Multimedia Gallery - How a light signal reaches the nucleus of a plant cell.

An illustration of the intracellular process of a plant's response to light.

February 9, 2012

How a light signal reaches the nucleus of a plant cell.

Two proteins known as FHY3 and FAR1 bind to DNA in a plant cell and cause production of two other proteins known as FHY1 and FHL.

When hit with far red light, a light-sensitive protein called phytochrome A (phyA) changes its shape. This shape change allows it to bind to FHY1 and FHL. FHY1 and FHL then carry the activated phyA into the cell nucleus. From there, phyA is able to initiate the plant's developmental responses to light such as growth, flowering and straining towards the light.

Credit: Zina Deretsky, National Science Foundation

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