Responses of ferns to red light are mediated by an unconventional photoreceptor

Hiroko Kawai, Takeshi Kanegae, Steen Christensen, Tomohiro Kiyosue, Yoshikatsu Sato, Takato Imaizumi, Akeo Kadota and Masamitsu Wada ()
Additional contact information
Hiroko Kawai: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Takeshi Kanegae: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Steen Christensen: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Tomohiro Kiyosue: National Institute of Basic Biology
Yoshikatsu Sato: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Takato Imaizumi: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Akeo Kadota: Tokyo Metropolitan University
Masamitsu Wada: Tokyo Metropolitan University

Nature, 2003, vol. 421, issue 6920, 287-290

Abstract: Abstract Efficient photosynthesis is essential for plant survival. To optimize photosynthesis, plants have developed several photoresponses. Stems bend towards a light source (phototropism), chloroplasts move to a place of appropriate light intensity (chloroplast photorelocation) and stomata open to absorb carbon dioxide. These responses are mediated by the blue-light receptors phototropin 1 (phot1) and phototropin 2 (phot2) in Arabidopsis (refs 1–5). In some ferns, phototropism and chloroplast photorelocation are controlled by red light as well as blue light6. However, until now, the photoreceptor mediating these red-light responses has not been identified. The fern Adiantum capillus-veneris has an unconventional photoreceptor, phytochrome 3 (phy3), which is a chimaera of the red/far-red light receptor phytochrome and phototropin7. We identify here a function of phy3 for red-light-induced phototropism and for red-light-induced chloroplast photorelocation, by using mutational analysis and complementation. Because phy3 greatly enhances the sensitivity to white light in orienting leaves and chloroplasts, and PHY3 homologues exist among various fern species, this chimaeric photoreceptor may have had a central role in the divergence and proliferation of fern species under low-light canopy conditions.

Date: 2003
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.nature.com/articles/nature01310 Abstract (text/html)
Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:nat:nature:v:421:y:2003:i:6920:d:10.1038_nature01310

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
https://www.nature.com/

DOI: 10.1038/nature01310

Access Statistics for this article

Nature is currently edited by Magdalena Skipper

More articles in Nature from Nature
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Sonal Shukla () and Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing ().