Nature & Environment
Light-Sensitive Proteins Found in Plant Cells Change how they Discover Light
Kathleen Lees
First Posted: May 05, 2014 12:11 PM EDT
Most plants gravitate towards the sun. That nourishing light helps them grow and stay healthy. Yet a recent study looks at how light-sensitive proteins found in plant cells may change how they discover light.
"You can think of them as the plant's 'eyes'. Our study has shown how these eyes work at the molecular level," said Sebastian Westenhoff at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg, via a press release.
The family of proteins known as "phytochrome" are typically found in plant leaves. Once the presence of sunlight is detected, they inform the cell whether it's day or night and whether or not the plant needs shade or more sun. These proteins also carry a three-dimensional molecular structure, in which light is absorbed by the phytochromes.
"We already knew that some form of structural change was taking place, since the light signals must be transferred onwards to the cell. What we didn't know, however, was how the structure changed, and this is what we have revealed. Nearly the complete molecule is rebuilt," Westenhoff added, via the release.
Now, Westenhoff has discovered a new measurement that studies the laser light to initiate structural changes. Researchers note that this increases our understanding of how the proteins work, which could potentially lead to a new strategy to grow efficient crops in areas with little sunlight.
"Proteins are the factories and machines of life, and their structures change when they carry out their specific tasks. At the moment, it's usually not possible to determine these changes. But I believe that we can use similar experiments to determine many important structural changes in phytochromes and other proteins," he concluded.
What do you think?
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Nature.
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First Posted: May 05, 2014 12:11 PM EDT
Most plants gravitate towards the sun. That nourishing light helps them grow and stay healthy. Yet a recent study looks at how light-sensitive proteins found in plant cells may change how they discover light.
"You can think of them as the plant's 'eyes'. Our study has shown how these eyes work at the molecular level," said Sebastian Westenhoff at the Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Gothenburg, via a press release.
The family of proteins known as "phytochrome" are typically found in plant leaves. Once the presence of sunlight is detected, they inform the cell whether it's day or night and whether or not the plant needs shade or more sun. These proteins also carry a three-dimensional molecular structure, in which light is absorbed by the phytochromes.
"We already knew that some form of structural change was taking place, since the light signals must be transferred onwards to the cell. What we didn't know, however, was how the structure changed, and this is what we have revealed. Nearly the complete molecule is rebuilt," Westenhoff added, via the release.
Now, Westenhoff has discovered a new measurement that studies the laser light to initiate structural changes. Researchers note that this increases our understanding of how the proteins work, which could potentially lead to a new strategy to grow efficient crops in areas with little sunlight.
"Proteins are the factories and machines of life, and their structures change when they carry out their specific tasks. At the moment, it's usually not possible to determine these changes. But I believe that we can use similar experiments to determine many important structural changes in phytochromes and other proteins," he concluded.
What do you think?
More information regarding the findings can be seen via the journal Nature.
See Now: NASA's Juno Spacecraft's Rendezvous With Jupiter's Mammoth Cyclone