The series of molecular signals initiated upon sensing by photoreceptor molecules of red light or far red light. Red light is electromagnetic radiation of wavelength of 580-700nm. Far red light is electromagnetic radiation of wavelength 700-800nm. An example of this response is seen at the beginning of many plant species developmental stages. These include germination, and the point when cotyledon expansion is triggered. In certain species these processes take place in response to absorption of red light by the pigment molecule phytochrome, but the signal can be reversed by exposure to far red light. During the initial phase the phytochrome molecule is only present in the red light absorbing form, but on absorption of red light it changes to a far red light absorbing form, triggering progress through development. An immediate short period of exposure to far red light entirely returns the pigment to its initial state and prevents triggering of the developmental process. A thirty minute break between red and subsequent far red light exposure renders the red light effect irreversible, and development then occurs regardless of whether far red light exposure subsequently occurs.

A closed structure, found only in eukaryotic cells, that is completely surrounded by unit membrane and contains liquid material. Cells contain one or several vacuoles, that may have different functions from each other. Vacuoles have a diverse array of functions. They can act as a storage organelle for nutrients or waste products, as a degradative compartment, as a cost-effective way of increasing cell size, and as a homeostatic regulator controlling both turgor pressure and pH of the cytosol.

A compound membranous cytoplasmic organelle of eukaryotic cells, consisting of flattened, ribosome-free vesicles arranged in a more or less regular stack. The Golgi apparatus differs from the endoplasmic reticulum in often having slightly thicker membranes, appearing in sections as a characteristic shallow semicircle so that the convex side (cis or entry face) abuts the endoplasmic reticulum, secretory vesicles emerging from the concave side (trans or exit face). In vertebrate cells there is usually one such organelle, while in invertebrates and plants, where they are known usually as dictyosomes, there may be several scattered in the cytoplasm. The Golgi apparatus processes proteins produced on the ribosomes of the rough endoplasmic reticulum; such processing includes modification of the core oligosaccharides of glycoproteins, and the sorting and packaging of proteins for transport to a variety of cellular locations. Three different regions of the Golgi are now recognized both in terms of structure and function: cis, in the vicinity of the cis face, trans, in the vicinity of the trans face, and medial, lying between the cis and trans regions.

The membrane surrounding a cell that separates the cell from its external environment. It consists of a phospholipid bilayer and associated proteins.