title: The cryptochromes: blue light photoreceptors in plants and animals.
abstract: Cryptochromes are flavoprotein photoreceptors first identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, where they play key roles in growth and development. Subsequently identified in prokaryotes, archaea, and many eukaryotes, cryptochromes function in the animal circadian clock and are proposed as magnetoreceptors in migratory birds. Cryptochromes are closely structurally related to photolyases, evolutionarily ancient flavoproteins that catalyze light-dependent DNA repair. Here, we review the structural, photochemical, and molecular properties of cry-DASH, plant, and animal cryptochromes in relation to biological signaling mechanisms and uncover common features that may contribute to better understanding the function of cryptochromes in diverse systems including in man.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, Erasmus University Medical Center, 3000 CA Rotterdam, The Netherlands. i.chaves@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Inês
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Chaves
authors.forename: Richard
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Pokorny
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Byrdin
authors.forename: Nathalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hoang
authors.forename: Thorsten
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ritz
authors.forename: Klaus
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Brettel
authors.forename: Lars-Oliver
authors.initials: LO
authors.lastname: Essen
authors.forename: Gijsbertus T J
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: van der Horst
authors.forename: Alfred
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Batschauer
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ahmad
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D056931:Cryptochromes / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology*; D004260:DNA Repair; D004255:Deoxyribodipyrimidine Photo-Lyase / Q000737:chemistry / Q000145:classification / Q000502:physiology; D006702:Homing Behavior; D007313:Insecta / Q000502:physiology; D055537:Light Signal Transduction; D008280:Magnetics; D051379:Mice; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D010766:Phosphorylation / Q000502:physiology; D010944:Plants / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D056931:Cryptochromes; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D004255:Deoxyribodipyrimidine Photo-Lyase