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Aguida B, Babo J, Baouz S, Jourdan N, Procopio M, El-Esawi MA, Engle D, Mills S, Wenkel S, Huck A, Berg-Sørensen K, Kampranis SC, Link J, Ahmad M. 'Seeing' the electromagnetic spectrum: spotlight on the cryptochrome photocycle. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 15:1340304. [PMID: 38495372 PMCID: PMC10940379 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1340304] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 01/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are widely dispersed flavoprotein photoreceptors that regulate numerous developmental responses to light in plants, as well as to stress and entrainment of the circadian clock in animals and humans. All cryptochromes are closely related to an ancient family of light-absorbing flavoenzymes known as photolyases, which use light as an energy source for DNA repair but themselves have no light sensing role. Here we review the means by which plant cryptochromes acquired a light sensing function. This transition involved subtle changes within the flavin binding pocket which gave rise to a visual photocycle consisting of light-inducible and dark-reversible flavin redox state transitions. In this photocycle, light first triggers flavin reduction from an initial dark-adapted resting state (FADox). The reduced state is the biologically active or 'lit' state, correlating with biological activity. Subsequently, the photoreduced flavin reoxidises back to the dark adapted or 'resting' state. Because the rate of reoxidation determines the lifetime of the signaling state, it significantly modulates biological activity. As a consequence of this redox photocycle Crys respond to both the wavelength and the intensity of light, but are in addition regulated by factors such as temperature, oxygen concentration, and cellular metabolites that alter rates of flavin reoxidation even independently of light. Mechanistically, flavin reduction is correlated with conformational change in the protein, which is thought to mediate biological activity through interaction with biological signaling partners. In addition, a second, entirely independent signaling mechanism arises from the cryptochrome photocycle in the form of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These are synthesized during flavin reoxidation, are known mediators of biotic and abiotic stress responses, and have been linked to Cry biological activity in plants and animals. Additional special properties arising from the cryptochrome photocycle include responsivity to electromagnetic fields and their applications in optogenetics. Finally, innovations in methodology such as the use of Nitrogen Vacancy (NV) diamond centers to follow cryptochrome magnetic field sensitivity in vivo are discussed, as well as the potential for a whole new technology of 'magneto-genetics' for future applications in synthetic biology and medicine.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blanche Aguida
- Unite Mixed de Recherche (UMR) Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 8256 (B2A), Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Jonathan Babo
- Unite Mixed de Recherche (UMR) Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 8256 (B2A), Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Soria Baouz
- Unite Mixed de Recherche (UMR) Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 8256 (B2A), Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Nathalie Jourdan
- Unite Mixed de Recherche (UMR) Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 8256 (B2A), Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
| | - Maria Procopio
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | | | - Dorothy Engle
- Biology Department, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Stephen Mills
- Chemistry Department, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Stephan Wenkel
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Alexander Huck
- DTU Physics, Technical University of Denmark, Kongens Lyngby, Denmark
| | | | - Sotirios C. Kampranis
- Biochemical Engineering Group, Plant Biochemistry Section, Department of Plant and Environment Sciences, University of Copenhagen, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Justin Link
- Physics and Engineering Department, Cincinnati, OH, United States
| | - Margaret Ahmad
- Unite Mixed de Recherche (UMR) Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) 8256 (B2A), Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine (IBPS), Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
- Biology Department, Xavier University, Cincinnati, OH, United States
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2
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Fraikin GY, Belenikina NS, Rubin AB. Molecular Bases of Signaling Processes Regulated by Cryptochrome Sensory Photoreceptors in Plants. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2023; 88:770-782. [PMID: 37748873 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923060056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 05/02/2023] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The blue-light sensors, cryptochromes, compose the extensive class of flavoprotein photoreceptors, regulating signaling processes in plants underlying their development, growth, and metabolism. In several algae, cryptochromes may act not only as sensory photoreceptors but also as photolyases, catalyzing repair of the UV-induced DNA lesions. Cryptochromes bind FAD as the chromophore at the photolyase homologous region (PHR) domain and contain the cryptochrome C-terminal extension (CCE), which is absent in photolyases. Photosensory process in cryptochrome is initiated by photochemical chromophore conversions, including formation of the FAD redox forms. In the state with the chromophore reduced to neutral radical (FADH×), the photoreceptor protein undergoes phosphorylation, conformational changes, and disengagement from the PHR domain and CCE with subsequent formation of oligomers of cryptochrome molecules. Photooligomerization is a structural basis of the functional activities of cryptochromes, since it ensures formation of their complexes with a variety of signaling proteins, including transcriptional factors and regulators of transcription. Interactions in such complexes change the protein signaling activities, leading to regulation of gene expression and plant photomorphogenesis. In recent years, multiple papers, reporting novel, more detailed information about the molecular mechanisms of above-mentioned processes were published. The present review mainly focuses on analysis of the data contained in these publications, particularly regarding structural aspects of the cryptochrome transitions into photoactivated states and regulatory signaling processes mediated by the cryptochrome photoreceptors in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Andrey B Rubin
- Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, 119991, Russia
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3
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Li H, Yu Y, Ruan M, Jiao F, Chen H, Gao J, Weng Y, Bao Y. The mechanism for thermal-enhanced chaperone-like activity of α-crystallin against UV irradiation-induced aggregation of γD-crystallin. Biophys J 2022; 121:2233-2250. [PMID: 35619565 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.05.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 05/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Exposure to solar UV irradiation damages γ-crystallin, leading to cataract formation via aggregation. α-Crystallin, as a small heat-shock protein (sHsps), efficiently suppresses this irreversible aggregation by selectively binding the denatured γ-crystallin monomer. In this study, liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS) was used to evaluate UV-325 nm irradiation-induced photodamage of human γD-crystallin in the presence of bovine α-crystallin, atomic force microscope (AFM) and dynamic light scattering (DLS) techniques were used to detect the quaternary structure changes of α-crystallin oligomer, and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and temperature-jump (T-jump) nanosecond time-resolved IR absorbance difference spectroscopy were used to probe the secondary structure changes of bovine α-crystallin. We find that the thermal-induced subunit dissociation of α-crystallin oligomer involves the breaking of hydrogen bonds at the dimeric interface, leading to three different spectral components at varied temperature regions as resolved from temperature-dependent IR spectra. Under UV-325 nm irradiation, unfolded γD-crystallin binds to the dissociated α-crystallin subunit to form αγ-complex, then follows the reassociation of αγ-complex to the partially dissociated α-crystallin oligomer. This prevents the aggregation of denatured γD-crystallin. The formation of the γD-bound α-crystallin oligomer is further confirmed by AFM and DLS analysis, which reveals an obvious size expansion in the reassociated αγ-oligomers. In addition, UV-325 nm irradiation causes a peptide bond cleavage of γD-crystallin at Ala158 in presence of α-crystallin. Our results suggest a very effective protection mechanism for subunits dissociated from α-crystallin oligomers against UV irradiation-induced aggregation of γD-crystallin, at an expense of a loss of a short C-terminal peptide in γD-crystallin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao Li
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; College of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Beijing University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China; Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Yingying Yu
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University People's Hospital, Eye Diseases and Optometry Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Therapy of Retinal and Choroid Diseases, College of Optometry, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China
| | - Meixia Ruan
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Fang Jiao
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Hailong Chen
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jiali Gao
- College of Chemical Biology and Biotechnology, Beijing University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen, China; Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yuxiang Weng
- Laboratory of Soft Matter Physics, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
| | - Yongzhen Bao
- Department of Ophthalmology, Peking University People's Hospital, Eye Diseases and Optometry Institute, Beijing Key Laboratory of Diagnosis and Therapy of Retinal and Choroid Diseases, College of Optometry, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.
