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PubMed2006

Spacing of silver birch seedlings grown in containers of equal size affects their morphology and its variability.

Silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) seedlings were grown individually in containers arranged in rows radiating from a central point (Nelder plot) at densities spanning the range from 207 to 891 plants m(-2). Height of one set of seedlings was measured at weekly intervals and additional seedlings were harvested each week for dry mass and leaf area measurements. Height and shoot:root dry mass ratio increased with plant density. Seedling-to-seedling variability in dry mass, but not height, increased with increasing plant density. The red to far-red (R:FR) photon ratio in horizontally propagated radiation decreased with increasing density, even when plant densities and leaf area index values were low. In a separate experiment, elongating internodes of seedlings were irradiated locally by red and far-red light emitting diodes and stem elongation measured. Far-red light markedly increased stem elongation, suggesting that changes in light quality sensed by growing internodes are involved in the observed responses to growth density.

Betula↗
PubMed2005

Flesh colour dominates consumer preference for chicken.

Existing research investigating interactions between visual and oral sensory cues has tended to use model food systems. In contrast, this study compared product quality assessments of corn-fed and wheat-fed chicken products among persons recruited in Northern Ireland. Three approaches have been adopted to investigate the effect of colour upon consumer choice of chicken: sensory assessment under normal lighting; focus group discussion; and sensory assessment under controlled lighting conditions. Initial consumer sensory assessment indicated that wheat-fed chicken was perceived to be tenderer and to have a more intense flavour than that which was corn-fed. Qualitative enquiry discerned that this was because consumers perceived the yellow colour of corn-fed chicken negatively. Yellow-coloured corn-fed chicken was therefore again compared with wheat-fed chicken in terms of flavour, texture and overall liking with the flesh colour disguised by means of controlled lighting. Quality ratings for corn-fed chicken were more positive when the yellow flesh colour was disguised, with corn-fed chicken judged to be tenderer than wheat-fed chicken and more flavoursome. This study illustrates the importance of using a combination of methods to gain insight into interactions between different sensory modalities in consumer quality judgements and adds to previous research on the importance of colour upon consumer choice of real foods.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1992

Fast Fluorescence Quenching from Isolated Guard Cell Chloroplasts of Vicia faba Is Induced by Blue Light and Not by Red Light.

Chlorophyll a fluorescence transients from isolated Vicia faba guard cell chloroplasts were used to probe the response of these organelles to light quality. Guard cell chloroplasts were isolated from protoplasts by passing them through a 10-mum nylon net. Intact chloroplasts were purified on a Percoll gradient. Chlorophyll a fluorescence transients induced by actinic red or blue light were measured with a fluorometer equipped with a measuring beam. Actinic red light induced a monophasic quenching, and transients induced by blue light showed biphasic kinetics having a slow and a fast component. The difference between the red and blue light-induced transients could be observed over a range of fluence rates tested (200-800 mumol m(-2) s(-1)). The threshold fluence rate of blue light for the induction of the fast component of quenching was 200 mumol m(-2) s(-1), but in the presence of saturating red light, fluence rates as low as 25 mumol m(-2) s(-1) induced the fast quenching. These results indicate that guard cell chloroplasts have a specific response to blue light.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1984

Chloroplast Structure and Starch Grain Accumulation in Leaves That Received Different Red and Far-Red Levels during Development.

An important step in understanding influence of growth environment on carbon metabolism in plants is to gain a better understanding of effects of light quality on the photosynthetic system. Electron microscopy was used to study chloroplast ultrastructure in developing and fully expanded leaves of tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L. cv Burley 21). Brief exposures to red or far-red light at the end of each day during growth under controlled environments influenced granum size, granum number and starch grain accumulation in chloroplasts, and the concentration of sugars in leaf lamina. Far-red-treated leaves had chloroplasts with more but smaller grana than did red-treated leaves. Red light at the end of the photosynthetic period resulted in more and larger starch grains in the chloroplasts and a lower concentration of sugars in leaves. Chloroplast ultrastructure and starch grain accumulation patterns that were initiated in the expanding leaves were also evident in the fully expanded leaves that received the treatment during development. It appears that the phytochrome system in the developing leaves sensed the light environment and initiated events which influenced chloroplast development and partitioning of photosynthate to adapt the plant for better survival under those environmental conditions.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

The Dof transcription factor OBP3 modulates phytochrome and cryptochrome signaling in Arabidopsis.

Plants perceive subtle changes in light quality and quantity through a set of photoreceptors, including phytochromes and cryptochromes. Upon perception, these photoreceptors initiate signal transduction pathways leading to photomorphogenic changes in development. Using activation-tagging mutagenesis to identify novel light-signaling components, we have isolated a gain-of-function mutant, sob1-D (suppressor of phytochrome B-4 [phyB-4] dominant), which suppresses the long-hypocotyl phenotype of the phyB missense allele, phyB-4. The sob1-D mutant phenotype is caused by the overexpression of a Dof (DNA binding with one finger) transcription factor, OBF4 Binding Protein 3 (OBP3). A translational fusion between OBP3 and green fluorescent protein is nuclear localized in onion (Allium cepa) cells. Tissue-specific accumulation of an OBP3:OBP3-beta-glucuronidase translational fusion is regulated by light in Arabidopsis thaliana. Hypocotyls of transgenic lines with reduced OBP3 expression are less responsive to red light. This aberrant phenotype in red light requires functional phyB, suggesting that OBP3 is a positive regulator of phyB-mediated inhibition of hypocotyl elongation. Furthermore, these partial-loss-of-function lines have larger cotyledons. This light-dependent cotyledon phenotype is most dramatic in blue light and requires functional cryptochrome 1 (cry1), indicating that OBP3 is a negative regulator of cry1-mediated cotyledon expansion. These results suggest a model where OBP3 is a component in both phyB and cry1 signaling pathways, acting as a positive and negative regulator, respectively. An alternate, though not mutually exclusive, model places OBP3 as a general inhibitor of tissue expansion with phyB and cry1, differentially modulating OBP3's role in this response.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed1999

TAKs, thylakoid membrane protein kinases associated with energy transduction.

The phosphorylation of proteins within the eukaryotic photosynthetic membrane is thought to regulate a number of photosynthetic processes in land plants and algae. Both light quality and intensity influence protein kinase activity via the levels of reductants produced by the thylakoid electron transport chain. We have isolated a family of proteins called TAKs, Arabidopsis thylakoid membrane threonine kinases that phosphorylate the light harvesting complex proteins. TAK activity is enhanced by reductant and is associated with the photosynthetic reaction center II and the cytochrome b6f complex. TAKs are encoded by a gene family that has striking similarity to transforming growth factor beta receptors of metazoans. Thus thylakoid protein phosphorylation may be regulated by a cascade of reductant-controlled membrane-bound protein kinases.

Activin Receptors, Type I↗
PubMed1980

Effects of Chromatic Adaptation on the Photochemical Apparatus of Photosynthesis in Porphyridium cruentum.

Cells of Porphyridium cruentum were grown in different colors of light which would be absorbed primarily by chlorophyll (Chl) (red and blue light) or by the phycobilisomes (green or two intensities of cool-white fluorescent light), and samples of these cells were frozen to -196 C for measurements of absorption and fluorescence emission spectra. Cells grown in the high intensity white light had least of all of the photosynthetic pigments, a higher ratio of carotenoid/Chl, but essentially the same ratio of phycobilin to Chl as cells grown in the low intensity white light. The ratio of photosystem II (PSII) to photosystem I (PSI) pigments was affected by light quality; the ratios of phycobilin to Chl and of short wavelength (PSII) Chl to long wavelength (PSI) Chl were both greater in the cells grown in red or blue light.Light quality also exerted a strong influence on the structural and functional organization of the photochemical apparatus. Data on the relative optical cross-sections of PSI and PSII as a function of excitation wavelength indicate that cells grown in light absorbed primarily by the phycobilisomes package a large fraction of their Chl into PSI (PSI Chl/PSII Chl approximately 20), whereas cells grown in light absorbed by Chl distribute their Chl much more equitably (PSI Chl/PSII Chl approximately 1.5). In both types of cells the phycobilisomes transfer their excitation energy predominantly to PSII Chl with little or no direct energy transfer to PSI, but the yield of energy transfer from PSII to PSI is approximately twice as large for cells grown in the phycobilin wavelengths of light. These differences in functional organization and energy distribution account for the physiological expressions of chromatic adaptation. The effects of chromatic adaptation on O(2) evolution can be predicted from our calculations of energy distribution between PSI and PSII for cells grown in the different colors of light.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Light induces expression of a dehydrin-encoding gene during seedling de-etiolation in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.).

The effects of light quality on the expression of a sunflower dehydrin-encoding gene, HaDhn1, were studied during seedling de-etiolation. Seeds were germinated in the dark and, after 5 days, seedlings were maintained well watered and de-etiolated under different lights for 3, 6, 12, and 24h. Exposure to white light stimulated HaDhn1 transcript accumulation in the cotyledons of these seedlings, contrary to seedlings grown in the dark. HaDhn1 transcripts increased also treating plantlets with monochromatic lights, especially red light. The increase of HaDhn1 transcripts is provoked by the formation of the active form of phytochrome. Further experiments, performed saturating active phytochrome by yellow light, in combination or not with blue light, showed that also cryptochrome can increase HaDhn1 transcripts accumulation after exposure to light. In situ analysis of HaDhn1 expression domains in cotyledons of light-treated seedlings showed a hybridisation signal spread in all mesophyll cells, especially in the basal portion and in the vascular tissue. In the distal portion of the cotyledons, less intense signal was observed. Western blot analysis indicated that HaDhn1 transcription is not followed by dehydrin-protein accumulation. The isolated putative promoter sequence of the HaDhn1 gene showed that different putative cis-elements recognisable by transcription factors occur in the isolated sequence, including a putative light-responsive G-box. On the whole, our results indicate that HaDhn1 gene expression is induced by light during de-etiolation, in absence of water stress.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed1983

Ecology and Physiology of the Competition for Light Between Chlorobium limicola and Chlorobium phaeobacteroides in Natural Habitats.

Accurate studies of the pigment composition and isolation in pure cultures of Chlorobiaceae from samples of eight Spanish lakes show that there are two main coexisting groups of green and brown Chlorobium spp. represented respectively by Chlorobium limicola and Chlorobium phaeobacteroides. Laboratory experiments with pure and mixed cultures of the isolated strains show that light quality plays a selective role on the species composition among Chlorobiaceae. This selection depends on the pigment composition which determines the in vivo absorption spectrum of the cells as well as on their ability to adjust the intracellular concentration of light-harvesting pigments to the spectral distribution and energy of light. Correlation analysis performed with field data resulted in significant, but low, correlation coefficients. Nevertheless, they were consistent with laboratory data showing that brown Chlorobiaceae were dominant in deep layers in meromictic lakes, whereas green Chlorobiaceae dominated in layers nearer the surface or underneath plates of Chromatiaceae. The combination of laboratory and field observations stress the role of biological light filtering in determining the species composition among Chlorobiaceae in lakes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1989

Characteristics of oviposition patterns of turkey hens and the influence of different wavelengths of light.

1. Characteristics of individual oviposition patterns of turkey breeder hens were determined for 160 d of photostimulation with fluorescent blue, green or red light and with incandescent light. 2. In all treatments most eggs were laid during the afternoon and evening. The maximum frequency occurred at 14.00 to 15.00 h (8 to 9 h after light onset); about 15% of all eggs were laid in the dark period. 3. The hourly oviposition distribution remained unchanged and was specific to individual hens throughout the study period. However, it was highly variable between hens, ranging from highly dispersed to tightly clustered. 4. The total number of clutches per hen did not differ between treatments and eggs were laid in relatively short clutches; 65% were of two eggs or fewer, 30% of three to 5 eggs and only 5% of 6 eggs or more. 5. The oviposition time of the first egg in a clutch was very variable; however, oviposition time became more clustered and uniform as the position of the egg in a clutch increased. 6. Mean time of lay, mean interval between eggs and total lag time were not influenced by light treatment. Mean interval was about 27 h for all eggs and was not influenced by clutch size. 7. Light quality at the intensity used in this study did not appear to play an important role in oviposition patterns of turkey hens.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Effect of the nitrogen source on phycobiliprotein synthesis and cell reserves in a chromatically adapting filamentous cyanobacterium.

Cyanobacteria can utilize nitrate or ammonium as a source of fixed nitrogen for cell growth. In the filamentous Calothrix sp. strain PCC 7601, these two sources of nitrogen differently influenced the phycobiliprotein composition of the phycobilisomes, the major light-harvesting antennae. When compared to nitrate, growth in the presence of ammonium resulted in intracellular steady-state levels 35% lower for phycoerythrin and 46% higher for phycocyanin. Besides these differences in cell pigmentation, a rapid but transient accumulation of cyanophycin granule polypeptide occurred in ammonium-grown cells, while these macromolecules were not detected in cells grown with nitrate. In contrast, glycogen reserves displayed a dynamic pattern of accumulation and disappearance during cell growth which varied only slightly with the nitrogen source. The observed changes in cell pigmentation are reminiscent of the phenomenon of complementary chromatic adaptation, in which green and red wavelengths promote the syntheses of phycoerythrin and phycocyanin-2, respectively. As in complementary chromatic adaptation, the regulation of synthesis of phycoerythrin and phycocyanin-2 by the nitrogen source occurred mainly at the mRNA level. Moreover, the transcriptional start sites for the expression of the cpeBA and the cpc2 operons, which respectively encode the two subunits of phycoerythrin and phycocyanin-2, were the same in cells grown in nitrate or ammonium, and identical to those in green- and red-light-grown cells. The results of this study suggest that acclimation to the spectral light quality and to the nitrogen source share some common regulatory elements.

Bacterial Proteins↗
PubMed1997

Suppression of mutants aberrant in light intensity responses of complementary chromatic adaptation.

Complementary chromatic adaptation is a process in which cyanobacteria alter the pigment protein (phycocyanin and phycoerythrin) composition of their light-harvesting complexes, the phycobilisomes, to help optimize the absorbance of prevalent wavelengths of light in the environment. Several classes of mutants that display aberrant complementary chromatic adaptation have been isolated. One of the mutant classes, designated "blue" or FdB, accumulates high levels of the blue chromoprotein phycocyanin in low-intensity green light, a condition that normally suppresses phycocyanin synthesis. We demonstrate here that the synthesis of the phycocyanin protein and mRNA in the FdB mutants can be suppressed by increasing the intensity of green light. Hence, these mutants have a decreased sensitivity to green light with respect to suppression of phycocyanin synthesis. Although we were unable to complement the blue mutants, we did isolate genes that could suppress the mutant phenotype. These genes, which have been identified previously, encode a histidine kinase sensor and response regulator protein that play key roles in controlling complementary chromatic adaptation. These findings are discussed with respect to the mechanism by which light quality and quantity control the biosynthesis of the phycobilisome.

Adaptation, Physiological↗
PubMed1985

Constant Phycobilisome Size in Chromatically Adapted Cells of the Cyanobacterium Tolypothrix tenuis, and Variation in Nostoc sp.

