Article
Biology
Sofie E. Voerman, Arvydas Ruseckas, Graham A. Turnbull, Ifor D. W. Samuel, Heidi L. Burdett
Summary: This study investigates the light harvesting mechanism and acclimatory response of the red coralline alga in the mesophotic zone. The results demonstrate that responsive light harvesting and functional acclimation are key to the success of red algae in this low light environment.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Osamu Kutomi, Ryosuke Yamamoto, Keiko Hirose, Katsutoshi Mizuno, Yuuhei Nakagiri, Hiroshi Imai, Akira Noga, Jagan Mohan Obbineni, Noemi Zimmermann, Masako Nakajima, Daisuke Shibata, Misa Shibata, Kogiku Shiba, Masaki Kita, Hideo Kigoshi, Yui Tanaka, Yuya Yamasaki, Yuma Asahina, Chihong Song, Mami Nomura, Mamoru Nomura, Ayako Nakajima, Mia Nakachi, Lixy Yamada, Shiori Nakazawa, Hitoshi Sawada, Kazuyoshi Murata, Kaoru Mitsuoka, Takashi Ishikawa, Ken-ichi Wakabayashi, Takahide Kon, Kazuo Inaba
Summary: A novel subunit named DYBLUP has been discovered to modulate dynein activity in animal spermatozoa and a unicellular green alga through connecting the f/I1 motor domain and the tether complex. Chlamydomonas lacking the DYBLUP ortholog showed both positive and negative phototaxis, but became acclimated and attracted to high-intensity blue light, suggesting a mechanism to avoid toxic strong light via direct photoregulation of dyneins.
Article
Plant Sciences
Yahan Su, Huan Yang, Yushan Wu, Wanzhuo Gong, Hina Gul, Yanhong Yan, Wenyu Yang
Summary: The ability of soybean to acclimate to changing light environments in relay intercropping is crucial for its growth and yield formation. This study compared the photosynthetic acclimation of two soybean varieties with contrasting shade tolerance and found that the shade-tolerant variety displayed better adaptation to variations in light conditions and had higher growth and yield potential.
Article
Forestry
Huixing Kang, Hajime Tomimatsu, Ting Zhu, Yixin Ma, Xiruo Wang, Yan Zhang, Yanhong Tang
Summary: The debate over whether tree leaves in shady environments have higher photosynthetic induction efficiency (IE) than those in sunny environments and how shade tolerance and light environment contribute to photosynthesis dynamics has long been ongoing. In this study, we investigated the photosynthetic responses of six tree species with different shade tolerance levels to simulated changes in light intensity. We found that species with higher relative shade tolerance (RST) had significantly higher IE. The impact of light environment on IE varied among different species, and a trade-off existed between IE and steady-state photosynthetic rates. These findings provide new insights into the adaptation strategy of understory seedlings in sunfleck environments.
Article
Plant Sciences
Sarah E. Flannery, Christopher Hepworth, William H. J. Wood, Federica Pastorelli, Christopher N. Hunter, Mark J. Dickman, Philip J. Jackson, Matthew P. Johnson
Summary: This study investigated the changes in thylakoid protein levels during long-term acclimation of Arabidopsis to different light intensities and found correlations with key photosynthetic parameters. High light promoted improved photosynthetic capacity and cyclic electron transport, while low light favored slowly reversible non-photochemical quenching. The data provide insights into how Arabidopsis tunes photosynthetic electron transfer and its regulation during developmental acclimation to light intensity.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yan-Bao Lei, Hong-Xia Xia, Ke Chen, Andelka Plenkovic-Moraj, Wei Huang, Geng Sun
Summary: Mosses can grow under fluctuating light conditions due to the roles of FLVs and CEF in regulating photosynthesis, especially when exposed to temperature stress. The coordination between FLV activity and CEF under fluctuating light and temperature stress is crucial for the photosynthetic acclimation of different moss species. The mosses with different light requirements show distinct FLV activity and CEF levels, indicating a species-specific response to fluctuating light and temperature stress.
Review
Plant Sciences
Armida Gjindali, Helena A. Herrmann, Jean-Marc Schwartz, Giles N. Johnson, Pablo I. Calzadilla
Summary: Plants adjust their photosynthetic processes to adapt to fluctuating light in the environment. The interconnection of short-term and long-term photosynthetic responses presents a challenge in studying plant acclimation to light fluctuations. Mathematical modeling can help differentiate short-term regulatory responses from long-term acclimation responses, integrating physiological processes across different timescales.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Gabor Bernat, Tomas Zavrel, Eva Kotabova, Laszlo Kovacs, Gabor Steinbach, Lajos Voros, Ondrej Prasil, Boglarka Somogyi, Viktor R. Toth
Summary: The study found that Cyanobium gracile has different adaptive strategies under different light wavelengths to optimize its photosynthetic performance. Growth under blue and near far-red light leads to slower growth rates, while growth under orange or red light results in reduced cell volumes and lower electron transport rates.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noa Bezalel-Hazony, Hagit Zer, Shiri Nathanson, Sofia Shevtsov-Tal, Oren Ostersetzer-Biran, Nir Keren
Summary: The light environment in a mixing water column is highly variable, which poses challenges for photosynthesis. The ability of a marine Synechococcus strain to adapt to changes in illumination was examined. Significant and reversible changes in pigment fluorescence emission spectra were observed on a time scale of hours. This adaptation process may involve the detachment of hexamers from the phycobilisome structure.
Article
Plant Sciences
Chen Hu, Wojciech J. Nawrocki, Roberta Croce
Summary: Vascular plants predominantly use carotenoids and chlorophylls a and b for solar energy absorption, with limited utilization of far-red (FR) light, unlike some cyanobacteria which have evolved to harness FR light through redesigning photosynthetic apparatus. Implementing similar strategies in plants to boost crop yield requires a better understanding of FR light-induced changes. Research on Arabidopsis thaliana exposed to FR light revealed adjustments in photosystem antenna size for energy input balance, leading to photoinhibition upon re-exposure to light. Notably, the alterations in photosynthetic membrane structure induced by FR light are not due to senescence, but rather a response to excitation imbalance between photosystems.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Young Nam Yang, Thi Thuy Linh Le, Ji-Hye Hwang, Ismayil S. Zulfugarov, Eun-Ha Kim, Hyun Uk Kim, Jong-Seong Jeon, Dong-Hee Lee, Choon-Hwan Lee
Summary: The PsbS protein plays a role in regulating the recovery processes of electron transport and photochemical quenching during long-term high light acclimation by maintaining the expression of plastoquinone biosynthetic genes and enhancing ROS homeostasis.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Fang Huang, Arturas Grauslys, Tuomas Huokko, Eva Caamano Gutierrez, Andrew R. Jones, Lu-Ning Liu
Summary: This study provides an in-depth statistical analysis of protein components and functionally linked complexes during cyanobacterial thylakoid membrane biogenesis. The findings reveal significant variations in abundance of photosystems, light-harvesting antennae, ABC transporters, and oxidative stress response and protein folding pathway enzymes between high light and growth light conditions. The results and analytical methodologies developed in this study may be valuable for studying global responses of thylakoid membrane biogenesis in plants and algae.
Article
Plant Sciences
Dinorah M. S. Marcal, Rodrigo T. Avila, Luisa F. Quiroga-Rojas, Raylla P. B. de Souza, Carlos C. Gomes Junior, Lucas R. Ponte, Marcela L. Barbosa, Leonardo A. Oliveira, Samuel C. Martins, Jose D. C. Ramalho, Fabio M. DaMatta
Summary: The study found that high light and eC(a) can independently improve the growth and photosynthetic performance of coffee plants, with some allometric changes observed under the combination of eC(a) and high light. Stimulation of photosynthetic rates by eC(a) did not directly affect stomatal and mesophyll conductances, and no signs of photosynthetic downregulation were found regardless of treatments.