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Abstract
Light activated proteins are at the heart of photobiology and optogenetics, so there is wide interest in understanding the mechanisms coupling optical excitation to protein function. In addition, such light activated proteins provide unique insights into the real-time dynamics of protein function. Using pump-probe spectroscopy, the function of a photoactive protein can be initiated by a sub-100 fs pulse of light, allowing subsequent protein dynamics to be probed from femtoseconds to milliseconds and beyond. Among the most interesting photoactive proteins are the blue light using flavin (BLUF) domain proteins, which regulate the response to light of a wide range of bacterial and some euglenoid processes. The photosensing mechanism of BLUF domains has long been a subject of debate. In contrast to other photoactive proteins, the electronic and nuclear structure of the chromophore (flavin) is the same in dark- and light-adapted states. Thus, the driving force for photoactivity is unclear.To address this question requires real-time observation of both chromophore excited state processes and their effect on the structure and dynamics of the surrounding protein matrix. In this Account we describe how time-resolved infrared (IR) experiments, coupled with chemical biology, provide important new insights into the signaling mechanism of BLUF domains. IR measurements are sensitive to changes in both chromophore electronic structure and protein hydrogen bonding interactions. These contributions are resolved by isotope labeling of the chromophore and protein separately. Further, a degree of control over BLUF photochemistry is achieved through mutagenesis, while unnatural amino acid substitution allows us to both fine-tune the photochemistry and time resolve protein dynamics with spatial resolution.Ultrafast studies of BLUF domains reveal non-single-exponential relaxation of the flavin excited state. That relaxation leads within one nanosecond to the original flavin ground state bound in a modified hydrogen-bonding network, as seen in transient and steady-state IR spectroscopy. The change in H-bond configuration arises from formation of an unusual enol (imine) form of a critical glutamine residue. The dynamics observed, complemented by quantum mechanical calculations, suggest a unique sequential electron then double proton transfer reaction as the driving force, followed by rapid reorganization in the binding site and charge recombination. Importantly, studies of several BLUF domains reveal an unexpected diversity in their dynamics, although the underlying structure appears highly conserved. It is suggested that this diversity reflects structural dynamics in the ground state at standard temperature, leading to a distribution of structures and photochemical outcomes. Time resolved IR measurements were extended to the millisecond regime for one BLUF domain, revealing signaling state formation on the microsecond time scale. The mechanism involves reorganization of a β-sheet connected to the chromophore binding pocket via a tryptophan residue. The potential of site-specific labeling amino acids with IR labels as a tool for probing protein structural dynamics was demonstrated.In summary, time-resolved IR studies of BLUF domains (along with related studies at visible wavelengths and quantum and molecular dynamics calculations) have resolved the photoactivation mechanism and real-time dynamics of signaling state formation. These measurements provide new insights into protein structural dynamics and will be important in optimizing the potential of BLUF domains in optobiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andras Lukacs
- Department of Biophysics, Medical School, University of Pécs, Szigeti str 12, 7624 Pécs, Hungary
| | - Peter J. Tonge
- Department of Chemistry, Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook, New York 11794-3400, United States
| | - Stephen R. Meech
- School of Chemistry, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich NR4 7TJ, U.K
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Goett-Zink L, Kottke T. Plant Cryptochromes Illuminated: A Spectroscopic Perspective on the Mechanism. Front Chem 2021; 9:780199. [PMID: 34900940 PMCID: PMC8653763 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2021.780199] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Plant cryptochromes are central blue light receptors for the control of land plant and algal development including the circadian clock and the cell cycle. Cryptochromes share a photolyase homology region with about 500 amino acids and bind the chromophore flavin adenine dinucleotide. Characteristic for plant cryptochromes is a conserved aspartic acid close to flavin and an exceptionally long C-terminal extension. The mechanism of activation by excitation and reduction of the chromophore flavin adenine dinucleotide has been controversially discussed for many years. Various spectroscopic techniques have contributed to our understanding of plant cryptochromes by providing high time resolution, ambient conditions and even in-cell approaches. As a result, unifying and differing aspects of photoreaction and signal propagation have been revealed in comparison to members from other cryptochrome subfamilies. Here, we review the insight from spectroscopy on the flavin photoreaction in plant cryptochromes and present the current models on the signal propagation from flavin reduction to dissociation of the C-terminal extension.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Goett-Zink
- Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany.,Biophysical Chemistry and Diagnostics, Medical School OWL, Bielefeld University, Bielefeld, Germany
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Cellini A, Yuan Wahlgren W, Henry L, Pandey S, Ghosh S, Castillon L, Claesson E, Takala H, Kübel J, Nimmrich A, Kuznetsova V, Nango E, Iwata S, Owada S, Stojković EA, Schmidt M, Ihalainen JA, Westenhoff S. The three-dimensional structure of Drosophila melanogaster (6-4) photolyase at room temperature. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:1001-1009. [PMID: 34342273 PMCID: PMC8329860 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321005830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 06/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
(6-4) photolyases are flavoproteins that belong to the photolyase/cryptochrome family. Their function is to repair DNA lesions using visible light. Here, crystal structures of Drosophila melanogaster (6-4) photolyase [Dm(6-4)photolyase] at room and cryogenic temperatures are reported. The room-temperature structure was solved to 2.27 Å resolution and was obtained by serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) using an X-ray free-electron laser. The crystallization and preparation conditions are also reported. The cryogenic structure was solved to 1.79 Å resolution using conventional X-ray crystallography. The structures agree with each other, indicating that the structural information obtained from crystallography at cryogenic temperature also applies at room temperature. Furthermore, UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy confirms that Dm(6-4)photolyase is photoactive in the crystals, giving a green light to time-resolved SFX studies on the protein, which can reveal the structural mechanism of the photoactivated protein in DNA repair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Cellini
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Weixiao Yuan Wahlgren
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Léocadie Henry
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Suraj Pandey
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Swagatha Ghosh
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Leticia Castillon
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Elin Claesson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Heikki Takala
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyvaskyla, 40014 Jyvaskyla, Finland
- Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Box 63, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - Joachim Kübel
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Amke Nimmrich
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Valentyna Kuznetsova
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyvaskyla, 40014 Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Eriko Nango
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-ku, Sendai 980-8577, Japan
| | - So Iwata
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Shigeki Owada
- Department of Cell Biology, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Yoshidakonoe-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto 606-8501, Japan
- RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
- Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute, 1-1-1 Kouto, Sayo-cho, Sayo-gun, Hyogo 679-5198, Japan
| | - Emina A. Stojković
- Department of Biology, Northeastern Illinois University, 5500 North St Louis Avenue, Chicago, IL 60625, USA
| | - Marius Schmidt
- Physics Department, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, 3135 North Maryland Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53211, USA
| | - Janne A. Ihalainen
- Department of Biological and Environmental Science, Nanoscience Center, University of Jyvaskyla, 40014 Jyvaskyla, Finland
| | - Sebastian Westenhoff
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Box 462, 405 30 Gothenburg, Sweden
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Pooam M, Dixon N, Hilvert M, Misko P, Waters K, Jourdan N, Drahy S, Mills S, Engle D, Link J, Ahmad M. Effect of temperature on the Arabidopsis cryptochrome photocycle. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2021; 172:1653-1661. [PMID: 33583025 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.13365] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2020] [Revised: 12/17/2020] [Accepted: 02/05/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are blue light-absorbing photoreceptors found in plants and animals with many important signalling functions. These include control of plant growth, development, and the entrainment of the circadian clock. Plant cryptochromes have recently been implicated in adaptations to temperature variation, including temperature compensation of the circadian clock. However, the effect of temperature directly on the photochemical properties of the cryptochrome photoreceptor remains unknown. Here we show that the response to light of purified Arabidopsis Cry1 and Cry2 proteins was significantly altered by temperature. Spectral analysis at 15°C showed a pronounced decrease in flavin reoxidation rates from the biologically active, light-induced (FADH°) signalling state of cryptochrome to the inactive (FADox) resting redox state as compared to ambient (25°C) temperature. This result indicates that at low temperatures, the concentration of the biologically active FADH° redox form of Cry is increased, leading to the counterintuitive prediction that there should be an increased biological activity of Cry at lower temperatures. This was confirmed using Cry1 cryptochrome C-terminal phosphorylation as a direct biological assay for Cry activation in vivo. We conclude that enhanced cryptochrome function in vivo at low temperature is consistent with modulation by temperature of the cryptochrome photocycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marootpong Pooam
