Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Edoardo Cignoni, Margherita Lapillo, Lorenzo Cupellini, Silvia Acosta-Gutierrez, Francesco Luigi Gervasio, Benedetta Mennucci
Summary: The study characterizes the quenching mechanisms of the plant CP29 light harvesting complex, revealing that the switch between light-harvesting and quenching states is more complex than previously thought, and multiple chlorophylls are simultaneously involved in the quenching mechanism. The short-range interactions between each carotenoid and different chlorophylls, combined with a protein-mediated tuning of carotenoid excitation energies, play important roles in the quenching process in addition to the commonly suggested Coulomb interactions.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Matteo Pivato, Federico Perozeni, Francesco Licausi, Stefano Cazzaniga, Matteo Ballottari
Summary: A synthetic biology approach was successfully used to express a FT OCP2 protein from a thermophilic cyanobacterium in the green algae Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, with robust expression and successful localization into the chloroplast. Different strategies were employed to optimize expression in UV-mediated mutants and strains engineered for constitutive expression of an endogenous carotene ketolase, resulting in astaxanthin and other ketocarotenoids accumulation. Furthermore, the ketocarotenoid-binding FT OCP2 holoproteins maintained their photoconversion properties, suggesting a potential novel tool for improving solubility of ketocarotenoids in green algae.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Adjele Wilson, Fernando Muzzopappa, Diana Kirilovsky
Summary: The Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) is a soluble photoactive protein involved in cyanobacterial photoprotection by interacting with N-terminal and C-terminal domains. The study found that the NTD surface interacting with the CTD in the orange OCP is crucial for binding to PBS. Additionally, amino acid modifications affect OCP photoactivation and recovery rates, indicating involvement in carotenoid translocation.
BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yuan Zhang, Gennady Ananyev, Aki Matsuoka, G. Charles Dismukes, Pal Maliga
Summary: The D1 polypeptide mutations (LL-E130Q and HL-A152S) from Synechococcus cyanobacteria can confer specific photosystem II photochemical phenotypes to tobacco plants, resulting in increased biomass under low light condition and improved photoprotection under high light condition.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Hui Wang, Xiao-Qian Wang, Zhi-Lan Zeng, Huan Yu, Wei Huang
Summary: This study investigated the photosynthetic dynamics of the CAM orchid Vanilla planifolia under fluctuating light. The results showed that the light use efficiency was higher in the morning compared to the afternoon. During photosynthetic induction, electron flow through photosystem I reached its maximum value rapidly. A rapid re-oxidation of P700 was observed upon transition from dark to actinic light, indicating the effective utilization of the water-water cycle. In the afternoon, cyclic electron flow was stimulated to optimize photosynthesis.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Nikolai N. Sluchanko, Eugene G. Maksimov, Yury B. Slonimskiy, Larisa A. Varfolomeeva, Antonina Y. Bukhanko, Nikita A. Egorkin, Georgy Tsoraev, Maria G. Khrenova, Baosheng Ge, Song Qin, Konstantin M. Boyko, Vladimir O. Popov
Summary: This study presents the first crystal structures of OCP2 from cyanobacteria with different morphoecophysiological characteristics and provides a comprehensive comparison of their structure, spectroscopy, and function with OCP1, OCP3, and all-OCP ancestor. The structures enable the correlation of spectroscopic signatures with the effective number of hydrogen and the discovery of chalcogen bonds anchoring the ketocarotenoid in OCP, as well as the rotation of the echinenone's beta-ionone ring in the CTD. The structural data also helped rationalize the observed differences in OCP/FRP and OCP/phycobilisome functional interactions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2024)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jie-Lin Wang, Shun-Ling Tan, Ming-Xia He, Wei Huang, Jun-Chao Huang
Summary: Overexpression of four genes involved in astaxanthin biosynthesis in Brassica napus resulted in the accumulation of nonnative ketocarotenoids, decreased levels of chlorophylls and other carotenoids, and ultimately led to slower growth and decreased biomass production in the transgenic plants. The reduced photosynthetic efficiency caused by the altered carotenoid levels negatively impacted plant growth in B. napus.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2021)
Article
Agronomy
Nuo Xu, Yang Sun, Yuru Wang, Yidi Cui, Yuanjin Jiang, Chao Zhang
Summary: This study confirms the hormesis effect in tomato plant growth and photosynthesis after exposure to the insecticide acephate. Low concentrations of acephate stimulate chlorophyll biosynthesis and photosynthesis, improving tomato growth, while high concentrations inhibit chlorophyll accumulation and damage plant growth. The photosystem II and the photosynthesis - antenna proteins pathway are found to play important roles in hormesis.
