Holophytochrome assembly. Coupled assay for phytochromobilin synthase in organello

Near-infrared imaging in fission yeast using a genetically encoded phycocyanobilin biosynthesis system

Near-infrared fluorescent protein (iRFP) is a bright and stable fluorescent protein with near-infrared excitation and emission maxima. Unlike the other conventional fluorescent proteins, iRFP requires biliverdin (BV) as a chromophore. Here, we report that phycocyanobilin (PCB) functions as a brighter chromophore for iRFP than BV, and that biosynthesis of PCB allows live-cell imaging with iRFP in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe. We initially found that fission yeast cells did not produce BV and therefore did not show any iRFP fluorescence. The brightness of iRFP-PCB was higher than that of iRFP-BV both in vitro and in fission yeast. We introduced SynPCB2.1, a PCB biosynthesis system, into fission yeast, resulting in the brightest iRFP fluorescence. To make iRFP readily available in fission yeast, we developed an endogenous gene tagging system with iRFP and all-in-one integration plasmids carrying the iRFP-fused marker proteins together with SynPCB2.1. These tools not only enable the easy use of multiplexed live-cell imaging in fission yeast with a broader color palette, but also open the door to new opportunities for near-infrared fluorescence imaging in a wider range of living organisms. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.

Improvement of Phycocyanobilin Synthesis for Genetically Encoded Phytochrome-Based Optogenetics

Optogenetics is a powerful technique using photoresponsive proteins, and the light-inducible dimerization (LID) system, an optogenetic tool, allows to manipulate intracellular signaling pathways. One of the red/far-red responsive LID systems, phytochrome B (PhyB)-phytochrome interacting factor (PIF), has a unique property of controlling both association and dissociation by light on the second time scale, but PhyB requires a linear tetrapyrrole chromophore such as phycocyanobilin (PCB), and such chromophores are present only in higher plants and cyanobacteria. Here, we report that we further improved our previously developed PCB synthesis system (SynPCB) and successfully established a stable cell line containing a genetically encoded PhyB-PIF LID system. First, four genes responsible for PCB synthesis, namely, PcyA, HO1, Fd, and Fnr, were replaced with their counterparts derived from thermophilic cyanobacteria. Second, Fnr was truncated, followed by fusion with Fd to generate a chimeric protein, tFnr-Fd. Third, these genes were concatenated with P2A peptide cDNAs for polycistronic expression, resulting in an approximately 4-fold increase in PCB synthesis compared with the previous version. Finally, we incorporated the PhyB, PIF, and SynPCB system into drug inducible lentiviral and transposon vectors, which enabled us to induce PCB synthesis and the PhyB-PIF LID system by doxycycline treatment. These tools provide a new opportunity to advance our understanding of the causal relationship between intracellular signaling and cellular functions.

Evolution and molecular mechanism of four-electron reducing ferredoxin-dependent bilin reductases from oceanic phages

Ferredoxin-dependent bilin reductases (FDBRs) are a class of enzymes reducing the heme metabolite biliverdin IXα (BV) to form open-chain tetrapyrroles used for light-perception and light-harvesting in photosynthetic organisms. Thus far, seven FDBR families have been identified, each catalysing a distinct reaction and either transferring two or four electrons from ferredoxin onto the substrate. The newest addition to the family is PcyX, originally identified from metagenomics data derived from phage. Phylogenetically, PcyA is the closest relative catalysing the reduction of BV to phycocyanobilin. PcyX, however, converts the same substrate to phycoerythrobilin, resembling the reaction catalysed by cyanophage PebS. Within this study, we aimed at understanding the evolution of catalytic activities within FDBRs using PcyX as an example. Additional members of the PcyX clade and a remote member of the PcyA family were investigated to gain insights into catalysis. Biochemical data in combination with the PcyX crystal structure revealed that a conserved aspartate-histidine pair is critical for activity. Interestingly, the same residues are part of a catalytic Asp-His-Glu triad in PcyA, including an additional Glu. While this Glu residue is replaced by Asp in PcyX, it is not involved in catalysis. Substitution back to a Glu failed to convert PcyX to a PcyA. Therefore, the change in regiospecificity is not only caused by individual catalytic amino acid residues. Rather the combination of the architecture of the active site with the positioning of the substrate triggers specific proton transfer yielding the individual phycobilin products.

