animal Cryptochromes Respond to Light
Author Information
Author(s): Hoang Nathalie, Schleicher Erik, Kacprzak Sylwia, Bouly Jean-Pierre, Picot Marie, Wu William, Berndt Albrecht, Wolf Eva, Bittl Robert, Ahmad Margaret
Primary Institution: Université Paris VI, UMR-CNRS 7632, Paris, France
Hypothesis
Do animal-type cryptochromes respond to light and how are they activated?
Conclusion
The study provides evidence that both human and Drosophila cryptochromes are activated by light through a process called photoreduction.
Supporting Evidence
- Light induces a change in the redox state of flavin bound to the receptor in both human and Drosophila cryptochromes.
- Photoreduction from oxidized flavin and subsequent accumulation of a semiquinone intermediate signaling state occurs by a conserved mechanism.
- Human cryptochromes may have novel light-sensing roles that remain to be elucidated.
Takeaway
This study shows that certain proteins in animals, called cryptochromes, can sense light and change their state, similar to how plants do it.
Methodology
The researchers expressed human and Drosophila cryptochrome proteins in living insect cells and used light to observe changes in the proteins' states.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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