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Naresuan University, Phitsanulok, Thailand
| | - Nykiera Dixon
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Michael Hilvert
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Peter Misko
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Kristy Waters
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Nathalie Jourdan
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
| | - Soria Drahy
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
| | - Stephen Mills
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Dorothy Engle
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Justin Link
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
| | - Margaret Ahmad
- Sorbonne Universités - UPMC Paris 6 - CNRS, UMR8256 - IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, Paris, France
- Institut de Biologie Paris-Seine, Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio, USA
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8
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Goett-Zink L, Toschke AL, Petersen J, Mittag M, Kottke T. C-Terminal Extension of a Plant Cryptochrome Dissociates from the β-Sheet of the Flavin-Binding Domain. J Phys Chem Lett 2021; 12:5558-5563. [PMID: 34101477 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c00844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Plant cryptochromes are central blue light receptors in land plants and algae. Photoreduction of the flavin bound to the photolyase homology region (PHR) causes a dissociation of the C-terminal extension (CCT) as effector via an unclear pathway. We applied the recently developed in-cell infrared difference (ICIRD) spectroscopy to study the response of the full-length pCRY from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in living bacterial cells, because the receptor degraded upon isolation. We demonstrate a stabilization of the flavin neutral radical as photoproduct and of the resulting β-sheet reorganization by binding of cellular ATP. Comparison between light-induced structural responses of full-length pCRY and PHR reveals a downshift in frequency of the β-sheet signal, implying an association of the CCT close to the only β-sheet of the PHR in the dark. We provide a missing link in activation of plant cryptochromes after flavin photoreduction by indicating that β-sheet reorganization causes the CCT release and restructuring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lukas Goett-Zink
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Anna Lena Toschke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Jan Petersen
- Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Maria Mittag
- Matthias Schleiden Institute of Genetics, Bioinformatics and Molecular Botany, Friedrich Schiller University, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
- Medical School OWL, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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9
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Iwata T, Yamada D, Mikuni K, Agata K, Hitomi K, Getzoff ED, Kandori H. ATP binding promotes light-induced structural changes to the protein moiety of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2021; 19:1326-1331. [PMID: 32935701 DOI: 10.1039/d0pp00003e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Cryptochromes (CRYs) are blue-light receptors involved in photomorphogenesis in plants. Flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) is one of the chromophores of cryptochromes; its resting state oxidized form is converted into a signalling state neutral semiquionod radical (FADH˙) form. Studies have shown that cryptochrome 1 from Arabidopsis thaliana (AtCRY1) can bind ATP at its photolyase homology region (PHR), resulting in accumulation of FADH˙ form. This study used light-induced difference Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to investigate how ATP influences structural changes in AtCRY1-PHR during the photoreaction. In the presence of ATP, there were large changes in the signals from the protein backbone compared with in the absence of ATP. The deprotonation of a carboxylic acid was observed only in the presence of ATP; this was assigned as aspartic acid (Asp) 396 through measurement of Asp to glutamic acid mutants. This corresponds to the protonation state of Asp396 estimated from the reported pKa values of Asp396; that is, the side chain of Asp396 is deprotonated and protonated for the ATP-free and -bound forms, respectively, in our experimental condition at pH8. Therefore, Asp396 acts a proton donor to FAD when it is ptotonated. It was indicated that the protonation/deprotination process of Asp396 is correlated with the accunumulation of FADH˙ and protein conformational changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tatsuya Iwata
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan. and Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Toho University, Funabashi, Chiba 274-8510, Japan
| | - Daichi Yamada
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan.
| | - Katsuhiro Mikuni
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan.
| | - Kazuya Agata
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan.
| | - Kenichi Hitomi
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Elizabeth D Getzoff
- Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology and The Skaggs Institute for Chemical Biology, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California 92037, USA
| | - Hideki Kandori
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya 466-8555, Japan.
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10
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Wang Y, Veglia G, Zhong D, Gao J. Activation mechanism of Drosophila cryptochrome through an allosteric switch. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/25/eabg3815. [PMID: 34144991 PMCID: PMC8213227 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abg3815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are signaling proteins activated by photoexcitation of the flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor. Although extensive research has been performed, the mechanism for this allosteric process is still unknown. We constructed three computational models, corresponding to different redox states of the FAD cofactor in Drosophila cryptochrome (dCRY). Analyses of the dynamics trajectories reveal that the activation process occurs in the semiquinone state FAD-●, resulting from excited-state electron transfer. The Arg381-Asp410 salt bridge acts as an allosteric switch, regulated by the change in the redox state of FAD. In turn, Asp410 forms new hydrogen bonds, connecting allosteric networks of the amino-terminal and carboxyl-terminal domains initially separated in the resting state. The expansion to a global dynamic network leads to enhanced protein fluctuations, an increase in the radius of gyration, and the expulsion of the carboxyl-terminal tail. These structural features are in accord with mutations and spectroscopic experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yingjie Wang
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
| | - Gianluigi Veglia
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
- Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Dongping Zhong
- Departments of Physics and Chemistry, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.
| | - Jiali Gao
- Department of Chemistry and Supercomputing Institute, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA.
- Institute of Systems and Physical Biology, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen 518132, China
- Beijing University Shenzhen Graduate School, Shenzhen 518055, China
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11
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Karki N, Vergish S, Zoltowski BD. Cryptochromes: Photochemical and structural insight into magnetoreception. Protein Sci 2021; 30:1521-1534. [PMID: 33993574 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
Cryptochromes (CRYs) function as blue light photoreceptors in diverse physiological processes in nearly all kingdoms of life. Over the past several decades, they have emerged as the most likely candidates for light-dependent magnetoreception in animals, however, a long history of conflicts between in vitro photochemistry and in vivo behavioral data complicate validation of CRYs as a magnetosensor. In this review, we highlight the origins of conflicts regarding CRY photochemistry and signal transduction, and identify recent data that provides clarity on potential mechanisms of signal transduction in magnetoreception. The review primarily focuses on examining differences in photochemistry and signal transduction in plant and animal CRYs, and identifies potential modes of convergent evolution within these independent lineages that may identify conserved signaling pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nischal Karki
- Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Satyam Vergish
- Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
| | - Brian D Zoltowski
- Department of Chemistry, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas, USA
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12
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Structural insights into photoactivation of plant Cryptochrome-2. Commun Biol 2021; 4:28. [PMID: 33398020 PMCID: PMC7782693 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-020-01531-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/26/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Cryptochromes (CRYs) are evolutionarily conserved photoreceptors that mediate various light-induced responses in bacteria, plants, and animals. Plant cryptochromes govern a variety of critical growth and developmental processes including seed germination, flowering time and entrainment of the circadian clock. CRY's photocycle involves reduction of their flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-bound chromophore, which is completely oxidized in the dark and semi to fully reduced in the light signaling-active state. Despite the progress in characterizing cryptochromes, important aspects of their photochemistry, regulation, and light-induced structural changes remain to be addressed. In this study, we determine the crystal structure of the photosensory domain of Arabidopsis CRY2 in a tetrameric active state. Systematic structure-based analyses of photo-activated and inactive plant CRYs elucidate distinct structural elements and critical residues that dynamically partake in photo-induced oligomerization. Our study offers an updated model of CRYs photoactivation mechanism as well as the mode of its regulation by interacting proteins.