ENZYMES

Suggested EC number for PcyX: 1.3.7.6 DATABASES: The PcyX X-ray structure was deposited in the PDB with the accession code 5OWG.

Characteristics of the tomato chromoplast revealed by proteomic analysis

Chromoplasts are non-photosynthetic specialized plastids that are important in ripening tomato fruit (Solanum lycopersicum) since, among other functions, they are the site of accumulation of coloured compounds. Analysis of the proteome of red fruit chromoplasts revealed the presence of 988 proteins corresponding to 802 Arabidopsis unigenes, among which 209 had not been listed so far in plastidial databanks. These data revealed several features of the chromoplast. Proteins of lipid metabolism and trafficking were well represented, including all the proteins of the lipoxygenase pathway required for the synthesis of lipid-derived aroma volatiles. Proteins involved in starch synthesis co-existed with several starch-degrading proteins and starch excess proteins. Chromoplasts lacked proteins of the chlorophyll biosynthesis branch and contained proteins involved in chlorophyll degradation. None of the proteins involved in the thylakoid transport machinery were discovered. Surprisingly, chromoplasts contain the entire set of Calvin cycle proteins including Rubisco, as well as the oxidative pentose phosphate pathway (OxPPP). The present proteomic analysis, combined with available physiological data, provides new insights into the metabolic characteristics of the tomato chromoplast and enriches our knowledge of non-photosynthetic plastids.

Phototropism: mechanism and outcomes

Plants have evolved a wide variety of responses that allow them to adapt to the variable environmental conditions in which they find themselves growing. One such response is the phototropic response - the bending of a plant organ toward (stems and leaves) or away from (roots) a directional blue light source. Phototropism is one of several photoresponses of plants that afford mechanisms to alter their growth and development to changes in light intensity, quality and direction. Over recent decades much has been learned about the genetic, molecular and cell biological components involved in sensing and responding to phototropic stimuli. Many of these advances have been made through the utilization of Arabidopsis as a model for phototropic studies. Here we discuss such advances, as well as studies in other plant species where appropriate to the discussion of work in Arabidopsis.

The steady-state level of Mg-protoporphyrin IX is not a determinant of plastid-to-nucleus signaling in Arabidopsis

The plastid plays a vital role in various cellular activities within plant cells including photosynthesis and other metabolic pathways. It is believed that the functional status of the plastid is somehow monitored by the nucleus to optimize the expression of genes encoding plastid proteins. The currently dominant model for plastid-derived signaling ("plastid signaling") proposes that Mg-protoporphyrin IX (MgProto) is a negative signal that represses the expression of a wide range of nuclear genes encoding plastid-localized proteins when plastid development is inhibited. In this study, we have re-evaluated this hypothesis by quantifying the steady-state levels of MgProto (as well as its neighboring intermediates protoporphyrin IX and Mg-Proto monomethyl ester [MgProtoMe]) in Arabidopsis plants with altered plastid signaling responses as monitored by expression of the Lhcb1, RBCS, HEMA1, BAM3 and CA1 genes. In addition, we have examined the correlation between gene expression and MgProto (MgProtoMe) in a range of mutants and conditions in which the steady-state levels of MgProto (MgProtoMe) have been modified. Overall we found that there was no correlation between the steady-state levels of MgProto (MgProtoMe) and Lhcb1 expression or with any of the other genes tested. Taking these results together, we propose that the current model on plastid signaling must be revised.

Characterization of cytosolic tetrapyrrole-binding proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

