Center for Biological Resources and Informatics, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Yokohama, Japan.
Plant Cell Physiol. 2013 Feb;54(2):171-9. doi: 10.1093/pcp/pcs173. Epub 2012 Dec 14.
BLUF (sensor of blue light using FAD) domain-containing proteins are one of three types of flavin-binding, blue-light-sensing proteins found in many bacteria and some algae. The other types of blue-light-sensing proteins are the cryptochromes and the light, oxygen, voltage (LOV) domain-containing proteins. BLUF proteins control a wide variety of light-dependent physiological activities including photosystem synthesis, biofilm formation and the photoavoidance response. The BLUF domain photochemical reaction is unique in that only small chromophore structural changes are involved in the light activation process, because the rigid flavin moiety is involved, rather than an isomerizable chromophore (e.g. phytochromobilin in phytochromes and retinal in rhodopsins). Recent spectroscopic, biochemical and structural studies have begun to elucidate how BLUF domains transmit the light-induced signal and identify related, subsequent changes in the domain structures. Herein, I review progress made to date concerning the physiological functions and the phototransduction mechanism of BLUF proteins.
BLUF(利用 FAD 的蓝光传感器)结构域蛋白是三种在许多细菌和一些藻类中发现的黄素结合型蓝光感应蛋白之一。其他类型的蓝光感应蛋白是隐花色素和光、氧、电压(LOV)结构域蛋白。BLUF 蛋白控制着广泛的各种依赖于光的生理活动,包括光系统合成、生物膜形成和光回避反应。BLUF 结构域光化学反应的独特之处在于,在光激活过程中只涉及较小的发色团结构变化,因为涉及到刚性黄素部分,而不是可异构化的发色团(例如,在光敏色素中的藻红胆素和在视紫红质中的视黄醛)。最近的光谱学、生物化学和结构研究已经开始阐明 BLUF 结构域如何传递光诱导信号,并确定相关的后续结构域结构变化。在此,我综述了迄今为止有关 BLUF 蛋白的生理功能和光转导机制的研究进展。