Photoeffects in a flavin-containing lipid bilayer membrane and implications for algal phototaxis

FLAVINS have been implicated as receptor pigments in various plant photoresponses, such as phototropism 1 , phototaxis 2 and chloroplast movement 3 . It has not yet been possible to prove conclusively the flavin photoreceptor hypothesis in any of these cases, nor has a mechanism been demonstrated by...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nature (London) 1974-04, Vol.248 (5451), p.802-804
Main Authors: FROEHLICH, OTTO, DIEHN, BODO
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Euglena - physiology
Humanities and Social Sciences
Hydrogen-Ion Concentration
letter
Light
Lipids - physiology
Membranes, Artificial
Models, Biological
multidisciplinary
Palmitic Acids
Photic Stimulation
Photoreceptor Cells - physiology
Pigments, Biological
Riboflavin - physiology
Science
Science (multidisciplinary)
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Summary:FLAVINS have been implicated as receptor pigments in various plant photoresponses, such as phototropism 1 , phototaxis 2 and chloroplast movement 3 . It has not yet been possible to prove conclusively the flavin photoreceptor hypothesis in any of these cases, nor has a mechanism been demonstrated by which a flavin could convert a light stimulus into a physiological signal. For the light-induced motor responds involved in phototaxis of Euglena , we have suggested an electrical type of stimulus transduction by a flavin receptor pigment embedded in a lipid matrix 4 .
ISSN:0028-0836
1476-4687
DOI:10.1038/248802a0