In plant cells, tetrapyrroles are synthesized in plastids and distributed to numerous organelles to function in various vital activities. However, molecular mechanisms of tetrapyrroles trafficking in plant cells are poorly understood. In animal cells, experimental evidence suggests that the p22HBP/SOUL family are cytosolic heme carrier proteins functioning in heme trafficking. In this study, we characterized Arabidopsis cytosolic heme-binding proteins (cHBPs) homologous to the p22HBP/SOUL family. Six homologous genes were identified in the complete genome of Arabidopsis. Deduced amino acid sequences of two genes contained N-terminal amino acid extensions, presumably functioning as signal peptides to organelles. No such extension was observed in the other four genes, but one gene contained a ten-base deletion in its open reading frame, suggesting it maybe a pseudogene. The remaining three genes encoding putative cHBPs, designated cHBP1, cHBP2 and cHBP3, were further analyzed. Semiquantitative RT-PCR analysis showed that cHBP1 was preferentially expressed in leaves, while cHBP2 was predominantly expressed in roots. A tetrapyrrole binding assay using recombinant proteins of cHBP1 and cHBP2 revealed that both cHBPs bind to heme, protoporphyrin IX, and Mg-protoporphyrin IX dimethyl ester with distinct dissociation constants (Kd) of approximately submicro molar concentrations. Low temperature electron spin resonance (ESR) spectra showed that both cHBP1 and cHBP2 bind high-spin type heme. When mixed with apo-horse radish peroxidase (HRP), heme-bound cHBP1 and cHBP2 showed comparable abilities for reconstitution of HRP activity, showing that both cHBPs bind heme reversibly. These results suggest that both cHBP1 and cHBP2 have properties suitable for tetrapyrrole carrier proteins and function in distinct organs in plant cells.

The Heme Oxygenase(s)-Phytochrome System of Pseudomonas aeruginosa

For many pathogenic bacteria like Pseudomonas aeruginosa heme is an essential source of iron. After uptake, the heme molecule is degraded by heme oxygenases to yield iron, carbon monoxide, and biliverdin. The heme oxygenase PigA is only induced under iron-limiting conditions and produces the unusual biliverdin isomers IXbeta and IXdelta. The gene for a second putative heme oxygenase in P. aeruginosa, bphO, occurs in an operon with the gene bphP encoding a bacterial phytochrome. Here we provide biochemical evidence that bphO encodes for a second heme oxygenase in P. aeruginosa. HPLC, (1)H, and (13)C NMR studies indicate that BphO is a "classic" heme oxygenase in that it produces biliverdin IXalpha. The data also suggest that the overall fold of BphO is likely to be the same as that reported for other alpha-hydroxylating heme oxygenases. Recombinant BphO was shown to prefer ferredoxins or ascorbate as a source of reducing equivalents in vitro and the rate-limiting step for the oxidation of heme to biliverdin is the release of product. In eukaryotes, the release of biliverdin is driven by biliverdin reductase, the subsequent enzyme in heme catabolism. Because P. aeruginosa lacks a biliverdin reductase homologue, data are presented indicating an involvement of the bacterial phytochrome BphP in biliverdin release from BphO and possibly from PigA.

Rapid induction of distinct stress responses after the release of singlet oxygen in Arabidopsis

The conditional fluorescent (flu) mutant of Arabidopsis accumulates the photosensitizer protochlorophyllide in the dark. After a dark-to-light shift, the generation of singlet oxygen, a nonradical reactive oxygen species, starts within the first minute of illumination and was shown to be confined to plastids. Immediately after the shift, plants stopped growing and developed necrotic lesions. These early stress responses of the flu mutant do not seem to result merely from physicochemical damage. Peroxidation of chloroplast membrane lipids in these plants started rapidly and led to the transient and selective accumulation of a stereospecific and regiospecific isomer of hydroxyoctadecatrieonic acid, free (13S)-HOTE, that could be attributed almost exclusively to the enzymatic oxidation of linolenic acid. Within the first 15 min of reillumination, distinct sets of genes were activated that were different from those induced by superoxide/hydrogen peroxide. Collectively, these results demonstrate that singlet oxygen does not act primarily as a toxin but rather as a signal that activates several stress-response pathways. Its biological activity in Arabidopsis exhibits a high degree of specificity that seems to be derived from the chemical identity of this reactive oxygen species and/or the intracellular location at which it is generated.

Crystal structure of a biliverdin IXalpha reductase enzyme-cofactor complex

Biliverdin reductase (BVR) catalyzes the last step in heme degradation by reducing the gamma-methene bridge of the open tetrapyrrole, biliverdin IXalpha, to bilirubin with the concomitant oxidation of a beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) or beta-nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) cofactor. Bilirubin is the major bile pigment in mammals and has antioxidant and anticompliment activity. We have determined X-ray crystal structures of apo rat BVR and its complex with NADH at 1.2 A and 1.5 A resolution, respectively. In agreement with an independent structure determination of the apo-enzyme, BVR consists of an N-terminal dinucleotide-binding domain (Rossmann-fold) and a C-terminal domain that contains a six-stranded beta-sheet that is flanked on one face by several alpha-helices. The C-terminal and N-terminal domains interact extensively, forming the active site cleft at their interface. The cofactor complex structure reported here reveals that the cofactor nicotinamide ring extends into the active site cleft, where it is adjacent to conserved amino acid residues and, consistent with the known stereochemistry of the reaction catalyzed by BVR, the si face of the ring is accessible for hydride transfer. The only titratable side-chain that appears to be suitably positioned to function as a general acid in catalysis is Tyr97. This residue, however, is not essential for catalysis, since the Tyr97Phe mutant protein retains 50% activity. This finding suggests that the dominant role in catalysis may be performed by hydride transfer from the cofactor, a process that may be promoted by proximity of the invariant residues Glu96, Glu123, and Glu126, to the nicotinamide ring.

Genetic engineering of phytochrome biosynthesis in bacteria

The bilin prosthetic groups of the phytochrome photoreceptors and the light-harvesting phycobiliprotein antennae arise from the oxygen-dependent ring opening of heme. Two ferredoxin-dependent enzymes contribute to this conversion: a heme oxygenase and a bilin reductase with discrete double-bond specificity. Using a dual plasmid system, one expressing a truncated cyanobacterial apophytochrome 1, Cph1(N514), and the other expressing a two-gene operon consisting of a heme oxygenase and a bilin reductase, these studies establish the feasibility of producing photoactive phytochromes in any heme-containing cell. Heterologous expression systems for phytochromes not only will facilitate genetic analysis of their assembly, spectrophotometric activity, and biological function, but also might afford the means to regulate gene expression by light in nonplant cells.

Purification and biochemical properties of phytochromobilin synthase from etiolated oat seedlings

Plant phytochromes are dependent on the covalent attachment of the linear tetrapyrrole chromophore phytochromobilin (P Phi B) for photoactivity. In planta, biliverdin IX alpha (BV) is reduced by the plastid-localized, ferredoxin (Fd)-dependent enzyme P Phi B synthase to yield 3Z-P Phi B. Here, we describe the >50,000-fold purification of P Phi B synthase from etioplasts from dark-grown oat (Avena sativa L. cv Garry) seedlings using traditional column chromatography and preparative electrophoresis. Thus, P Phi B synthase is a very low abundance enzyme with a robust turnover rate. We estimate the turnover rate to be >100 s(-1), which is similar to that of mammalian NAD(P)H-dependent BV reductase. Oat P Phi B synthase is a monomer with a subunit mass of 29 kD. However, two distinct charged forms of the enzymes were identified by native isoelectric focusing. The ability of P Phi B synthase to reduce BV is dependent on reduced 2Fe-2S Fds. A K(m) for spinach (Spinacea oleracea) Fd was determined to be 3 to 4 microM. P Phi B synthase has a high affinity for its bilin substrate, with a sub-micromolar K(m) for BV.

Human biliverdin reductase is autophosphorylated, and phosphorylation is required for bilirubin formation

Biliverdin reductase (BVR) reduces heme oxygenase (HO) activity product, biliverdin, to bilirubin. BVR is unique in having dual pH/dual cofactor requirements. Using Escherichia coli-expressed human BVR and COS cells, we show that BVR is autophosphorylated and that phosphorylation is required for its activity. An "in blot" autophosphorylation assay showed that BVR is a renaturable phosphoprotein. Controls for the experiments were HO-1 and HO-2; both are phosphoproteins but are not autophosphorylated. Autophosphorylation was pH-dependent, with activity at pH 8.7 being most prominent. In addition, 2'(3')-O-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)adenosine 5'-triphosphate fluorescence titration of BVR gave a lower K(d) at pH 8.7 than at pH 7.4 (15.5 versus 28.0 micrometer). Mn(2+) was required for binding of the ATP analogue and for autophosphorylation; the autokinase activity was lost when treated at 60 degrees C for 10 min. The loss of transferred phosphates by alkaline treatment suggested that BVR is a serine/threonine kinase. Potato acid phosphatase treatment reversibly inactivated the enzyme. The enzyme was also inactivated by treatment with the serine/threonine phosphatase, protein phosphatase 2A; okadaic acid attenuated the inhibition. Titration of protein phosphatase 2A-released phosphates indicated a 1:6 molar ratio of BVR to phosphate. The BVR immunoprecipitated from COS cell lysates was a phosphoprotein, and its activity and phosphorylation levels increased in response to H(2)O(2). The results define a previously unknown mechanism for regulation of BVR activity and are discussed in the context of their relevance to heme metabolism.

