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The rise of optogenetics as a standard technique to non-invasively probe and monitor biological function created an immense interest in the molecular function of photosensory proteins. These photoreceptors are usually protein/pigment complexes that translate light into biological information and have become essential tools in cell biology and neurobiology as their function is genetically encoded and can be conveniently delivered into a given cell. Like for fluorescent proteins that quickly became invaluable as genetically encodable reporters in microscopy and imaging, variants of photosensory proteins with customized sensitivity and functionality are nowadays in high demand. In this ebook we feature reviews and original research on molecular approaches from synthetic biology and molecular spectroscopy to computational molecular modelling that all aspire to elucidate the molecular prerequisites for the photosensory function of the given proteins. The principle property of changing activity of biological function simply by application of light is not only very attractive for cell biology, it also offers unique opportunities for molecular studies as excitation can be controlled with high time precision. Especially in spectroscopy the usually fully reversible photoactivation of photosensory proteins allows researchers to to perform time resolved studies with up to femtosecond resolution. In addition, functional variants can be investigated and quickly screened in common biochemical experiments. The insights that are obtained by the here presented various yet complementary methods will ultimately allow us write the script for a molecular movie from excitation of the protein by a photon to activation of its biological function. Such deep understanding does not only provide unique insights into the dynamics of protein function, it will also ultimately enable us to rationally design novel optogenetic tools to be used in cell biology and therapy.

photoreceptors --- Opsins --- Photochemistry and photophysics --- spectroscopy --- optogenetics --- Phytochrome --- Protein Engineering --- computational modeling --- Flavins

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Plants as sessile organisms have evolved fascinating capacities to adapt to changes in their natural environment. Arguably, light is by far the most important and variable environmental factor. The quality, quantity, direction and duration of light is monitored by a series of photoreceptors covering spectral information from UVB to near infrared. The response of the plants to light is called photomorphogenesis and it is regulated by the concerted action of photoreceptors. The combined techniques of action spectroscopy and biochemistry allowed one of the important photoreceptors – phytochrome – to be identified in the middle of the last century. An enormous number of physiological studies published in the last century describe the properties of phytochrome and its function and also the physiology of blue and UV-B photoreceptors, unidentified at the time. This knowledge was summarized in the advanced textbook “Photomorphogenesis in Plants” (Kendrick and Kronenberg, eds., 1986, 1994). With the advent of molecular biology, genetics and new molecular, cellular techniques, our knowledge in the field of photomorphogenesis has dramatically increased over the last 15 years.

Plants --- Bacteria --- Plant cellular signal transduction. --- Photomorphogenesis. --- Effect of light on. --- Cellular signal transduction --- Plant cellular control mechanisms --- Germs --- Microbes --- Prokaryotes --- Photomorphogenesis, Plant --- Photomorphosis, Plant --- Plant photomorphogenesis --- Plant photomorphosis --- Growth (Plants) --- Plant morphogenesis --- Plant physiology --- Phytochrome --- Effect of light on --- Botany. --- Plant physiology. --- Plant genetics. --- Plant anatomy. --- Plant Ecology. --- Plant Sciences. --- Plant Physiology. --- Plant Genetics and Genomics. --- Plant Anatomy/Development. --- Botany --- Ecology --- Plant structure --- Structural botany --- Vegetable anatomy --- Anatomy --- Genetics --- Physiology --- Botanical science --- Phytobiology --- Phytography --- Phytology --- Plant biology --- Plant science --- Biology --- Natural history --- Structure --- Phytoecology --- Vegetation ecology --- Plant science. --- Plant development. --- Plant ecology. --- Development of plants --- Plant development --- Developmental biology --- Ontogeny --- Floristic botany --- Floristic ecology