PEST MANAGEMENT SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Food Science & Technology
Animesh Singh Sengar, Michael Beyrer, Ciara McDonagh, Uma Tiwari, Shivani Pathania
Summary: This article discusses the increasing demand for plant-based foods, alternative to animal meat products, and the potential of technologies like high-moisture extrusion (HME) in developing anisotropic structures using alternative protein ingredients. It also explores the mechanisms responsible for structure formation, the effects of extrusion process parameters, and the recent advances in long cooling dies (LCDs) for meat alternative development. Furthermore, it evaluates the role of different protein ingredients and their combination with other biopolymers.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aurelie Crepin, Edel Cunill-Semanat, Eliska Kuthanova Trskova, Erica Belgio, Radek Kana
Summary: In vitro quenching experiments showed that lowering pH promoted the formation of large protein oligomers, while high pH led to the formation of smaller, more homogeneous LHCII clusters capable of efficient quenching. The physiological relevance of in vitro quenching experiments was questioned, with data suggesting that small, moderately quenching LHCII oligomers found at high pH could be relevant to non-photochemical quenching in vivo.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Cell Biology
Myriam Canonico, Grzegorz Konert, Aurelie Crepin, Barbora Sediva, Radek Kana
Summary: The study investigates photoprotective mechanisms of photosynthetic organisms under high-light stress, revealing a three-phase response to acute high-light stress at the single-cell level. Carotenoid accumulation during high-light stress may be involved in direct photoprotection and optimal distribution of photosystems in the thylakoid membrane.
Article
Physics, Multidisciplinary
Yoshihiko Furuike, Dongyan Ouyang, Taiki Tominaga, Tatsuhito Matsuo, Atsushi Mukaiyama, Yukinobu Kawakita, Satoru Fujiwara, Shuji Akiyama
Summary: The study reveals that circadian clock proteins are able to compensate for changes in temperature at both the reaction level and system level. The global diffusional motions play a crucial role in regulating temperature sensitivity.
COMMUNICATIONS PHYSICS
(2022)
Article
Cell Biology
Hui Wang, Xiao-Qian Wang, Yi-Zhang Xing, Qing-Yun Zhao, Hui-Fa Zhuang, Wei Huang
Summary: In CAM plants, such as Vanilla planifolia, the enhancement of NPQ and Y(ND) for photoprotection when CO2 assimilation is restricted is mainly regulated by the activity of chloroplast ATP synthase (g(H)(+)) rather than cyclic electron flow (CEF).
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lorenzo Ferroni, Andrea Colpo, Costanza Baldisserotto, Simonetta Pancaldi
Summary: In plants, NPQ serves as an important photoprotective mechanism, with three kinetically distinct phases during relaxation in darkness, among which qX may mainly reflect the transition of photoprotective energy from PSII to PSI. Treatment with DTT decreases NPQ induction, disrupts photosynthetic electron flow, and leads to the disappearance of qX.
JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY B-BIOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biology
Radek Kana, Gabor Steinbach, Roman Sobotka, Gyorgy Vamosi, Josef Komenda
Summary: The study revealed that unbound proteins in cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes can diffuse very fast, comparable to free lipids. This highlights the crucial role of protein-protein interactions in restricting the mobility of large thylakoid protein complexes.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Aurelie Crepin, Erica Belgio, Barbora Sediva, Eliska Kuthanova Trskova, Edel Cunill-Semanat, Radek Kana
Summary: Antenna proteins play a crucial role in light-harvesting in photosynthesis. This study used Fluorescence Correlation Spectroscopy (FCS) to analyze different antenna proteins and found a link between their oligomerization state and fluorescence intensity. The results showed that CLH antenna particles behaved similarly to LHCII in terms of their radius and fluorescence yields, indicating a monomeric oligomerization state. This study also demonstrated the usefulness of FCS in measuring protein sizes and fluorescence intensities.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Martina Beckova, Roman Sobotka, Josef Komenda
Summary: The repair of photosystem II is crucial for the functionality of oxygenic photosynthesis. The study shows that the existence of a stable no reaction centre complex (NRC) is not supported, as each unassembled module remains separate and does not form a mutual complex.
PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Callum Gray, Tiejun Wei, Tomas Polivka, Vangelis Daskalakis, Christopher D. P. Duffy
Summary: Higher plants have a defense mechanism called Non-Photochemical Quenching (NPQ) to protect themselves from intense light. This involves the participation of energy transfer and the S-1 state. Previous models of NPQ have limitations and this study aims to address them by parameterizing the vibronic structure and relaxation dynamics of lutein, as well as analyzing multiple minima. The results suggest that the previous quenching mechanism based on S-1 energy transfer is unlikely, and the real mechanism may involve short-range interaction and/or non-trivial inter-molecular states.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Pu Qian, Alastair T. Gardiner, Ivana Simova, Katerina Naydenova, Tristan Croll, Philip J. Jackson, Nupur, Miroslav Kloz, Petra Cubakova, Marek Kuzma, Yonghui Zeng, Pablo Castro-Hartmann, Bart van Knippenberg, Kenneth N. Goldie, David Kaftan, Pavel Hrouzek, Jan Hajek, Jon Agirre, C. Alistair Siebert, David Bina, Kasim Sader, Henning Stahlberg, Roman Sobotka, Christopher J. Russo, Tomas Polivka, C. Neil Hunter, Michal Koblizek
Summary: Phototrophic Gemmatimonadetes have evolved the ability to use solar energy through horizontal gene transfer. The study reveals the unique solar energy harvesting and trapping architecture of Gemmatimonas phototrophica, as well as the flow of energy within the complex.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Tuhin Khan, Valentyna Kuznetsova, Maria Agustina Dominguez-Martin, Cheryl A. Kerfeld, Tomas Polivka
Summary: This study investigated the ultrafast spectroscopic response of OCP and HCPs in cyanobacteria, focusing on the reaction of carotenoid and amino acids under UV excitation. The results showed enhanced signals of canthaxanthin and formation of canthaxanthin radical cation under UV excitation, as well as accelerated product formation in the OCP photocycle through excess energy excitation and direct excitation of amino acids.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Jiri Masojidek, Karolina Ranglova, Martina Beckova, Giuseppe Torzillo, Jana Knoppova, Ana Margarita Silva Benavides, Filip Charvat, Josef Komenda
Summary: The photosynthetic performance and electron transport rate of Chlorella cultures with reduced antenna size were studied during outdoor trials. The results showed that the strain with reduced antenna size had lower oxygen production and electron transport rate, but higher non-photochemical quenching and respiration compared to the strain with full antenna size. These findings suggest that the use of microalgae strains with reduced antenna size for outdoor mass cultivation may not be as effective as expected.
