合成光感受器刺激和继续暴露于光线照射，日本和卡尔斯鲁厄研究将结果发表在Plant Cell期刊上。
植物是依赖于太阳的。阳光并不仅提供能量，同时也控制细胞的发育步骤。所谓的光感受器激活发芽过程、发展成叶片、花蕾形成等过程。吸收光的感光组件可取代化学类似的合成物质。
如果他们在开发的植物在黑暗中Tilman Lamparter, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) 研究人员说：阿拉伯芥的种子和幼苗送入名为“15EA-藻蓝”的一种人工合成的物质。这种物质在植物细胞中，可取代感光自然，光敏元件。尽管在黑暗中，模式植物的发芽和生长与暴露在光线下的对照组相似。
合成感光细胞可能是有价值的研究工具，因为它们方便与许多化工厂工艺即传统的基因工程方法的研究相比较。除了生长，光合作用也可以进行研究好多。 Lamparter预测花朵鲜花或光合作用系统的发展可能会在未来得到更好的控制。 这些发现将使用高农业产业化，在种植花卉或生物质生产拥有实例。（生物谷：Bioon.com）
doi:10.1105/tpc.111.094656
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Assembly of Synthetic Locked Phycocyanobilin Derivatives with Phytochrome in Vitro and in Vivo in Ceratodon purpureus and Arabidopsis
Rui Yanga, Kaori Nishiyamab, Ayumi Kamiyab, Yutaka Ukajib, Katsuhiko Inomatab and Tilman Lampartera
Phytochromes are photoreceptors with a bilin chromophore in which light triggers the conversion between the red light–absorbing form, Pr, and the far-red-light–absorbing form, Pfr. Here we performed in vitro and in vivo studies using locked phycocyanobilin derivatives, termed 15 Z anti phycocyanobilin (15ZaPCB) and 15 E anti PCB (15EaPCB). Recombinant bacterial and plant phytochromes incorporated either chromophore in a noncovalent or covalent manner. All adducts were photoinactive. The absorption spectra of the 15ZaPCB and 15EaPCB adducts were comparable with those of the Pr and Pfr form, respectively. Feeding of 15EaPCB, but not 15ZaPCB, to protonemal filaments of the moss Ceratodon purpureus resulted in increased chlorophyll accumulation, modulation of gravitropism, and induction of side branches in darkness. The effect of locked chromophores on phytochrome responses, such as induction of seed germination, inhibition of hypocotyl elongation, induction of cotyledon opening, randomization of gravitropism, and gene regulation, were investigated in wild-type Arabidopsis thaliana and the phytochrome-chromophore–deficient long hypocotyl mutant hy1. All phytochrome responses were induced in darkness by 15EaPCB, not only in the mutant but also in the wild type. These studies show that the 15Ea stereochemistry of the chromophore results in the formation of active Pfr-like phytochrome in the cell. Locked chromophores might be used to investigate phytochrome responses in many other organisms without the need to isolate mutants. The induction of phytochrome responses in the hy1 mutant by 15EaPCB were however less efficient than by red light irradiation given to biliverdin-rescued seeds or seedlings.
