Investigating Time-Resolved changes in Conformation and Assembly upon illumination of Cryptochromes

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Nina Morgner
• Subject Area: Biochemistry ; Structural Biology
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 557111829

Light-triggered proteins represent a remarkable class of biomolecules that harness the power of light to initiate crucial biological responses. Our project's primary objective is to uncover the complexities of light-triggered processes in proteins, focusing specifically on photoreceptors, particularly cryptochromes. These proteins play a vital role in initiating and regulating biological responses through the stimulation by light. By utilizing innovative techniques involving mass spectrometry (MS) and ion mobility (IM), our goal is to shed light on the dynamic structural aspects that underlie these light-induced processes. Our main focus will be on investigating cryptochromes from the plant Arabidopsis thaliana (WP1). We plan to examine various constructs of AtCRY to identify the specific domains responsible for conformational changes triggered by light, explore changes in oligomerization states, and understand the factors contributing to the distinct light sensitivities observed in CRY1 and CRY2. Additionally, we aim to decipher how inhibitor proteins such as the Blue light Inhibitors of Cryptochrome (BICs) function to inhibit (or desolve) oligomerization. To provide a broader context, our research will involve a comparative analysis with cryptochromes from different species (WP2), which use different mechanisms to convert light into a conformational change for down-stream signalling. These will include animal-like CRYs such as CraCRY (from the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii), magnetosensitive CRYs, and light-responsive L-CRY from the marine worm Platynereis dumerilii. These will be mainly investigated in the framework of collaborations.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants