My doctoral project focuses on identi­fy­ing light-sensi­tive proteins called photore­cep­tors in the model organ­ism Chlamy­domonas reinhardtii. I aim to answer how these recep­tors regulate the inner biolog­i­cal clock known as the circa­dian rhythm. My major focus is to deter­mine the proper­ties of an unknown red light-sensi­tive photore­cep­tor and how this recep­tor regulates the clock. These insights can be used to under­stand how plants, in general, process light information.

The differ­ent behav­iour of animals and humans during the day and night is regulated by an inner biolog­i­cal clock called the circa­dian rhythm. This rhythm is repre­sented within cells through the time-depen­dent abundance of proteins. Not only animals but also plants possess such a rhythm. Plant processes like photo­syn­the­sis are synchro­nized to the rotation of the planet Earth. In plants, this synchro­niza­tion is maintained through light signals being passed to the oscil­lat­ing proteins that make up the biolog­i­cal clock. This infor­ma­tion is trans­mit­ted through proteins called photoreceptors.

My doctoral project focuses on inves­ti­gat­ing how these photore­cep­tors function and how they inter­act with the circa­dian system. To this end, I am utiliz­ing the unicel­lu­lar algae Chlamy­domonas reinhardtii as a model organ­ism to inves­ti­gate how photore­cep­tor mutations affect the circa­dian rhythm. Follow­ing this approach, I have already identi­fied the plant-like cryptochrome pCRY as an essen­tial photore­cep­tor regulat­ing the circa­dian system. My research has also shown that a newly unchar­ac­ter­ized red light-sensi­tive photore­cep­tor regulates the clock. During my doctoral project, I will charac­ter­ize this novel red-light recep­tor and uncover how it is integrated into the circa­dian rhythm.

I will contex­tu­al­ize these findings within the broader topic of how plants regulate light, a subject that gains increas­ing relevance in the face of climate change and inten­si­fy­ing droughts