JOURNAL OF APPLIED PHYCOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Eva Horakova, Laurence Lecordier, Paula Cunha, Roman Sobotka, Piya Changmai, Catharina J. M. Langedijk, Jan Van den Abbeele, Benoit Vanhollebeke, Julius Lukes
Summary: The decreased functionality and expression of HpHbR in Trypanosoma brucei gambiense is a key evolutionary modification that allows this parasite to infect humans. This study reveals that hemoglobin uptake in African trypanosomes is almost exclusively mediated by HpHbR and crucial for their development. Understanding this molecular mechanism is important for our knowledge of how the parasite infects humans and for the development of potential treatments.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Takako Masuda, Keisuke Inomura, Meng Gao, Gabrielle Armin, Eva Kotabova, Gabor Bernat, Evelyn Lawrenz-Kendrick, Martin Lukes, Martina Beckova, Gabor Steinbach, Josef Komenda, Ondrej Prasil
Summary: Crocosphaera and Cyanothece are two unicellular cyanobacteria with nitrogen-fixing abilities that thrive in different environments. Crocosphaera is found mainly in nutrient-depleted open oceans, while Cyanothece is more common in nutrient-rich coastal regions. The differences in their photosynthetic capacities and rates of carbon consumption can sufficiently explain their distinct niches.
COMPUTATIONAL AND STRUCTURAL BIOTECHNOLOGY JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vendula Krynicka, Petra Skotnicova, Philip J. Jackson, Samuel Barnett, Jianfeng Yu, Anna Wysocka, Radek Kana, Mark J. Dickman, Peter J. Nixon, C. Neil Hunter, Josef Komenda
Summary: FtsH proteases are important membrane-embedded proteolytic complexes involved in protein quality control and physiological regulation in bacteria, mitochondria, and chloroplasts. The FtsH homologs in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, including FtsH1-FtsH4, play different roles in acclimation to nutrient deficiency and photosystem II quality control. FtsH4 is specifically involved in the biogenesis of photosystem II by regulating the expression and removal of high light-inducible proteins (Hlips).
PLANT COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Correction
Plant Sciences
Minna M. Konert, Anna Wysocka, Peter Konik, Roman Sobotka
PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Jaroslav Nisler, Zuzana Kucerova, Radoslav Koprna, Roman Sobotka, Jana Slivkova, Stephen Rossall, Martina Spundova, Alexandra Husickova, Jan Pilny, Danuse Tarkowska, Ondrej Novak, Maria Skrabisova, Miroslav Strnad
Summary: Increasing crop productivity and mitigating yield losses under stressful conditions are major challenges in agriculture. A recently discovered compound, MTU, delays senescence and enhances the growth of wheat plants. Multiyear field trials demonstrate that treatment with MTU increases average grain yields of wheat and barley by 5-8%. This compound acts independently of cytokinins or other phytohormones and appears to be the only chemical known to affect the stability and activity of PSI.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ziyu Zhao, Irene Vercellino, Jana Knoppova, Roman Sobotka, James W. Murray, Peter J. Nixon, Leonid A. Sazanov, Josef Komenda
Summary: A suite of accessory factors is required for robust assembly and repair of the oxygen-evolving photosystem two (PSII) complex in oxygenic photosynthesis. The Ycf48 assembly factor, which binds to the D1 reaction center polypeptide, plays a crucial role in PSII assembly. In this study, cryo-electron microscopy is used to determine the structure of a cyanobacterial PSII D1/D2 assembly complex with Ycf48 attached, providing insights into the early stages of PSII assembly and the protective role of Ycf48 in preventing premature binding and damage to the Mn4CaO5 cluster.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Valentyna Kuznetsova, Marcel Fuciman, Tomas Polivka
Summary: This article investigates the excited states of carotenoids and finds differences between the S-UV and S-n states, each initiating specific relaxation pathways.
PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY CHEMICAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Review
Chemistry, Physical
Donatas Zigmantas, Tomas Polivka, Petter Persson, Villy Sundstroem
Summary: The development and progress of laser technology have enabled deeper research into the mechanisms of photosynthesis and solar energy conversion. Through the study of ultrafast pulses, there has been significant advancement in understanding complex biological systems and novel materials.
CHEMICAL PHYSICS REVIEWS
(2022)