Modification of distinct aspects of photomorphogenesis via targeted expression of mammalian biliverdin reductase in transgenic Arabidopsis plants

The phenotypic consequences of targeted expression of mammalian biliverdin IXalpha reductase (BVR), an enzyme that metabolically inactivates the linear tetrapyrrole precursors of the phytochrome chromophore, are addressed in this investigation. Through comparative phenotypic analyses of multiple plastid-targeted and cytosolic BVR transgenic Arabidopsis plant lines, we show that the subcellular localization of BVR affects distinct subsets of light-mediated and light-independent processes in plant growth and development. Regardless of its cellular localization, BVR suppresses the phytochrome-modulated responses of hypocotyl growth inhibition, sucrose-stimulated anthocyanin accumulation, and inhibition of floral initiation. By contrast, reduced protochlorophyll levels in dark-grown seedlings and fluence-rate-dependent reduction of chlorophyll occur only in transgenic plants in which BVR is targeted to plastids. Together with companion analyses of the phytochrome chromophore-deficient hy1 mutant, our results suggest a regulatory role for linear tetrapyrroles within the plastid compartment distinct from their assembly with apophytochromes in the cytosol.

Chlorophyll a formation in the chlorophyll b reductase reaction requires reduced ferredoxin

The reduction of chlorophyllide b and its analogue zinc pheophorbide b in etioplasts of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) was investigated in detail. In intact etioplasts, the reduction proceeds to chlorophyllide a and zinc pheophorbide a or, if incubated together with phytyldiphosphate, to chlorophyll a and zinc pheophytin a, respectively. In lysed etioplasts supplied with NADPH, the reduction stops at the intermediate step of 7(1)-OH-chlorophyll(ide) and Zn-7(1)-OH-pheophorbide or Zn-7(1)-OH-pheophytin. However, the final reduction is achieved when reduced ferredoxin is added to the lysed etioplasts, suggesting that ferredoxin is the natural cofactor for reduction of chlorophyll b to chlorophyll a. The reduction to chlorophyll a requires ATP in intact etioplasts but not in lysed etioplasts when reduced ferredoxin is supplied. The role of ATP and the significance of two cofactors for the two steps of reduction are discussed.

Phycocyanobilin is the natural precursor of the phytochrome chromophore in the green alga Mesotaenium caldariorum

Compared with phytochromes isolated from etiolated higher plant tissues and a number of lower plant species, the absorption spectrum of phytochrome isolated from the unicellular green alga Mesotaenium caldariorum is blue-shifted (Kidd, D. G., and Lagarias, J. C. (1990) J. Biol. Chem. 265, 7029-7035). The present studies were undertaken to determine whether this blue shift is due to a chromophore other than phytochromobilin or reflects a different protein environment for the phytochromobilin prosthetic group. Using reversed phase high performance liquid chromatography, we show that soluble protein extracts prepared from algal chloroplasts contain the enzyme activities for ferredoxin-dependent conversions of biliverdin IXalpha to (3Z)-phytochromobilin and (3Z)-phytochromobilin to (3Z)-phycocyanobilin. In vitro assembly of recombinant algal apophytochrome was undertaken with (3E)-phytochromobilin and (3E)-phycocyanobilin. The difference spectrum of the (3E)-phycocyanobilin adduct was indistinguishable from that of phytochrome isolated from dark-adapted algal cells, while the (3E)-phytochromobilin adduct displayed red-shifted absorption maxima relative to purified algal phytochrome. These studies indicate that phycocyanobilin is the immediate precursor of the green algal phytochrome chromophore and that phytochromobilin is an intermediate in its biosynthesis in Mesotaenium.