PLANT PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Guangman Song, Quan Wang, Jie Zhuang, Jia Jin
Summary: The relationship between chlorophyll a fluorescence (ChlF) parameters and leaf morphological/biochemical traits varies under different light conditions. Light drivers have a better predictive ability for light dependent ChlF parameters compared to leaf traits. Furthermore, the responses of ChlF parameters to light drivers differ between leaf types.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Deepesh Singh Chauhan, Lingaraj Sahoo, Kaustubha Mohanty
Summary: This study investigates the impact of temperature and light on the ability of Microactinium pusillum microalgae to mitigate CO2 and produce bioenergy. It is found that a temperature of 25°C and light intensities of 350 and 650μmol m-2 s-1 result in the maximum growth rate, while 15°C temperature and 50μmol m-2 s-1 light intensity reduce growth. Increased light intensity accelerates growth, CO2 utilization, and bioenergy accumulation. Microalgae exhibit rapid metabolic adjustment and acclimation reactions in response to changes in light and temperature conditions. Temperature correlates positively with carbon and nitrogen fixation, CO2 fixation, and carbon accumulation, while no correlation is found with light. Higher light intensity in the temperature regime experiment enhances nutrient and CO2 utilization, carbon buildup, and biomass bioenergy.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Gilles Curien, Dagmar Lyska, Erika Guglielmino, Phillip Westhoff, Janina Janetzko, Marianne Tardif, Clement Hallopeau, Sabine Brugiere, Davide Dal Bo, Johan Decelle, Benoit Gallet, Denis Falconet, Michele Carone, Claire Remacle, Myriam Ferro, Andreas P. M. Weber, Giovanni Finazzi
Summary: It has been shown that G. sulphuraria can grow under different nutritional modes; under mixotrophic conditions, the addition of organic carbon can alleviate the inorganic carbon limitation in photosynthesis.
Article
Plant Sciences
Olivia Spain, Martin Plohn, Christiane Funk
Summary: Heavy metals in industrial wastewaters pose a serious threat to the environment and human health. Microalgae are increasingly being recognized as potential solutions for removing pollutants through biosorption due to their unique cell wall structure. The review focuses on the composition and structure of microalgae cell walls in heavy metal removal, as well as commonly used models to predict the velocity and capacity of biosorption by microalgae.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Martin Plohn, Olivia Spain, Sema Sirin, Mario Silva, Carlos Escudero-Onate, Laura Ferrando-Climent, Yagut Allahverdiyeva, Christiane Funk
Summary: The growth of the world's population increases demand for fresh water, food, energy, and technology, leading to increasing amounts of wastewater. Microalgae show promise for wastewater reclamation by reducing levels of nitrogen, phosphate, and other toxic compounds. They also have a lower energy input compared to traditional systems and can reduce the carbon footprint of the reclamation process.
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2021)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Laxmi S. Mishra, Christiane Funk
Summary: FtsH metalloproteases play a vital role in the maintenance and proteolysis of membrane proteins in various organisms, with some pseudo-proteases being inactive due to mutations or missing motifs. In Arabidopsis thaliana, these proteases are involved in plant growth and development, as well as oxidative stress management.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Editorial Material
Plant Sciences
Christiane Funk, Poul Erik Jensen, Jorunn Skjermo
PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Laxmi S. Mishra, Sanatkumar Mishra, Daniel F. Caddell, Devin Coleman-Derr, Christiane Funk
Summary: The study demonstrates the effect of the pseudo-protease AtFtsHi3 on plant growth and drought tolerance, showing that AtFTSHi3 knock-down mutant leads to reduced photosynthetic efficiency and early wilting. Additionally, the root-associated bacterial community responds to drought stress.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Martin Plohn, Carlos Escudero-Onate, Christiane Funk
Summary: The amount of heavy metals released into the environment has significantly increased, posing a threat to both the environment and human health. Wild Nordic microalgae have shown high potential in removing heavy metals, particularly cadmium, from industrial wastewater, with certain strains able to achieve high removal rates within 24 hours. Further research into the sorption kinetics and equilibrium, as well as the impact of cell wall components on metal removal, could lead to the development of innovative biobased technologies for bioremediation of heavy metal pollution.