Phycobilisomes of Tolypothrix tenuis, a cyanobacterium capable of complete chromatic adaptation, were studied from cells grown in red and green light, and in darkness. The phycobilisome size remained constant irrespective of the light quality. The hemidiscoidal phycobilisomes had an average diameter of about 52 nanometers and height of about 33 nanometers, by negative staining. The thickness was equivalent to a phycocyanin molecule (about 10 nanometers). The molar ratio of allophycocyanin, relative to other phycobiliproteins always remained at about 1:3. Phycobilisomes from red light grown cells and cells grown heterotrophically in darkness were indistinguishable in their pigment composition, polypeptide pattern, and size. Eight polypeptides were resolved in the phycobilin region (17.5 to 23.5 kilodaltons) by isoelectric focusing followed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Half of these were invariable, while others were variable in green and red light. It is inferred that phycoerythrin synthesis in green light resulted in a one for one substitution of phycocyanin, thus retaining a constant phycobilisome size. Tolypothrix appears to be one of the best examples of phycobiliprotein regulation with wavelength. By contrast, in Nostoc sp., the decrease in phycoerythrin in red light cells was accompanied by a decrease in phycobilisome size but not a regulated substitution.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1994

The PII protein in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7942 is modified by serine phosphorylation and signals the cellular N-status.

The glnB gene product (PII protein) from Synechococcus sp. has previously been identified among 32P-labeled proteins, and its modification state has been observed to depend on both the nitrogen source and the spectral light quality (N. F. Tsinoremas, A. M. Castets, M. A. Harrison, J. F. Allen, and N. Tandeau de Marsac, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:4565-4569, 1991). As shown in this study, modification of the PII protein primarily responds to the N-status of the cell, and its light-dependent variations are are mediated through nitrate metabolism. Modification of the PII protein results in the appearance of three isomeric forms with increasing negative charge. Unlike its homolog counterparts characterized so far, PII in Synechococcus sp. is modified by phosphorylation on a serine residue, which represents a unique kind of protein modification in bacterial nitrogen signalling pathways.

Amino Acid Sequence↗
PubMed2026

Daylight, Daily Rhythms, and Downstream Physiology: A Translational Study in Diurnal Nile Grass Rats (Arvicanthis niloticus).

The circadian system evolved under natural light-dark cycles, while modern humans spend much of their time indoors under electric lighting that differs substantially from daylight in intensity, spectral composition, and temporal structure. How such lighting environments influence the circadian system has not been systematically examined in a diurnal animal model under ecologically relevant conditions. In this study, we used the diurnal Nile grass rat (Arvicanthis niloticus) to assess daily locomotor rhythms across 4 lighting conditions designed to approximate common human exposure scenarios: rectangular daylight (D65‑R; ~5600 lux), semi‑sigmoidal daylight mimicking natural intensity dynamics (D65‑S; matched peak intensity with ~50% lower cumulative energy), fluorescent indoor light (F12; ~150 lux), and fluorescent light supplemented with a 1‑h midday daylight pulse (F12 + D65‑P). Using a within‑subject design (n = 8), male grass rats were housed under each condition for 2 weeks. D65‑R produced the highest daytime activity levels and the strongest day-night activity ratio, consistent with robust circadian entrainment. Despite matching peak intensity, D65‑S did not yield comparable circadian outcomes, indicating that cumulative photon exposure, rather than peak intensity alone, contributes to entrainment strength. Notably, the addition of a 1‑h midday daylight pulse (D65-P) partially increased circadian amplitude under otherwise fluorescent conditions, with higher periodogram amplitude relative to F12 alone. A separate cohort of males was exposed to D65-R or F12 for 6 weeks (n = 10/condition) to assess physiological outcomes, including metabolic and reproductive measures. Compared with the D65-R group, the F12 group showed a higher diabetic rate (10% vs. 40%) and reduced sperm motility (45 ± 6 vs. 19 ± 1%), consistent with potential downstream correlates of circadian rhythm disruption. Together, these findings demonstrate that lighting conditions characteristic of indoor environments produce weaker circadian organization than daylight-equivalent lighting in a diurnal rodent, which underscore the importance of light quality in shaping circadian rhythms and downstream physiological processes.

daylight↗
PubMed1991

Antagonistic blue- and red-light regulation of cab-gene expression during photosynthetic adaptation in Scenedesmus obliquus.