The aurea and yellow-green-2 mutants of tomato are deficient in phytochrome chromophore synthesis

The phytochrome-deficient aurea mutant of tomato has been widely used for the study of both phytochrome function and the role of other photoreceptors in the control of development in higher plants. To date the exact nature of the aurea mutation has remained unknown, though this information is clearly important for the interpretation of these studies. It has been proposed that aurea and yellow-green-2, another mutant of tomato that has a similar phenotype to aurea, could be deficient in phytochrome chromophore synthesis. We have examined this hypothesis by measuring the activity of the enzymes committed to phytochrome chromophore synthesis in these mutants. The approach takes advantage of a recently developed high pressure liquid chromatography-based assay for the synthesis of the free phytochrome chromophore, phytochromobilin from its immediate precursors biliverdin IXalpha and heme. Isolated etioplasts from aurea and yellow-green-2 seedlings were specifically unable to convert biliverdin IXalpha to 3Z-phytochromobilin and heme to biliverdin IXalpha, respectively. In addition, the level of total noncovalently bound heme in the mutants was the same as in wild type seedlings. Together, these results identify both aurea and yellow-green-2 as mutants that are deficient in phytochrome chromophore synthesis.

The regulation of enzymes involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis

All living organisms contain tetrapyrroles. In plants, chlorophyll (chlorophyll a plus chlorophyll b) is the most abundant and probably most important tetrapyrrole. It is involved in light absorption and energy transduction during photosynthesis. Chlorophyll is synthesized from the intact carbon skeleton of glutamate via the C5 pathway. This pathway takes place in the chloroplast. It is the aim of this review to summarize the current knowledge on the biochemistry and molecular biology of the C5-pathway enzymes, their regulated expression in response to light, and the impact of chlorophyll biosynthesis on chloroplast development. Particular emphasis will be placed on the key regulatory steps of chlorophyll biosynthesis in higher plants, such as 5-aminolevulinic acid formation, the production of Mg(2+)-protoporphyrin IX, and light-dependent protochlorophyllide reduction.

(3Z)- and (3E)-phytochromobilin are intermediates in the biosynthesis of the phytochrome chromophore

Using a high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)-based assay, we have demonstrated that isolated oat etioplasts convert the linear tetrapyrrole biliverdin IX alpha to (3E)-phytochromobilin, the proposed precursor of the chromophore of the plant photoreceptor phytochrome. In addition to (3E)-phytochromobilin, the synthesis of a second phytochromobilin was detected by its ability to functionally assemble with recombinant oat apophytochrome A. The structure of this new pigment has been determined to be the 3Z isomer of phytochromobilin by absorption and 1H NMR spectroscopy. Like (3E)-phytochromobilin, assembly of HPLC-purified (3Z)-phytochromobilin with apophytochrome yielded a holoprotein that is spectrally indistinguishable from native oat phytochrome A. However, the postchromatographic conversion of (3Z)- to (3E)-phytochromobilin appears to be responsible for this result. Kinetic HPLC analyses have demonstrated that (3Z)-phytochromobilin is synthesized prior to the 3E isomer by oat etioplasts. We therefore propose that (3Z)-phytochromobilin is the immediate product of biliverdin IX alpha reduction by the enzyme phytochromobilin synthase. This implicates the presence of an isomerase that catalyzes the conversion of (3Z)- to (3E)-phytochromobilin, the immediate precursor of the phytochrome A chromophore.

In vitro formation of a photoreversible adduct of phycocyanobilin and tobacco apophytochrome B

The light-stable tobacco phytochrome apoprotein (PHYB) expressed in yeast can be assembled with phycocyanobilin to give a photoreversible adduct. The spectral properties of the reconstituted PHYB-phycocyanobilin species were determined by absorbacen and difference absorbance spectroscopies. The holoprotein exhibits absorbance maxima at 408 nm and 712 nm for the far-red-light-absorbing (Pfr) form and 356 nm and 658 nm for the red-light-absorbing (Pr) form. The ligation of the chromophores to the dimeric PHYB apoprotein resulted in a PHYB-phycocyanobilin adduct with the spectral properties of the Pr form. Kinetic analyses of the in vitro reconstitution for PHYB apoprotein under saturating concentrations of phycocyanobilin revealed a pseudo first-order rate constant of 2.8 x 10(-2)s.-1. The similarity with the reported rate constant for the reconstitution of light-labile phytochrome (PHYA) from oat [Li, L. & Lagarias, J.C. (1992) Phytochrome assembly, J. Biol. Chem. 267, 19,204-19,210] suggests that the mechanisms of chromophore attachment are probably very similar for PHYA and PHYB.