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13
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Kandori H. Structure/Function Study of Photoreceptive Proteins by FTIR Spectroscopy. BULLETIN OF THE CHEMICAL SOCIETY OF JAPAN 2020. [DOI: 10.1246/bcsj.20200109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hideki Kandori
- Department of Life Science and Applied Chemistry & OptoBioTechnology Research Center, Nagoya Institute of Technology, Showa-ku, Nagoya, Aichi 466-8555, Japan
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14
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Ma L, Wang X, Guan Z, Wang L, Wang Y, Zheng L, Gong Z, Shen C, Wang J, Zhang D, Liu Z, Yin P. Structural insights into BIC-mediated inactivation of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2. Nat Struct Mol Biol 2020; 27:472-479. [PMID: 32398826 DOI: 10.1038/s41594-020-0410-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/09/2020] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes (CRYs) are blue-light receptors in plants that harbor FAD as a cofactor and regulate various physiological responses. Photoactivated CRYs undergo oligomerization, which increases the binding affinity to downstream signaling partners. Despite decades of research on the activation of CRYs, little is known about how they are inactivated. Binding of blue-light inhibitors of cryptochromes (BICs) to CRY2 suppresses its photoactivation, but the underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we report crystal structures of CRY2N (CRY2 PHR domain) and the BIC2-CRY2N complex with resolutions of 2.7 and 2.5 Å, respectively. In the BIC2-CRY2N complex, BIC2 exhibits an extremely extended structure that sinuously winds around CRY2N. In this way, BIC2 not only restrains the transfer of electrons and protons from CRY2 to FAD during photoreduction but also interacts with the CRY2 oligomer to return it to the monomer form. Uncovering the mechanism of CRY2 inactivation lays a solid foundation for the investigation of cryptochrome protein function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling Ma
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xiang Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zeyuan Guan
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Lixia Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Yidong Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Le Zheng
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhou Gong
- Laboratory of Magnetic Resonance and Atomic Molecular Physics, Wuhan Institute of Physics and Mathematics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, China
| | - Cuicui Shen
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jing Wang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Delin Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Zhu Liu
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China
| | - Ping Yin
- National Key Laboratory of Crop Genetic Improvement and National Centre of Plant Gene Research, Huazhong Agricultural University, Wuhan, China.
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15
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Abstract
Infrared difference spectroscopy probes vibrational changes of proteins upon their perturbation. Compared with other spectroscopic methods, it stands out by its sensitivity to the protonation state, H-bonding, and the conformation of different groups in proteins, including the peptide backbone, amino acid side chains, internal water molecules, or cofactors. In particular, the detection of protonation and H-bonding changes in a time-resolved manner, not easily obtained by other techniques, is one of the most successful applications of IR difference spectroscopy. The present review deals with the use of perturbations designed to specifically change the protein between two (or more) functionally relevant states, a strategy often referred to as reaction-induced IR difference spectroscopy. In the first half of this contribution, I review the technique of reaction-induced IR difference spectroscopy of proteins, with special emphasis given to the preparation of suitable samples and their characterization, strategies for the perturbation of proteins, and methodologies for time-resolved measurements (from nanoseconds to minutes). The second half of this contribution focuses on the spectral interpretation. It starts by reviewing how changes in H-bonding, medium polarity, and vibrational coupling affect vibrational frequencies, intensities, and bandwidths. It is followed by band assignments, a crucial aspect mostly performed with the help of isotopic labeling and site-directed mutagenesis, and complemented by integration and interpretation of the results in the context of the studied protein, an aspect increasingly supported by spectral calculations. Selected examples from the literature, predominately but not exclusively from retinal proteins, are used to illustrate the topics covered in this review.
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16
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Hammad M, Albaqami M, Pooam M, Kernevez E, Witczak J, Ritz T, Martino C, Ahmad M. Cryptochrome mediated magnetic sensitivity in Arabidopsis occurs independently of light-induced electron transfer to the flavin. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2020; 19:341-352. [DOI: 10.1039/c9pp00469f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Arabidopsis cryptochrome-dependent magnetosensitivity occurs via a reaction that does not require light. This excludes radical pairs formed during light-triggered electron transfer to the flavin.
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Affiliation(s)
- M. Hammad
- Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Paris 6 – CNRS
- UMR8256 - IBPS
- Photobiology Research Group
- 75005 Paris
- France
| | - M. Albaqami
- Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Paris 6 – CNRS
- UMR8256 - IBPS
- Photobiology Research Group
- 75005 Paris
- France
| | - M. Pooam
- Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Paris 6 – CNRS
- UMR8256 - IBPS
- Photobiology Research Group
- 75005 Paris
- France
| | - E. Kernevez
- Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Paris 6 – CNRS
- UMR8256 - IBPS
- Photobiology Research Group
- 75005 Paris
- France
| | - J. Witczak
- Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Paris 6 – CNRS
- UMR8256 - IBPS
- Photobiology Research Group
- 75005 Paris
- France
| | - T. Ritz
- Department of Physics and Astronomy
- University of California at Irvine
- USA
| | - C. Martino
- Department of Biomedical and Chemical Engineering and Science
- Florida Institute of Technology
- Melbourne
- USA
| | - M. Ahmad
- Sorbonne Universités – UPMC Paris 6 – CNRS
- UMR8256 - IBPS
- Photobiology Research Group
- 75005 Paris
- France
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17
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Atkins C, Bajpai K, Rumball J, Kattnig DR. On the optimal relative orientation of radicals in the cryptochrome magnetic compass. J Chem Phys 2019. [DOI: 10.1063/1.5115445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Chadsley Atkins
- Institute and Department of Physics, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
| | - Kieran Bajpai
- Institute and Department of Physics, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
| | - Jeremy Rumball
- Institute and Department of Physics, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel R. Kattnig
- Institute and Department of Physics, University of Exeter, North Park Road, Exeter EX4 4QL, United Kingdom
- Living Systems Institute and Department of Physics, University of Exeter, Stocker Road, Exeter EX4 4QD, United Kingdom
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18
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Time-Resolved Infrared and Visible Spectroscopy on Cryptochrome aCRY: Basis for Red Light Reception. Biophys J 2019; 117:490-499. [PMID: 31326107 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2019.06.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2019] [Revised: 06/18/2019] [Accepted: 06/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptochromes function as flavin-binding photoreceptors in bacteria, fungi, algae, land plants, and insects. The discovery of an animal-like cryptochrome in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has expanded the spectral range of sensitivity of these receptors from ultraviolet A/blue light to almost the complete visible spectrum. The broadened light response has been explained by the presence of the flavin neutral radical as a chromophore in the dark. Concomitant with photoconversion of the flavin, an unusually long-lived tyrosyl radical with a red-shifted ultraviolet-visible spectrum is formed, which is essential for the function of the receptor. In this study, the microenvironment of this key residue, tyrosine 373, was scrutinized using time-resolved Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy on several variants of animal-like cryptochrome and density functional theory for band assignment. The reduced tyrosine takes on distinct hydrogen bond scenarios depending on the presence of the C-terminal extension and of a neighboring cysteine. Upon radical formation, all variants showed a signal at 1400 cm-1, which we assigned to the ν7'a marker band of the CO stretching mode. The exceptionally strong downshift of this band cannot be attributed to a loss of hydrogen bonding only. Time-resolved ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy on W322F, a mutant of the neighboring tryptophan residue, revealed a decrease of the tyrosyl radical lifetime by almost two orders of magnitude, along with a shift of the absorbance maximum from 416 to 398 nm. These findings strongly support the concept of a π-π stacking as an apolar interaction between Y373 and W322 to be responsible for the characteristics of the tyrosyl radical. This concept of radical stabilization has been unknown to cryptochromes so far but might be highly relevant for other homologs with a tetrad of tryptophans and tyrosines as electron donors.
