Separate Sensory Pathways for Photomorphogenesis in Phycomyces

The zygomycete Phycomyces blakesleeanus develops two types of sporangiophores of very different size: macrophores and microphores. Blue light inhibits the development of microphores and stimulates the development of macrophores. These responses are called photomicrophorogenesis and photomacrophorogenesis, respectively; phototropism designates the growth of the macrophores toward blue light and photocarotenogenesis, the increased accumulation of β-carotene under blue light. We have isolated three pim mutants that develop microphores under continuous illumination at fluence rates that inhibit them in the wild type. The thresholds for photomicrophorogenesis in the mutants were higher than in the wild type, but the thresholds for photomacrophorogenesis and phototropism did not change. At least one of the pim mutants had a much higher threshold for photocarotenogenesis than the wild type. A madJ mutant strain, already known for its very defective phototropism, was defective for photomicrophorogenesis, but normal for photomacrophorogenesis and photocarotenogenesis. The requirement for the pim and madJ gene functions separates the two photomorphogenetic responses. The results indicate that the four responses to blue light are based on a combinatorial use of sensory transducers.