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Sci. STKE, 22 May 2007
Vol. 2007, Issue 387, p. tw181
[DOI: 10.1126/stke.3872007tw181]

EDITORS' CHOICE

Biochemistry Seeing the Light

Valda Vinson

Science, AAAS, Washington, DC 20005, USA

For organisms to adapt to environmental changes, external signals must affect protein function. Proteins in the PAS (Per-Arnt-Sim) superfamily are involved in transducing diverse external signals, but it has been a challenge to define the signaling pathways. Zoltowski et al. have determined crystal structures for the dark- and light-activated states of a fungal photoreceptor. Light-induced chemical changes at the active center propagate to large-scale conformational changes at the protein N terminus that are essential for cellular function.

B. D. Zoltowski, C. Schwerdtfeger, J. Widom, J. J. Loros, A. M. Bilwes, J. C. Dunlap, B. R. Crane, Conformational switching in the fungal light sensor Vivid. Science 316, 1054-1057 (2007). [Abstract] [Full Text]

Citation: V. Vinson, Seeing the Light. Sci. STKE 2007, tw181 (2007).

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