ALGAL RESEARCH-BIOMASS BIOFUELS AND BIOPRODUCTS
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Martin Plohn, Kim Scherer, Stefan Stagge, Leif J. Jonsson, Christiane Funk
Summary: Microalgae have potential as candidates for sustainable wastewater treatment and the production of biofuels, bioplastics, and bio-fertilizers. In Nordic countries, where light is limited during the winter season, the utilization of carbon sources from industrial wastewater streams, particularly those from the pulp and paper industry, could enhance biomass production. This study focused on the utilization of methanol, glycerol, and xylose by five different Nordic microalgae strains. Two of these strains were able to grow in the presence of xylose or methanol, while glycerol increased growth for one strain. These microalgae strains show potential for the production of biofuels and further optimization of cultivation conditions is required.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Olivia Spain, Christiane Funk
Summary: This study investigated the cell wall compositions and morphologies of four Nordic microalgal strains, revealing significant differences in sugar and protein composition of the Scenedesmus sp. (B2-2) cell wall compared to the other three strains. Microscopy, spectroscopy, and derivatization techniques were employed to analyze the cell walls.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Sanjeet Mehariya, Martin Plohn, Antonio Leon-Vaz, Alok Patel, Christiane Funk
Summary: Nordic Desmodesmus microalgal strains showed increased lipid and carotenoid production under abiotic stress conditions of light and salt. The biomass output of these strains also significantly improved under stress, indicating their potential for use in low-cost algal bio-factories.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Vida Strancar, Katarina P. van Midden, Daniel Krahn, Kyoko Morimoto, Marko Novinec, Christiane Funk, Simon Stael, Christopher J. Schofield, Marina Klemencic, Renier A. L. van der Hoorn
Summary: This study developed activity-based probes for the three main types of Metacaspases and demonstrated the essential role of calcium in the activation process. The findings suggest the formation of active, unprocessed intermediates upon calcium binding before precursor protein maturation.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Antonio Leon-Vaz, Juan Cubero-Cardoso, Angeles Trujillo-Reyes, Fernando G. Fermoso, Rosa Leon, Christiane Funk, Javier Vigara, Juan Urbano
Summary: In recent years, there has been growing concern over the pollution of aqueous ecosystems by heavy metals, prompting the need for better remediation techniques. This study explores the combination of a copolymer synthesized from sulfur and vegetable oils and the microalga Chlorella sorokiniana to remove heavy metals from water. Results show that the AlgaPol biofilm is capable of removing over 90% of these metals from the growth medium. The excellent metal adsorption capacity of the biofilm can be described by a pseudo-second-order kinetic model.
Article
Agricultural Engineering
Sanjeet Mehariya, Martin Plohm, Piotr Jablonski, Stefan Stagge, Leif J. Jonsson, Christiane Funk
Summary: This study explores the use of biomass from four different Nordic microalgal species as a carbohydrate-rich feedstock for polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) production. Thermochemical pre-treatment with hydrochloric acid or sulphuric acid significantly increased the sugar yield. The sugar-rich hydrolysate was used as a carbon source for PHB production by Halomonas halophila, and the highest PHB production was achieved with hydrolysate from Chlorococcum sp. grown on BG-11 medium.
BIORESOURCE TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemical Research Methods
Antonio Leon-Vaz, Rosa Leon, Javier Vigara, Christiane Funk
Summary: Nordic microalgae are photosynthetic organisms adapted to low temperature and varying light conditions. They have the potential for large-scale cultivation and production of high-value compounds due to their ability to withstand harsh environments. Some Nordic microalgae species have been found to produce high amounts of carotenoids and polyphenols, and exhibit improved performance under high light and cold stress conditions. Therefore, their cultivation at large scale in Nordic environments is justified.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Teodor Alling, Christiane Funk, Francesco G. Gentili
Summary: Microalgal biomass has biostimulating effects on plants and seeds due to its phytohormonal content, and harnessing this effect could contribute to sustainable agriculture.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
