The loss of phytochrome photoreversibility in vitro : II. Properties of killer and its reaction with phytochrome.

"Killer", a substance extracted from stem tissue of etiolated pea seedlings (Pisum sativum L. v. Alaska), interacts specifically with the far-red-absorbing form of phytochrome (Pfr) in vitro in a temperature-independent, rapid, stoichiometric fashion to cause a loss of phytochrome photoreversibility. The chromatographic, solubility, and spectral properties of partially purified fractions indicate that Killer is a cyclic, unsaturated molecule containing ionizible hydroxyl groups; its molecular weight is unknown, although probably low. Possible mechanisms by which the Killer-phytochrome interaction results in the loss of photoreversibility are discussed.