Biophysical Journal 50: 653-660 (1986)
© 1986 the Biophysical Society

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System analysis of Phycomyces light-growth response. Wavelength and temperature dependence.

ABSTRACT

The light-growth response of the Phycomyces sporangiophore was studied further with the sum-of-sinusoids method of nonlinear system identification. The first- and second-order frequency kernels, which represent the input-output relation of the system, were determined at 12 wavelengths (383-529 nm) and 4 temperatures (17 degrees, 20 degrees, 23 degrees, and 26 degrees C). The parametric model of the light-growth response system, introduced in the preceding paper, consists of nonlinear and linear dynamic subsystems in cascade. The model parameters were analyzed as functions of wavelength and temperature. At longer wavelengths, the system becomes more nonlinear. The latency and the bandwidth (cutoff frequency) of the system also vary significantly with wavelength. In addition, the latency decreases progressively with temperature (Q10 = 1.6). At low temperature (17 degrees C), the bandwidth is reduced. The results indicate that about half of the latency is due to physical processes such as diffusion, and the other half to enzymatic reactions. The dynamics of the nonlinear subsystem also vary with wavelength. The dependence of various model components on wavelength supports the hypothesis that the light-growth response, as well as phototropism, are mediated by multiple interacting photoreceptors.