An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms
Organisms have developed different features to capture or sense sunlight. Vertebrates have evolved specialized organs (eyes) which contain a variety of photosensor cells that help them to see the light to aid orientation. Opsins are major photoreceptors found in the vertebrate eye. Fungi, with more...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-05-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/5/591 |
| _version_ | 1827741032481030144 |
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| author | Özlem Sarikaya Bayram Özgür Bayram |
| author_facet | Özlem Sarikaya Bayram Özgür Bayram |
| author_sort | Özlem Sarikaya Bayram |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Organisms have developed different features to capture or sense sunlight. Vertebrates have evolved specialized organs (eyes) which contain a variety of photosensor cells that help them to see the light to aid orientation. Opsins are major photoreceptors found in the vertebrate eye. Fungi, with more than five million estimated members, represent an important clade of living organisms which have important functions for the sustainability of life on our planet. Light signalling regulates a range of developmental and metabolic processes including asexual sporulation, sexual fruit body formation, pigment and carotenoid production and even production of secondary metabolites. Fungi have adopted three groups of photoreceptors: (I) blue light receptors, White Collars, vivid, cryptochromes, blue F proteins and DNA photolyases, (II) red light sensors, phytochromes and (III) green light sensors and microbial rhodopsins. Most mechanistic data were elucidated on the roles of the White Collar Complex (WCC) and the phytochromes in the fungal kingdom. The WCC acts as both photoreceptor and transcription factor by binding to target genes, whereas the phytochrome initiates a cascade of signalling by using mitogen-activated protein kinases to elicit its cellular responses. Although the mechanism of photoreception has been studied in great detail, fungal photoreception has not been compared with vertebrate vision. Therefore, this review will mainly focus on mechanistic findings derived from two model organisms, namely <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> and <i>Neurospora crassa</i> and comparison of some mechanisms with vertebrate vision. Our focus will be on the way light signalling is translated into changes in gene expression, which influences morphogenesis and metabolism in fungi. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:35:55Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d1e667447b244aa5abf10cbd708ad032 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2309-608X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T03:35:55Z |
| publishDate | 2023-05-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Fungi |
| spelling | doaj.art-d1e667447b244aa5abf10cbd708ad0322023-11-18T02:02:49ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2023-05-019559110.3390/jof9050591An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling MechanismsÖzlem Sarikaya Bayram0Özgür Bayram1Biology Department, Maynooth University, W23 F2K8 Maynooth, Co. Kildare, IrelandBiology Department, Maynooth University, W23 F2K8 Maynooth, Co. Kildare, IrelandOrganisms have developed different features to capture or sense sunlight. Vertebrates have evolved specialized organs (eyes) which contain a variety of photosensor cells that help them to see the light to aid orientation. Opsins are major photoreceptors found in the vertebrate eye. Fungi, with more than five million estimated members, represent an important clade of living organisms which have important functions for the sustainability of life on our planet. Light signalling regulates a range of developmental and metabolic processes including asexual sporulation, sexual fruit body formation, pigment and carotenoid production and even production of secondary metabolites. Fungi have adopted three groups of photoreceptors: (I) blue light receptors, White Collars, vivid, cryptochromes, blue F proteins and DNA photolyases, (II) red light sensors, phytochromes and (III) green light sensors and microbial rhodopsins. Most mechanistic data were elucidated on the roles of the White Collar Complex (WCC) and the phytochromes in the fungal kingdom. The WCC acts as both photoreceptor and transcription factor by binding to target genes, whereas the phytochrome initiates a cascade of signalling by using mitogen-activated protein kinases to elicit its cellular responses. Although the mechanism of photoreception has been studied in great detail, fungal photoreception has not been compared with vertebrate vision. Therefore, this review will mainly focus on mechanistic findings derived from two model organisms, namely <i>Aspergillus nidulans</i> and <i>Neurospora crassa</i> and comparison of some mechanisms with vertebrate vision. Our focus will be on the way light signalling is translated into changes in gene expression, which influences morphogenesis and metabolism in fungi.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/5/591photoreceptorsfungiphytochromeswhite collarsred lightblue light |
| spellingShingle | Özlem Sarikaya Bayram Özgür Bayram An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms Journal of Fungi photoreceptors fungi phytochromes white collars red light blue light |
| title | An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms |
| title_full | An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms |
| title_fullStr | An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms |
| title_full_unstemmed | An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms |
| title_short | An Anatomy of Fungal Eye: Fungal Photoreceptors and Signalling Mechanisms |
| title_sort | anatomy of fungal eye fungal photoreceptors and signalling mechanisms |
| topic | photoreceptors fungi phytochromes white collars red light blue light |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/9/5/591 |
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