Abstract

Light is life for plants. To continuously assess and adapt to fluctuations in the quality and quantity of this essential commodity, plants deploy sensory photoreceptors, including the phytochromes. Having captured an incoming photon, the activated phytochrome molecule must relay this information to nuclear genes that are poised to respond by directing appropriate adjustments in growth and development. Defining the intricate intracellular signalling networks through which this sensory information is transduced is an area of intense research activity.

Author affiliations

1. Department of Plant and Microbial Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720 USA; USDA/ARS-Plant Gene Expression Center, 800 Buchanan Street, Albany, California 94710, USA.
   Email: quail@nature.berkeley.edu