During adaptation of the photosynthetic apparatus of the green alga Scenedesmus obliquus to various light qualities, the accumulation of chlorophylls and pigment-protein complexes (with specific consideration of chlorophyll a/b-binding (Cab) proteins) and cab-gene expression were determined. The fluence rate dependences for chlorophyll accumulation and cab-gene expression were very different. Very low fluence rates of violet (404 nm), blue (461 nm) and red (650 nm) light below the photosynthetic threshold, i.e. between 10(-3) and 10(-1) mumol m-2 s-1, inhibited all of these reactions in cells grown under heterotrophic conditions. At elevated fluence rates (above 1 mumol m-2 s-1), red light retained its negative regulation, whereas blue light stimulated pigment accumulation. Under autotrophic conditions the pattern was more complex, because chlorophyll accumulation was unaffected by light below the photosynthetic threshold. However, the expression of cab-genes was inhibited by red light but stimulated by blue light. Cells adapted to fluence rates, which ensured photosynthetic energy supply (above 1 mumol m-2 s-1), showed an increase in chlorophyll accumulation, blue light being more effective than red light. The results confirm and extend our previous discovery of two antagonistically acting photoreceptors in Scenedesmus which mediate and coordinate the complex functional and structural changes associated with photosynthetic adaptation. One of these receptor pigments is a blue-light receptor with positive action; the other is a violet-red-light receptor which can operate far below the photosynthetic threshold and exerts a negative regulation.

Blotting, Northern↗
PubMed1998

Choosing the right clinical camera. Part II.

From a practical standpoint, both ring and dual flash are easier to control for the operator. It is not necessary to remember to put the flash on the side of the mirror or to rotate the flash to avoid unwanted shadows. The point source flash requires a learning curve and the dual point source flash, away from the lens, has limited applications. The lighting quality brings out the third dimension in photography and is therefore among the most important factors when taking image quality into consideration. The dual source flash on the lens system provides a more pleasing and natural illumination than the other systems. The Nikon SB21-B fulfills these requirements while offering the possibility to be used as a single source flash unit. Furthermore, the flash unit's close proximity to the lens allows the light to reach virtually any area in the mouth. Lastly, the TTL option takes care of the concern regarding the consistency of the light intensity and significantly speeds up the recycling time.

Dental Equipment↗
PubMed2004

Light-regulated asexual reproduction in Paecilomyces fumosoroseus.

The entomopathogenic fungus Paecilomyces fumosoroseus has been successfully used in the control of several insect pests. Asexually produced spores (conidia) are the means for dispersal and transmission of the entomopathogen; upon contact with the insect cuticle they germinate and penetrate the host. In model fungal systems it has been found that phototropism, resetting of the circadian rhythm, the induction of carotenogenesis and the development of reproductive structures are controlled by blue light. The effect of light quality on conidial yield of P. fumosoroseus was investigated. Incubation in total darkness resulted in continued vegetative growth and lack of reproductive structures. In contrast, growth of the fungus in continuous illumination or under a night-day regime resulted in prolific formation of conidiophores bearing abundant mature conidia. Conidiation was photoinduced in competent mycelia by a single pulse of blue light and colonies were competent only after they had grown at least 72 h under total darkness. The fluence-response curves generated with blue light indicated that the minimal fluence required for the photomorphogenetic response was 180 micro mol m(-2) and the half-maximal response was at 400 micro mol m(-2). A fluence of 540 micro mol m(-2) was enough to saturate the system, inducing the maximum production of 2.12x10(8) conidia per colony. Higher light intensities markedly decreased conidiation, suggesting the occurrence of a process of adaptation. The authors propose the existence of a dual light-perception system with at least two photoreceptors in P. fumosoroseus, one promoting and one inhibiting conidiation.

Animals↗