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19
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Berntsson O, Rodriguez R, Henry L, Panman MR, Hughes AJ, Einholz C, Weber S, Ihalainen JA, Henning R, Kosheleva I, Schleicher E, Westenhoff S. Photoactivation of Drosophila melanogaster cryptochrome through sequential conformational transitions. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaaw1531. [PMID: 31328161 PMCID: PMC6636987 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaw1531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2018] [Accepted: 06/13/2019] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are blue-light photoreceptor proteins, which provide input to circadian clocks. The cryptochrome from Drosophila melanogaster (DmCry) modulates the degradation of Timeless and itself. It is unclear how light absorption by the chromophore and the subsequent redox reactions trigger these events. Here, we use nano- to millisecond time-resolved x-ray solution scattering to reveal the light-activated conformational changes in DmCry and the related (6-4) photolyase. DmCry undergoes a series of structural changes, culminating in the release of the carboxyl-terminal tail (CTT). The photolyase has a simpler structural response. We find that the CTT release in DmCry depends on pH. Mutation of a conserved histidine, important for the biochemical activity of DmCry, does not affect transduction of the structural signal to the CTT. Instead, molecular dynamics simulations suggest that it stabilizes the CTT in the resting-state conformation. Our structural photocycle unravels the first molecular events of signal transduction in an animal cryptochrome.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oskar Berntsson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
- MAX IV Laboratory, Lund University, 224 84 Lund, Sweden
| | - Ryan Rodriguez
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Léocadie Henry
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Matthijs R. Panman
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Ashley J. Hughes
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Christopher Einholz
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Stefan Weber
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Janne A. Ihalainen
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Jyväskylä, 40014 Jyväskylä, Finland
| | - Robert Henning
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Irina Kosheleva
- Center for Advanced Radiation Sources, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL 60637, USA
| | - Erik Schleicher
- Institute of Physical Chemistry, Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Sebastian Westenhoff
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, 40530 Gothenburg, Sweden
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20
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Blankenburg L, Schroeder L, Habenstein F, Błasiak B, Kottke T, Bredenbeck J. Following local light-induced structure changes and dynamics of the photoreceptor PYP with the thiocyanate IR label. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:6622-6634. [PMID: 30855039 DOI: 10.1039/c8cp05399e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Photoactive Yellow Protein (PYP) is a bacterial blue light receptor that enters a photocycle after excitation. The intermediate states are formed on time scales ranging from femtoseconds up to hundreds of milliseconds, after which the signaling state with a lifetime of about 1 s is reached. To investigate structural changes and dynamics, we incorporated the SCN IR label at distinct positions of the photoreceptor via cysteine mutation and cyanylation. FT-IR measurements of the SCN label at different sites of the well-established dark state structure of PYP characterized the spectral response of the label to differences in the environment. Under constant blue light irradiation, we observed the formation of the signaling state with significant changes of wavenumber and lineshape of the SCN bands. Thereby we deduced light-induced structural changes in the local environment of the labels. These results were supported by molecular dynamics simulations on PYP providing the solvent accessible surface area (SASA) at the different positions. To follow protein dynamics via the SCN label during the photocycle, we performed step-scan FT-IR measurements with a time resolution of 10 μs. Global analysis yielded similar time constants of τ1 = 70 μs, τ2 = 640 μs, and τ3 > 20 ms for the wild type and τ1 = 36 μs, τ2 = 530 μs, and τ3 > 20 ms for the SCN-labeled mutant PYP-A44C*, a mutant which provided a sufficiently large SCN difference signal to measure step-scan FT-IR spectra. In comparison to the protein (amide, E46) and chromophore bands the dynamics of the SCN label show a different behavior. This result indicates that the local kinetics sensed by the label are different from the global protein kinetics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Larissa Blankenburg
- Johann Wolfgang Goethe-University, Institute of Biophysics, Max-von-Laue-Str. 1, 60438 Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
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21
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Xu L, Wen B, Shao W, Yao P, Zheng W, Zhou Z, Zhang Y, Zhu G. Impacts of Cys392, Asp393, and ATP on the FAD Binding, Photoreduction, and the Stability of the Radical State of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Cryptochrome. Chembiochem 2019; 20:940-948. [PMID: 30548754 DOI: 10.1002/cbic.201800660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Plant cryptochromes (CRYs) are blue-light receptors that regulate light-dependent growth, development, and circadian rhythms. A flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) cofactor is bound to the photolyase homology region (PHR) of plant CRYs and can be photoreduced to a neutral radical state under blue light. This photoreaction can trigger subsequent signal transduction. Plant CRYs can also bind an ATP molecule adjacent to FAD in a pocket of the PHR. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii contains a single plant CRY, named Chlamydomonas photolyase homologue 1 (CPH1). In CPH1, Cys392 and Asp393 are located near the FAD cofactor. Here we have shown that replacing Cys392 with Ser has little effect on the properties of CPH1. The C392N mutant, however, showed a faster photoreduction rate than wild-type CPH1, together with a significantly lower oxidation rate of the neutral radical state. Substituting an Asn residue for Asp393 in CPH1 improved the binding affinity for FAD as well as the stability of the neutral radical, but photoreduction in the case of this mutant was severely inhibited. In the presence of ATP, CPH1 and its mutants exhibited significantly higher binding affinity for FAD and slower oxidation of the neutral radical. These results reveal that the residues at site 392 and the presence of ATP can tune the stability of the neutral radical, that the Asp residue at site 393 is crucial for photoreduction, and that the photoreduction rate is not determined merely by the stability of the neutral radical in CPH1.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xu
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Active Biological Macromolecules, Wannan Medical College, 22# Wenchang West Road, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Bin Wen
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Anhui Normal University, 1# Beijing East Road, Wuhu, 241000, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Wengui Shao
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Active Biological Macromolecules, Wannan Medical College, 22# Wenchang West Road, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Pengcheng Yao
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Active Biological Macromolecules, Wannan Medical College, 22# Wenchang West Road, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Wei Zheng
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Active Biological Macromolecules, Wannan Medical College, 22# Wenchang West Road, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Zhiqiang Zhou
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Active Biological Macromolecules, Wannan Medical College, 22# Wenchang West Road, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Yao Zhang
- Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Active Biological Macromolecules, Wannan Medical College, 22# Wenchang West Road, Wuhu, 241002, Anhui, P. R. China
| | - Guoping Zhu
- Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Anhui Normal University, 1# Beijing East Road, Wuhu, 241000, Anhui, P. R. China
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22
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Pooam M, Arthaut LD, Burdick D, Link J, Martino CF, Ahmad M. Magnetic sensitivity mediated by the Arabidopsis blue-light receptor cryptochrome occurs during flavin reoxidation in the dark. PLANTA 2019; 249:319-332. [PMID: 30194534 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-018-3002-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2018] [Accepted: 08/29/2018] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Arabidopsis cryptochrome mediates responses to magnetic fields that have been applied in the absence of light, consistent with flavin reoxidation as the primary detection mechanism. Cryptochromes are highly conserved blue-light-absorbing flavoproteins which have been linked to the perception of electromagnetic stimuli in numerous organisms. These include sensing the direction of the earth's magnetic field in migratory birds and the intensity of magnetic fields in insects and plants. When exposed to light, cryptochromes undergo flavin reduction/reoxidation redox cycles leading to biological activation which generate radical pairs thought to be the basis for magnetic sensitivity. However, the nature of the magnetically sensitive radical pairs and the steps at which they act during the cryptochrome redox cycle are currently a matter of debate. Here, we investigate the response of Arabidopsis cryptochrome-1 in vivo to a static magnetic field of 500 μT (10 × earth's field) using both plant growth and light-dependent phosphorylation as an assay. Cryptochrome responses to light were enhanced by the magnetic field, as indicated by increased inhibition of hypocotyl elongation and increased cryptochrome phosphorylation. However, when light and dark intervals were given intermittently, a plant response to the magnetic field was observed even when the magnetic field was given exclusively during the dark intervals between light exposures. This indicates that the magnetically sensitive reaction step in the cryptochrome photocycle must occur during flavin reoxidation, and likely involves the formation of reactive oxygen species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marootpong Pooam
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, UMR8256, IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Louis-David Arthaut
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, UMR8256, IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75005, Paris, France
| | - Derek Burdick
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, UMR8256, IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75005, Paris, France
- Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, 45207, USA
| | - Justin Link
- Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, 45207, USA
| | - Carlos F Martino
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Florida Institute of Technology, 150W University Blvd, Melbourne, FL, 32901, USA
| | - Margaret Ahmad
- Sorbonne Universités, CNRS, UMR8256, IBPS, Photobiology Research Group, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75005, Paris, France.
- Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH, 45207, USA.
