title: How Does Photoreceptor UVR8 Perceive a UV-B Signal?
abstract: UVR8 is the only known plant photoreceptor that mediates light responses to UV-B (280-315 nm) of the solar spectrum. UVR8 perceives a UV-B signal via light-induced dimer dissociation, which triggers a wide range of cellular responses involved in photomorphogenesis and photoprotection. Two recent crystal structures of Arabidopsis thaliana UVR8 (AtUVR8) have revealed unusual clustering of UV-B-absorbing Trp pigments at the dimer interface and provided a structural framework for further mechanistic investigation. This review summarizes recent advances in spectroscopic, computational and crystallographic studies on UVR8 that are directed toward full understanding of UV-B perception at the molecular level.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.|Department of Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Xiaojing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Sherwin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Montano
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL.
authors.forename: Zhong
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ren
mesh_terms: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins / Q000502:physiology*; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone / Q000502:physiology*; D010786:Photoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology; D013057:Spectrum Analysis; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D029681:Arabidopsis Proteins; D002868:Chromosomal Proteins, Non-Histone; C525052:Uvr8 protein, Arabidopsis