InterPro domain: IPR043150

Phytochromes form a major family of photoreceptors responsible for red light perception in plants, fungi and bacteria [ 1 ]. They undergo reversible photoconversion between red-absorbing (Pr) and far-red-absorbing (Pfr) states, thereby ultimately converting a light signal into a distinct biological signal that mediates subsequent cellular responses [ 2 ]. This entry represents the PHY domain of phytochrome which connects the chromophore binding domains PAS-GAF with the output kinase [ 3 ].

1. Phytochrome: a light-activated molecular switch that regulates plant gene expression. Annu. Rev. Genet. 25, 389-409
2. Temperature-scan cryocrystallography reveals reaction intermediates in bacteriophytochrome. Nature 479, 428-32
3. Signal amplification and transduction in phytochrome photosensors. Nature 509, 245-248