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23
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Eckel M, Steinchen W, Batschauer A. ATP boosts lit state formation and activity of Arabidopsis cryptochrome 2. THE PLANT JOURNAL : FOR CELL AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY 2018; 96:389-403. [PMID: 30044014 DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2018] [Revised: 06/27/2018] [Accepted: 07/04/2018] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochrome (cry) blue light photoreceptors have important roles in the regulation of plant development. Their photocycle includes redox changes of their flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) chromophore, which is fully oxidised in the dark state and semi-reduced in the signalling-active lit state. The two Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochromes, cry1 and cry2, and the plant-type cryptochrome CPH1 from Chlamydomonas rheinhardtii bind ATP and other nucleotides. Binding of ATP affects the photocycle of these photoreceptors and causes structural alterations. However, the exact regions that undergo structural changes have not been defined, and most importantly it is not known whether ATP binding affects the biological activity of these photoreceptors in planta. Here we present studies on the effect of ATP on Arabidopsis cry2. Recombinant cry2 protein showed a high affinity for ATP (KD of 1.09 ± 0.48 μm). Binding of ATP and other adenines promoted photoreduction of the FAD chromophore in vitro and caused structural changes, particularly in α-helix 21 which links the photosensory domain with the C-terminal extension. The constructed cry2Y399A mutant was unable to bind ATP and did not show enhancement of photoreduction by ATP. When this mutant gene was expressed in Arabidopsis null cry2 mutant plants it retained some biological activity, which was, however, lower than that of the wild type. Our results indicate that binding of ATP to cry2, and most likely to other plant-type cryptochromes, is not essential but boosts the formation of the signalling state and biological activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maike Eckel
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Wieland Steinchen
- Faculty of Chemistry and LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
| | - Alfred Batschauer
- Faculty of Biology, Department of Plant Physiology and Photobiology, Philipps-Universität Marburg, 35032, Marburg, Germany
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24
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Ihalainen JA, Gustavsson E, Schroeder L, Donnini S, Lehtivuori H, Isaksson L, Thöing C, Modi V, Berntsson O, Stucki-Buchli B, Liukkonen A, Häkkänen H, Kalenius E, Westenhoff S, Kottke T. Chromophore–Protein Interplay during the Phytochrome Photocycle Revealed by Step-Scan FTIR Spectroscopy. J Am Chem Soc 2018; 140:12396-12404. [DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b04659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Janne A. Ihalainen
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Emil Gustavsson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Lea Schroeder
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Serena Donnini
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Heli Lehtivuori
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Physics, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Linnéa Isaksson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Christian Thöing
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Vaibhav Modi
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Oskar Berntsson
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Brigitte Stucki-Buchli
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Alli Liukkonen
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Heikki Häkkänen
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Elina Kalenius
- Nanoscience Center, Department of Chemistry, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylä 40014, Finland
| | - Sebastian Westenhoff
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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25
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Klocke JL, Mangold M, Allmendinger P, Hugi A, Geiser M, Jouy P, Faist J, Kottke T. Single-Shot Sub-microsecond Mid-infrared Spectroscopy on Protein Reactions with Quantum Cascade Laser Frequency Combs. Anal Chem 2018; 90:10494-10500. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.8b02531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 94] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jessica L. Klocke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Markus Mangold
- IRsweep AG, Laubisruetistrasse 44, 8712 Staefa, Switzerland
| | | | - Andreas Hugi
- IRsweep AG, Laubisruetistrasse 44, 8712 Staefa, Switzerland
| | - Markus Geiser
- IRsweep AG, Laubisruetistrasse 44, 8712 Staefa, Switzerland
| | - Pierre Jouy
- Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jérôme Faist
- Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zurich, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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26
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Abstract
Sensory photoreceptors underpin light-dependent adaptations of organismal physiology, development, and behavior in nature. Adapted for optogenetics, sensory photoreceptors become genetically encoded actuators and reporters to enable the noninvasive, spatiotemporally accurate and reversible control by light of cellular processes. Rooted in a mechanistic understanding of natural photoreceptors, artificial photoreceptors with customized light-gated function have been engineered that greatly expand the scope of optogenetics beyond the original application of light-controlled ion flow. As we survey presently, UV/blue-light-sensitive photoreceptors have particularly allowed optogenetics to transcend its initial neuroscience applications by unlocking numerous additional cellular processes and parameters for optogenetic intervention, including gene expression, DNA recombination, subcellular localization, cytoskeleton dynamics, intracellular protein stability, signal transduction cascades, apoptosis, and enzyme activity. The engineering of novel photoreceptors benefits from powerful and reusable design strategies, most importantly light-dependent protein association and (un)folding reactions. Additionally, modified versions of these same sensory photoreceptors serve as fluorescent proteins and generators of singlet oxygen, thereby further enriching the optogenetic toolkit. The available and upcoming UV/blue-light-sensitive actuators and reporters enable the detailed and quantitative interrogation of cellular signal networks and processes in increasingly more precise and illuminating manners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aba Losi
- Department of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Sciences , University of Parma , Parco Area delle Scienze 7/A-43124 Parma , Italy
| | - Kevin H Gardner
- Structural Biology Initiative, CUNY Advanced Science Research Center , New York , New York 10031 , United States.,Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, City College of New York , New York , New York 10031 , United States.,Ph.D. Programs in Biochemistry, Chemistry, and Biology , The Graduate Center of the City University of New York , New York , New York 10016 , United States
| | - Andreas Möglich
- Lehrstuhl für Biochemie , Universität Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth , Germany.,Research Center for Bio-Macromolecules , Universität Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth , Germany.,Bayreuth Center for Biochemistry & Molecular Biology , Universität Bayreuth , 95447 Bayreuth , Germany
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27
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Abstract
The first stage in biological signaling is based on changes in the functional state of a receptor protein triggered by interaction of the receptor with its ligand(s). The light-triggered nature of photoreceptors allows studies on the mechanism of such changes in receptor proteins using a wide range of biophysical methods and with superb time resolution. Here, we critically evaluate current understanding of proton and electron transfer in photosensory proteins and their involvement both in primary photochemistry and subsequent processes that lead to the formation of the signaling state. An insight emerging from multiple families of photoreceptors is that ultrafast primary photochemistry is followed by slower proton transfer steps that contribute to triggering large protein conformational changes during signaling state formation. We discuss themes and principles for light sensing shared by the six photoreceptor families: rhodopsins, phytochromes, photoactive yellow proteins, light-oxygen-voltage proteins, blue-light sensors using flavin, and cryptochromes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Kottke
- Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Aihua Xie
- Department of Physics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA
| | - Delmar S. Larsen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
| | - Wouter D. Hoff
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma 74078, USA
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28
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Magerl K, Stambolic I, Dick B. Switching from adduct formation to electron transfer in a light-oxygen-voltage domain containing the reactive cysteine. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2018; 19:10808-10819. [PMID: 28271102 DOI: 10.1039/c6cp08370f] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
LOV (light-, oxygen- or voltage-sensitive) domains act as photosensory units of many prokaryotic and eukaryotic proteins. Upon blue light excitation they undergo a photocycle via the excited triplet state of their flavin chromophore yielding the flavin-cysteinyl adduct. Adduct formation is highly conserved among all LOV domains and constitutes the primary step of LOV domain signaling. But recently, it has been shown that signal propagation can also be triggered by flavin photoreduction to the neutral semiquinone offering new prospects for protein engineering. This, however, requires mutation of the photo-active Cys. Here, we report on LOV1 mutants of C. reinhardtii phototropin in which adduct formation is suppressed although the photo-active Cys is present. Introduction of a Tyr into the LOV core induces a proton coupled electron transfer towards the flavin chromophore. Flavin radical species are formed via either the excited flavin singlet or triplet state depending on the geometry of donor and acceptor. This photoreductive pathway resembles the photoreaction observed in other blue light photoreceptors, e.g. blue-light sensors using flavin adenine dinucleotide (BLUF) domains or cryptochromes. The ability to tune the photoreactivity of the flavin chromophore inside the LOV core has implications for the mechanism of adduct formation in the wild type and may be of use for protein engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin Magerl
- Institute of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, University of Regensburg, Universitaetsstrasse 31, 93053 Regensburg, Germany.
