DNA photolyase, N-terminal is an evolutionary conserved protein domain. This domain binds a light harvesting

chromophore A chromophore is the part of a molecule responsible for its color. The color that is seen by our eyes is the one not absorbed by the reflecting object within a certain wavelength spectrum of visible light. The chromophore is a region in the molec ...

that enhanced the spectrum of photolyase or cryptochrome light absorption, i.e. an antenna. It adopts the rossmann fold. The cofactor may be either the pterin

5,10-Methenyltetrahydrofolate 5,10-Methenyltetrahydrofolate (5,10-CH=THF) is a form of tetrahydrofolate that is an intermediate in metabolism. 5,10-CH=THF is a coenzyme that accepts and donates methenyl (CH=) groups. It is produced from 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate by eith ...

(MTHF, ) in ''folate photolyases'' () or the deazaflavin 8-hydroxy-7,8-didemethyl-5-deazariboflavin (8-HDF, ) in ''deazaflavin photolyases'' (). The 8-HDF ligand usually binds into this domain (next to the C-terinal half), while MHF tends to bind to an outside groove of this domain. A structural signature for 8-HDF binding has been produced, highlighting amino acid residues that determine which antenna a photolyase can use. Experiments on a ''Thermus thermophilus'' protein with this domain () shows that artificial substrates can be alternatively used for a modified absorption spectra. It naturally binds FMN in a pose similar to 8-HDF. In addition, many cryptochromes, especially those from animals, bind no cofactors at this domain. Even though few eukaryotes (and no animals) can synthesize 8-HDF on their own, many lineages nevertheless use deazaflavin photolyases. They probably receive 8-HDF from their endosymbiotic microbes. Unlike many bacterial deazaflavin photolyases that accepts FMN as well as 8-HDF, one such enzyme from the fruit fly only accepts 8-HDF. The FeS-BCP N-terminal domain is homologous to this domain. Instead of an organic cofactor, its chromophore is an iron-sulphur cluster.

Examples

Human proteins containing this domain include: *

CRY1 Cryptochromes (from the Greek κρυπτός χρώμα, "hidden colour") are a class of flavoproteins found in plants and animals that are sensitive to blue light. They are involved in the circadian rhythms and the sensing of magnetic fields i ...

* CRY2

References

Protein domains {{protein-stub