Abstract：
Red and far-red light-sensing phytochromes are widespread in nature, occurring in plants, algae, fungi, and prokaryotes. Despite at least a billion years of evolution, their photosensory modules remain structurally and functionally similar. Conversely, nature has found remarkably different ways of transmitting light signals from the photosensor to diverse physiological responses. We summarize key features of phytochrome structure and function and discuss how these are correlated, from how the bilin environment affects the chromophore to how light induces cellular signals. Recent advances in the structural characterization of bacterial and plant phytochromes have resulted in paradigm changes in phytochrome research that we discuss in the context of present-day knowledge. Finally, we highlight questions that remain to be answered and suggest some of the benefits of understanding phytochrome structure and function.
摘要：
红色和远红色感光植物色素在自然界中广泛存在，发生在植物中，藻类,真菌,和原核生物。尽管经历了至少十亿年的进化，它们的光感模块在结构上和功能上保持相似。相反，自然界已经发现了将光信号从光电传感器传输到不同生理反应的明显不同的方式。我们总结了植物色素结构和功能的关键特征，并讨论了它们是如何相关的，从bilin环境如何影响发色团到光如何诱导细胞信号。细菌和植物植物色素结构表征的最新进展导致了我们在当今知识背景下讨论的植物色素研究的范式变化。最后,我们强调了尚待回答的问题，并提出了一些了解植物色素结构和功能的好处。