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29
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Schroeder L, Oldemeyer S, Kottke T. Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy on Plant Cryptochrome—Relevance of Proton Transfer and ATP Binding for Signaling. J Phys Chem A 2017; 122:140-147. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.7b10249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lea Schroeder
- Physical and Biophysical
Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße
25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sabine Oldemeyer
- Physical and Biophysical
Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße
25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical
Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße
25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
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30
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Essen LO, Franz S, Banerjee A. Structural and evolutionary aspects of algal blue light receptors of the cryptochrome and aureochrome type. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 217:27-37. [PMID: 28756992 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2017.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2017] [Revised: 07/05/2017] [Accepted: 07/05/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Blue-light reception plays a pivotal role for algae to adapt to changing environmental conditions. In this review we summarize the current structural and mechanistic knowledge about flavin-dependent algal photoreceptors. We especially focus on the cryptochrome and aureochrome type photoreceptors in the context of their evolutionary divergence. Despite similar photochemical characteristics to orthologous photoreceptors from higher plants and animals the algal blue-light photoreceptors have developed a set of unique structural and mechanistic features that are summarized below.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lars-Oliver Essen
- Department of Biochemistry, Philipps-University, 35043 Marburg, Germany; LOEWE Center for Synthetic Microbiology, Philipps-University, 35043 Marburg, Germany.
| | - Sophie Franz
- Department of Biochemistry, Philipps-University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
| | - Ankan Banerjee
- Department of Biochemistry, Philipps-University, 35043 Marburg, Germany
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31
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Kottke T, Oldemeyer S, Wenzel S, Zou Y, Mittag M. Cryptochrome photoreceptors in green algae: Unexpected versatility of mechanisms and functions. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 217:4-14. [PMID: 28619534 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2017.05.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2017] [Revised: 05/29/2017] [Accepted: 05/29/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Green algae have a highly complex and diverse set of cryptochrome photoreceptor candidates including members of the following subfamilies: plant, plant-like, animal-like, DASH and cryptochrome photolyase family 1 (CPF1). While some green algae encode most or all of them, others lack certain members. Here we present an overview about functional analyses of so far investigated cryptochrome photoreceptors from the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (plant and animal-like cryptochromes) and Ostreococcus tauri (CPF1) with regard to their biological significance and spectroscopic properties. Cryptochromes of both algae have been demonstrated recently to be involved to various extents in circadian clock regulation and in Chlamydomonas additionally in life cycle control. Moreover, CPF1 even performs light-driven DNA repair. The plant cryptochrome and CPF1 are UVA/blue light receptors, whereas the animal-like cryptochrome responds to almost the whole visible spectrum including red light. Accordingly, plant cryptochrome, animal-like cryptochrome and CPF1 differ fundamentally in their structural response to light as revealed by their visible and infrared spectroscopic signatures, and in the role of the flavin neutral radical acting as dark form or signaling state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany.
| | - Sabine Oldemeyer
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | - Sandra Wenzel
- Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Yong Zou
- Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Maria Mittag
- Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University Jena, 07743 Jena, Germany.
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32
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Sommer C, Dietz MS, Patschkowski T, Mathes T, Kottke T. Light-Induced Conformational Changes in the Plant Cryptochrome Photolyase Homology Region Resolved by Selective Isotope Labeling and Infrared Spectroscopy. Photochem Photobiol 2017; 93:881-887. [DOI: 10.1111/php.12750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2016] [Accepted: 02/10/2017] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Constanze Sommer
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry; Department of Chemistry; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
| | - Marina S. Dietz
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry; Department of Chemistry; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
| | - Thomas Patschkowski
- Proteome and Metabolome Research (Bio 27); Department of Biology; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
| | - Tilo Mathes
- Department of Biology; Experimental Biophysics; Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin; Berlin Germany
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry; Department of Chemistry; Bielefeld University; Bielefeld Germany
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33
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Kondoh M, Terazima M. Conformational and Intermolecular Interaction Dynamics of Photolyase/Cryptochrome Proteins Monitored by the Time-Resolved Diffusion Technique. Photochem Photobiol 2017; 93:15-25. [DOI: 10.1111/php.12681] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2016] [Accepted: 11/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Masato Kondoh
- Department of Chemistry; Graduate School of Pure and Applied Sciences; University of Tsukuba; Tsukuba Ibaraki Japan
| | - Masahide Terazima
- Department of Chemistry; Graduate School of Science; Kyoto University; Sakyo-ku, Kyoto Japan
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34
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Kottke T, Lórenz-Fonfría VA, Heberle J. The Grateful Infrared: Sequential Protein Structural Changes Resolved by Infrared Difference Spectroscopy. J Phys Chem B 2016; 121:335-350. [PMID: 28100053 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b09222] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The catalytic activity of proteins is a function of structural changes. Very often these are as minute as protonation changes, hydrogen bonding changes, and amino acid side chain reorientations. To resolve these, a methodology is afforded that not only provides the molecular sensitivity but allows for tracing the sequence of these hierarchical reactions at the same time. This feature article showcases results from time-resolved IR spectroscopy on channelrhodopsin (ChR), light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domain protein, and cryptochrome (CRY). All three proteins are activated by blue light, but their biological role is drastically different. Channelrhodopsin is a transmembrane retinylidene protein which represents the first light-activated ion channel of its kind and which is involved in primitive vision (phototaxis) of algae. LOV and CRY are flavin-binding proteins acting as photoreceptors in a variety of signal transduction mechanisms in all kingdoms of life. Beyond their biological relevance, these proteins are employed in exciting optogenetic applications. We show here how IR difference absorption resolves crucial structural changes of the protein after photonic activation of the chromophore. Time-resolved techniques are introduced that cover the time range from nanoseconds to minutes along with some technical considerations. Finally, we provide an outlook toward novel experimental approaches that are currently developed in our laboratories or are just in our minds ("Gedankenexperimente"). We believe that some of them have the potential to provide new science.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tilman Kottke
- Department of Chemistry, Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Bielefeld University , Universitätsstraße 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
| | | | - Joachim Heberle
- Experimental Molecular Biophysics, Freie Universität Berlin , Arnimalle 14, 14195 Berlin, Germany
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35
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Ahmad M. Photocycle and signaling mechanisms of plant cryptochromes. CURRENT OPINION IN PLANT BIOLOGY 2016; 33:108-115. [PMID: 27423124 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbi.2016.06.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2016] [Revised: 06/14/2016] [Accepted: 06/17/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are flavoprotein blue light receptors that control many aspects of plant growth and development including seedling de-etiolation, elongation growth, the initiation of flowering, and entrainment of the circadian clock. Photon absorption by Arabidopsis cryptochromes cry1 and cry2 initiates electron transfer to the oxidized flavin cofactor (FADox) and formation of the presumed biological signaling state FADH°. Current literature on the nature and formation of the signaling state is reviewed, and potential novel roles for cryptochromes in oxidative stress and as magnetosensors are discussed in light of the cryptochrome photocycle.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Ahmad
- UMR 8256B B2A, IBPS, Casier 156, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, 7 Quai St. Bernard, 75005 Paris, France; Xavier University, 3800 Victory Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45207, USA.
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36
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Changes in active site histidine hydrogen bonding trigger cryptochrome activation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:10073-8. [PMID: 27551082 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1606610113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptochrome (CRY) is the principal light sensor of the insect circadian clock. Photoreduction of the Drosophila CRY (dCRY) flavin cofactor to the anionic semiquinone (ASQ) restructures a C-terminal tail helix (CTT) that otherwise inhibits interactions with targets that include the clock protein Timeless (TIM). All-atom molecular dynamics (MD) simulations indicate that flavin reduction destabilizes the CTT, which undergoes large-scale conformational changes (the CTT release) on short (25 ns) timescales. The CTT release correlates with the conformation and protonation state of conserved His378, which resides between the CTT and the flavin cofactor. Poisson-Boltzmann calculations indicate that flavin reduction substantially increases the His378 pKa Consistent with coupling between ASQ formation and His378 protonation, dCRY displays reduced photoreduction rates with increasing pH; however, His378Asn/Arg variants show no such pH dependence. Replica-exchange MD simulations also support CTT release mediated by changes in His378 hydrogen bonding and verify other responsive regions of the protein previously identified by proteolytic sensitivity assays. His378 dCRY variants show varying abilities to light-activate TIM and undergo self-degradation in cellular assays. Surprisingly, His378Arg/Lys variants do not degrade in light despite maintaining reactivity toward TIM, thereby implicating different conformational responses in these two functions. Thus, the dCRY photosensory mechanism involves flavin photoreduction coupled to protonation of His378, whose perturbed hydrogen-bonding pattern alters the CTT and surrounding regions.
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37
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Oldemeyer S, Franz S, Wenzel S, Essen LO, Mittag M, Kottke T. Essential Role of an Unusually Long-lived Tyrosyl Radical in the Response to Red Light of the Animal-like Cryptochrome aCRY. J Biol Chem 2016; 291:14062-14071. [PMID: 27189948 DOI: 10.1074/jbc.m116.726976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 45] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Cryptochromes constitute a group of flavin-binding blue light receptors in bacteria, fungi, plants, and insects. Recently, the response of cryptochromes to light was extended to nearly the entire visible spectral region on the basis of the activity of the animal-like cryptochrome aCRY in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii This finding was explained by the absorption of red light by the flavin neutral radical as the dark state of the receptor, which then forms the anionic fully reduced state. In this study, time-resolved UV-visible spectroscopy on the full-length aCRY revealed an unusually long-lived tyrosyl radical with a lifetime of 2.6 s, which is present already 1 μs after red light illumination of the flavin radical. Mutational studies disclosed the tyrosine 373 close to the surface to form the long-lived radical and to be essential for photoreduction. This residue is conserved exclusively in the sequences of other putative aCRY proteins distinguishing them from conventional (6-4) photolyases. Size exclusion chromatography showed the full-length aCRY to be a dimer in the dark at 0.5 mm injected concentration with the C-terminal extension as the dimerization site. Upon illumination, partial oligomerization was observed via disulfide bridge formation at cysteine 482 in close proximity to tyrosine 373. The lack of any light response in the C-terminal extension as evidenced by FTIR spectroscopy differentiates aCRY from plant and Drosophila cryptochromes. These findings imply that aCRY might have evolved a different signaling mechanism via a light-triggered redox cascade culminating in photooxidation of a yet unknown substrate or binding partner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabine Oldemeyer
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld
| | - Sophie Franz
- Structural Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein Straβe 4, 35039 Marburg
| | - Sandra Wenzel
- Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Am Planetarium 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Lars-Oliver Essen
- Structural Biochemistry, Department of Chemistry, Philipps University Marburg, Hans-Meerwein Straβe 4, 35039 Marburg
| | - Maria Mittag
- Institute of General Botany and Plant Physiology, Friedrich Schiller University, Am Planetarium 1, 07743 Jena, Germany
| | - Tilman Kottke
- Physical and Biophysical Chemistry, Department of Chemistry, Bielefeld University, Universitätsstr. 25, 33615 Bielefeld,.
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38
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Optimized second-generation CRY2-CIB dimerizers and photoactivatable Cre recombinase. Nat Chem Biol 2016; 12:425-30. [PMID: 27065233 PMCID: PMC4871718 DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2015] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Arabidopsis thaliana cryptochrome 2 (AtCRY2), a light-sensitive photosensory protein, was previously adapted for use controling protein-protein interactions through light-dependent binding to a partner protein, CIB1. While the existing CRY2/CIB dimerization system has been used extensively for optogenetic applications, some limitations exist. Here, we set out to optimize function of the CRY2/CIB system, to identify versions of CRY2/CIB that are smaller, show reduced dark interaction, and maintain longer or shorter signaling states in response to a pulse of light. We describe minimal functional CRY2 and CIB1 domains maintaining light-dependent interaction and new signaling mutations affecting AtCRY2 photocycle kinetics. The latter work implicates a α13-α14 turn motif within plant CRYs where perturbations alter signaling state lifetime. Using a long-lived L348F photocycle mutant, we engineered a second generation photoactivatable Cre recombinase, PA-Cre2.0, that shows five-fold improved dynamic range allowing robust recombination following exposure to a single, brief pulse of light.
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39
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Liu B, Yang Z, Gomez A, Liu B, Lin C, Oka Y. Signaling mechanisms of plant cryptochromes in Arabidopsis thaliana. JOURNAL OF PLANT RESEARCH 2016; 129:137-48. [PMID: 26810763 PMCID: PMC6138873 DOI: 10.1007/s10265-015-0782-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2015] [Accepted: 12/08/2015] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes (CRY) are flavoproteins that direct a diverse array of developmental processes in response to blue light in plants. Conformational changes in CRY are induced by the absorption of photons and result in the propagation of light signals to downstream components. In Arabidopsis, CRY1 and CRY2 serve both distinct and partially overlapping functions in regulating photomorphogenic responses and photoperiodic flowering. For example, both CRY1 and CRY2 regulate the abundance of transcription factors by directly reversing the activity of E3 ubiquitin ligase on CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 and SUPPRESSOR OF PHYA-105 1 complexes in a blue light-dependent manner. CRY2 also specifically governs a photoperiodic flowering mechanism by directly interacting with a transcription factor called CRYPTOCHROME-INTERACTING BASIC-HELIX-LOOP-HELIX. Recently, structure/function analysis of CRY1 revealed that the CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC 1 independent pathway is also involved in CRY1-mediated inhibition of hypocotyl elongation. CRY1 and CRY2 thus not only share a common pathway but also relay light signals through distinct pathways, which may lead to altered developmental programs in plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bobin Liu
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Center, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
- College of Forestry, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Zhaohe Yang
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Center, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China
| | - Adam Gomez
- Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Bin Liu
- Institute of Crop Sciences, Chinese Academy of Agriculture Sciences, Beijing, 100081, People's Republic of China
| | - Chentao Lin
- Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Yoshito Oka
- Basic Forestry and Proteomics Center, Haixia Institute of Science and Technology, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, 350002, China.
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El-Esawi M, Glascoe A, Engle D, Ritz T, Link J, Ahmad M. Cellular metabolites modulate in vivo signaling of Arabidopsis cryptochrome-1. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2015; 10:e1063758. [PMID: 26313597 PMCID: PMC4883859 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2015.1063758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/15/2015] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Cryptochromes are blue-light absorbing flavoproteins with multiple signaling roles. In plants, cryptochrome (cry1, cry2) biological activity has been linked to flavin photoreduction via an electron transport chain to the protein surface comprising 3 evolutionarily conserved tryptophan residues known as the 'Trp triad.' Mutation of any of the Trp triad residues abolishes photoreduction in isolated cryptochrome protein in vitro and therefore had been suggested as essential for electron transfer to the flavin. However, photoreduction of the flavin in Arabidopsis cry2 proteins occurs in vivo even with mutations in the Trp triad, indicating the existence of alternative electron transfer pathways to the flavin. These pathways are potentiated by metabolites in the intracellular environment including ATP, ADP, AMP, and NADH. In the present work we extend these observations to Arabidopsis cryptochrome 1 and demonstrate that Trp triad substitution mutants at W400F and W324F positions which are not photoreduced in vitro can be photoreduced in whole cell extracts, albeit with reduced efficiency. We further show that the flavin signaling state (FADH°) is stabilized in an in vivo context. These data illustrate that in vivo modulation by metabolites in the cellular environment may play an important role in cryptochrome signaling, and are discussed with respect to possible effects on the conformation of the C-terminal domain to generate the biologically active conformational state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed El-Esawi
- UMR 8256 (B2A) CNRS – UPMC; IBPS; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France
- Botany Department; Faculty of Science; Tanta University; Tanta, Egypt
| | | | | | - Thorsten Ritz
- Department of Physics and Astronomy; University of California; Irvine, CA USA
| | | | - Margaret Ahmad
- UMR 8256 (B2A) CNRS – UPMC; IBPS; Université Pierre et Marie Curie; Paris, France
- Xavier University; Cincinnati, OH USA
- Correspondence to: Margaret Ahmad;
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