White collar-1, a DNA binding transcription factor and a light sensor - PubMed (original) (raw)

. 2002 Aug 2;297(5582):840-3.

doi: 10.1126/science.1072795. Epub 2002 Jul 4.

Affiliations

White collar-1, a DNA binding transcription factor and a light sensor

Qiyang He et al. Science. 2002.

Abstract

Blue light regulates many physiological processes in fungi, but their photoreceptors are not known. In Neurospora crassa, all light responses depend on the Per-Arnt-Sim (PAS) domain-containing transcription factor white collar-1 (wc-1). By removing the WC-1 light, oxygen, or voltage domain, a specialized PAS domain that binds flavin mononucleotide in plant phototropins, we show that light responses are abolished, including light entrainment of the circadian clock. However, the WC-1-mediated dark activation of frq remains normal in this mutant, and the circadian clock can be entrained by temperature. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the purified Neurospora WC-1-WC-2 protein complex is associated with stoichiometric amounts of the chromophore flavin-adenine dinucleotide. Together, these observations suggest that WC-1 is the blue-light photoreceptor for the circadian clock and other light responses in Neurospora.

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