IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/nature/v414y2001i6865d10.1038_414776a.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Bacteriophytochromes are photochromic histidine kinases using a biliverdin chromophore

Author

Listed:
  • Seong-Hee Bhoo

    (University of Wisconsin—Madison)

  • Seth J. Davis

    (University of Wisconsin—Madison
    University of Warwick)

  • Joseph Walker

    (University of Wisconsin—Madison)

  • Baruch Karniol

    (University of Wisconsin—Madison)

  • Richard D. Vierstra

    (University of Wisconsin—Madison)

Abstract

Phytochromes comprise a principal family of red/far-red light sensors in plants1. Although phytochromes were thought originally to be confined to photosynthetic organisms2,3, we have recently detected phytochrome-like proteins in two heterotrophic eubacteria, Deinococcus radiodurans and Pseudomonas aeruginosa4. Here we show that these form part of a widespread family of bacteriophytochromes (BphPs) with homology to two-component sensor histidine kinases. Whereas plant phytochromes use phytochromobilin as the chromophore, BphPs assemble with biliverdin, an immediate breakdown product of haem, to generate photochromic kinases that are modulated by red and far-red light. In some cases, a unique haem oxygenase responsible for the synthesis of biliverdin is part of the BphP operon. Co-expression of this oxygenase with a BphP apoprotein and a haem source is sufficient to assemble holo-BphP in vivo. Both their presence in many diverse bacteria and their simplified assembly with biliverdin suggest that BphPs are the progenitors of phytochrome-type photoreceptors.

Suggested Citation

  • Seong-Hee Bhoo & Seth J. Davis & Joseph Walker & Baruch Karniol & Richard D. Vierstra, 2001. "Bacteriophytochromes are photochromic histidine kinases using a biliverdin chromophore," Nature, Nature, vol. 414(6865), pages 776-779, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:414:y:2001:i:6865:d:10.1038_414776a
    DOI: 10.1038/414776a
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/414776a
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/414776a?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. E. Sethe Burgie & Katherine Basore & Michael J. Rau & Brock Summers & Alayna J. Mickles & Vadim Grigura & James A. J. Fitzpatrick & Richard D. Vierstra, 2024. "Signaling by a bacterial phytochrome histidine kinase involves a conformational cascade reorganizing the dimeric photoreceptor," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:414:y:2001:i:6865:d:10.1038_414776a. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.