title: Bacteriophytochromes: phytochrome-like photoreceptors from nonphotosynthetic eubacteria.
abstract: Phytochromes are a family of photoreceptors used by green plants to entrain their development to the light environment. The distribution of these chromoproteins has been expanded beyond photoautotrophs with the discovery of phytochrome-like proteins in the nonphotosynthetic eubacteria Deinococcus radiodurans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Like plant phytochromes, the D. radiodurans receptor covalently binds linear tetrapyrroles autocatalytically to generate a photochromic holoprotein. However, the attachment site is distinct, using a histidine to potentially form a Schiff base linkage. Sequence homology and mutational analysis suggest that D. radiodurans bacteriophytochrome functions as a light-regulated histidine kinase, which helps protect the bacterium from visible light.
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Genetics, Cellular and Molecular Biology Program and Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA.
authors.forename: S J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: A V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Vener
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Vierstra
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D019943:Amino Acid Substitution; D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D001664:Biliverdine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D001665:Binding Sites; D006095:Gram-Positive Cocci / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D006639:Histidine / Q000378:metabolism; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D008027:Light; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016297:Mutagenesis, Site-Directed; D020283:Photoreceptors, Microbial / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D010834:Phytochrome / Q000378:metabolism; D011494:Protein Kinases / Q000737:chemistry / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D011550:Pseudomonas aeruginosa / Q000378:metabolism*; D015398:Signal Transduction
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D020283:Photoreceptors, Microbial; D010834:Phytochrome; C075811:phytochromobilin; D006639:Histidine; D011494:Protein Kinases; D000071677:Histidine Kinase; D001664:Biliverdine