White Collar-1 (wc-1) is a gene in Neurospora crassa encoding the protein WC-1 (127 kDa).[1][2] WC-1 has two separate roles in the cell. First, it is the primary photoreceptor for Neurospora[3] and the founding member of the class of principle blue light photoreceptors in all of the fungi.[4] Second, it is necessary for regulating circadian rhythms in FRQ. It is a key component of a circadian molecular pathway that regulates many behavioral activities, including conidiation.[5][6] WC-1 and WC-2, an interacting partner of WC-1, comprise the White Collar Complex (WCC) that is involved in the Neurosporacircadian clock. WCC is a complex of nuclear transcription factor proteins, and contains transcriptional activation domains, PAS domains, and zinc finger DNA-binding domains (GATA).[7] WC-1 and WC-2heterodimerize through their PAS domains to form the White Collar Complex (WCC).[8][9]
^Dunlap JC, Loros JJ (Dec 2006). "How fungi keep time: circadian system in Neurospora and other fungi". Current Opinion in Microbiology. 9 (6): 579–87. doi:10.1016/j.mib.2006.10.008. PMID17064954.