Corrochano Luis M
Departamento de Genética, Facultad de Biología, Universidad de Sevilla, Avenida Reina Mercedes 6, Apartado 1095, E-41080, Sevilla, Spain.
Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2007 Jul;6(7):725-36. doi: 10.1039/b702155k. Epub 2007 Apr 26.
Light regulates fungal development and behaviour and activates metabolic pathways. In addition, light is one of the many signals that fungi use to perceive and interact with the environment. In the ascomycete Neurospora crassa blue light is perceived by the white collar (WC) complex, a protein complex formed by WC-1 and WC-2. WC-1 is a protein with a flavin-binding domain and a zinc-finger domain, and interacts with WC-2, another zinc-finger domain protein. The WC complex operates as a photoreceptor and a transcription factor for blue-light responses in Neurospora. Proteins similar to WC-1 and WC-2 have been described in other fungi, suggesting a general role for the WC complex as a fungal receptor for blue light. The ascomycete Aspergillus nidulans uses red light perceived by a fungal phytochrome as a signal to regulate sexual and asexual development. In addition, other photoreceptors, rhodopsins and cryptochromes, have been identified in fungi, but their functional relevance has not been elucidated. The investigation of fungal light responses provides an opportunity to understand how fungi perceive the environment and to identify the mechanisms involved in the regulation by light of cellular development and metabolism.
光调节真菌的发育和行为，并激活代谢途径。此外，光是真菌用来感知环境并与之相互作用的众多信号之一。在子囊菌粗糙脉孢菌中，蓝光由白领（WC）复合体感知，WC复合体是由WC-1和WC-2形成的蛋白质复合体。WC-1是一种具有黄素结合结构域和锌指结构域的蛋白质，并与另一种锌指结构域蛋白质WC-2相互作用。WC复合体作为粗糙脉孢菌蓝光反应的光感受器和转录因子发挥作用。在其他真菌中也描述了与WC-1和WC-2相似的蛋白质，这表明WC复合体作为真菌蓝光受体具有普遍作用。子囊菌构巢曲霉利用真菌光敏色素感知的红光作为调节有性和无性发育的信号。此外，在真菌中还鉴定出了其他光感受器、视紫红质和隐花色素，但它们的功能相关性尚未阐明。对真菌光反应的研究为了解真菌如何感知环境以及确定参与光调节细胞发育和代谢的机制提供了一个机会。
