Linear Dichroism and Orientation of the Phycomyces Photopigment

Creators: Jesaitis, A. J.

Abstract

The greater sensitivity of a cylindrical Phycomyces sporangiophore to blue light polarized transversely rather than longitudinally is a consequence of the dichroism and orientation of the receptor pigment. The abilities of wild type and several carotene mutants to distinguish between the two directions of polarization are the same. The E-vector angle for maximum response relative to the transverse direction is 42 ± 4° at 280 nm, 7° ± 3° at 456 nm, and 7° ± 8° at 486 nm. The in vivo attenuation of polarized light at these wavelengths is very small. The polarized light effect in Phycomyces cannot arise from reflections at the cell surface or from differential attenuations due to internal screening or scattering.

Additional Information

© 1974 by The Rockefeller University Press. After the Initial Publication Period, RUP will grant to the public the non-exclusive right to copy, distribute, or display the Article under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International license, as described at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/legalcode, or updates thereof. Submitted on May 29, 1973. I wish to thank Professor Max Delbrück and Drs. Edward D. Lipson, Robert J. Cohen, and Kenneth W. Foster for their helpful suggestions, discussions, and criticism. I am very grateful to Mrs. Jeanette Navest for the preparation of media and cultures. I also acknowledge support by a National Defense Education Act Predoctoral Fellowship, National Science Foundation Training Grant, and Public Health Service Training Grant GM-86.

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