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Frontiers in Plant Science 2023As the most suitable potential clean energy power generation technology, biophotovoltaics (BPV) not only inherits the advantages of traditional photovoltaics, such as... (Review)
Review
As the most suitable potential clean energy power generation technology, biophotovoltaics (BPV) not only inherits the advantages of traditional photovoltaics, such as safety, reliability and no noise, but also solves the disadvantages of high pollution and high energy consumption in the manufacturing process, providing new functions of self-repair and natural degradation. The basic idea of BPV is to collect light energy and generate electric energy by using photosynthetic autotrophs or their parts, and the core is how these biological materials can quickly and low-loss transfer electrons to the anode through mediators after absorbing light energy and generating electrons. In this mini-review, we summarized the biological materials widely used in BPV at present, mainly cyanobacteria, green algae, biological combinations (using multiple microorganisms in the same BPV system) and isolated products (purified thylakoids, chloroplasts, photosystem I, photosystem II), introduced how researchers overcome the shortcomings of low photocurrent output of BPV, pointed out the limitations that affected the development of BPV' biological materials, and put forward reasonable assumptions accordingly.
PubMed: 37615025
DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1151131 -
The Plant Journal : For Cell and... May 2024CpcL-phycobilisomes (CpcL-PBSs) are a reduced type of phycobilisome (PBS) found in several cyanobacteria. They lack the traditional PBS terminal energy emitters, but...
CpcL-phycobilisomes (CpcL-PBSs) are a reduced type of phycobilisome (PBS) found in several cyanobacteria. They lack the traditional PBS terminal energy emitters, but still show the characteristic red-shifted fluorescence at ~670 nm. We established a method of assembling in vitro a rod-membrane linker protein, CpcL, with phycocyanin, generating complexes with the red-shifted spectral features of CpcL-PBSs. The red-shift arises from the interaction of a conserved key glutamine, Q57 of CpcL in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, with a single phycocyanobilin chromophore of trimeric phycocyanin at one of the three β82-sites. This chromophore is the terminal energy acceptor of CpcL-PBSs and donor to the photosystem(s). This mechanism also operates in PBSs from Acaryochloris marina MBIC11017. We then generated multichromic complexes harvesting light over nearly the complete visible range via the replacement of phycocyanobilin chromophores at sites α84 and β153 of phycocyanins by phycoerythrobilin and/or phycourobilin. The results demonstrate the rational design of biliprotein-based light-harvesting elements by engineering CpcL and phycocyanins, which broadens the light-harvesting range and accordingly improves the light-harvesting capacity and may be potentially applied in solar energy harvesting.
Topics: Phycobilisomes; Phycocyanin; Synechocystis; Bacterial Proteins; Phycobilins; Cyanobacteria
PubMed: 38319793
DOI: 10.1111/tpj.16666 -
Photosynthesis Research Sep 2023I provide here both my personal and scientific autobiography. After giving a background and summary of most of my research, I present information on my parents, my...
I provide here both my personal and scientific autobiography. After giving a background and summary of most of my research, I present information on my parents, my childhood, schooling, university education, and postdoctoral research, all in Australia. This is followed by a presentation of my life and research in Cambridge, UK and then at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), in Australia, since 1955, where most of my research was done, especially on photosynthesis which included the following areas: Purification of a protochlorophyllide-protein complex; separation of the photochemical systems of photosynthesis; development of photochemical activity in photosynthesis; protein synthesis in plants; comparative photosynthesis of sun and shade plants; role of chlorophyll b in photosynthesis; photochemical properties of C4 plants; molecular interaction of thylakoid membranes; electron transport and ATP formation; and solar energy conversion in photosynthesis. In addition to research on the basics and applications of photosynthesis, I also mention at the end my service as a member of the executive of CSIRO.
Topics: Humans; Child; Photosynthesis; Chlorophyll; Electron Transport; Thylakoids; Sunlight; Plants
PubMed: 37155083
DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01021-1 -
Progress in Lipid Research Jan 2024Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is a unique phospholipid class with its indispensable role in photosynthesis and growth in land plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. PG is the... (Review)
Review
Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is a unique phospholipid class with its indispensable role in photosynthesis and growth in land plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. PG is the only major phospholipid in the thylakoid membrane of cyanobacteria and plant chloroplasts and a main lipid component in photosynthetic protein-cofactor complexes such as photosystem I and photosystem II. In plants and algae, PG is also essential as a substrate for the biosynthesis of cardiolipin, which is a unique lipid present only in mitochondrial membranes and crucial for the functions of mitochondria. PG biosynthesis pathways in plants include three membranous organelles, plastids, mitochondria, and the endoplasmic reticulum in a complex manner. While the molecular biology underlying the role of PG in photosynthetic functions is well established, many enzymes responsible for the PG biosynthesis are only recently cloned and functionally characterized in the model plant species including Arabidopsis thaliana and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and cyanobacteria such as Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The characterization of those enzymes helps understand not only the metabolic flow for PG production but also the crosstalk of biosynthesis pathways between PG and other lipids. This review aims to summarize recent advances in the understanding of the PG biosynthesis pathway and functions of involved enzymes.
Topics: Phosphatidylglycerols; Photosynthesis; Chloroplasts; Thylakoids; Arabidopsis; Plants
PubMed: 38040200
DOI: 10.1016/j.plipres.2023.101266 -
Biophysical Reviews Oct 2023Water is a primary source of electrons and protons for photosynthetic organisms. For the production of hydrogen through the process of mimicking natural photosynthesis,... (Review)
Review
UNLABELLED
Water is a primary source of electrons and protons for photosynthetic organisms. For the production of hydrogen through the process of mimicking natural photosynthesis, photosystem II (PSII)-based hybrid photosynthetic systems have been created, both with and without an external voltage source. In the past 30 years, various PSII immobilization techniques have been proposed, and redox polymers have been created for charge transfer from PSII. This review considers the main components of photosynthetic systems, methods for evaluating efficiency, implemented systems and the ways to improve them. Recently, low-overpotential catalysts have emerged that do not contain precious metals, which could ultimately replace Pt and Ir catalysts and make water electrolysis cheaper. However, PSII competes with semiconductor analogues that are less efficient but more stable. Methods originally created for sensors also allow for the use of PSII as a component of a photoanode. To date, charge transfer from PSII remains a bottleneck for such systems. Novel data about action mechanism of artificial electron acceptors in PSII could develop redox polymers to level out mass transport limitations. Hydrogen-producing systems based on PSII have allowed to work out processes in artificial photosynthesis, investigate its features and limitations.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION
The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12551-023-01139-5.
PubMed: 37975003
DOI: 10.1007/s12551-023-01139-5 -
Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Mar 2024Thermophilic cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photoautotrophic microorganisms capable of growth between 45 and 73 °C. They are typically found in hot springs where they... (Review)
Review
Thermophilic cyanobacteria are prokaryotic photoautotrophic microorganisms capable of growth between 45 and 73 °C. They are typically found in hot springs where they serve as essential primary producers. Several key features make these robust photosynthetic microbes biotechnologically relevant. These are highly stable proteins and their complexes, the ability to actively transport and concentrate inorganic carbon and other nutrients, to serve as gene donors, microbial cell factories, and sources of bioactive metabolites. A thorough investigation of the recent progress in thermophilic cyanobacteria reveals a significant increase in the number of newly isolated and delineated organisms and wide application of thermophilic light-harvesting components in biohybrid devices. Yet despite these achievements, there are still deficiencies at the high-end of the biotechnological learning curve, notably in genetic engineering and gene editing. Thermostable proteins could be more widely employed, and an extensive pool of newly available genetic data could be better utilised. In this manuscript, we attempt to showcase the most important recent advances in thermophilic cyanobacterial biotechnology and provide an overview of the future direction of the field and challenges that need to be overcome before thermophilic cyanobacterial biotechnology can bridge the gap with highly advanced biotechnology of their mesophilic counterparts. KEY POINTS: • Increased interest in all aspects of thermophilic cyanobacteria in recent years • Light harvesting components remain the most biotechnologically relevant • Lack of reliable molecular biology tools hinders further development of the chassis.
Topics: Biotechnology; Cyanobacteria; Genetic Engineering; Gene Editing; Photosynthesis
PubMed: 38512481
DOI: 10.1007/s00253-024-13082-w -
IScience Sep 2023We establish a general kinetic scheme for energy transfer and trapping in the photosystem I (PSI) of cyanobacteria grown under white light (WL) or far-red light (FRL)...
We establish a general kinetic scheme for energy transfer and trapping in the photosystem I (PSI) of cyanobacteria grown under white light (WL) or far-red light (FRL) conditions. With the help of simultaneous target analysis of all emission and transient absorption datasets measured in five cyanobacterial strains, we resolved the spectral and kinetic properties of the different species present in PSI. WL-PSI can be described by Bulk Chl , two Red Chl , and a reaction center compartment (WL-RC). The FRL-PSI contains two additional Chl compartments. The lowest excited state of the FRL-RC is downshifted by ≈ 29 nm. The rate of charge separation drops from ≈900 ns in WL-RC to ≈300 ns in FRL-RC. The delayed trapping in the FRL-PSI (≈130 ps) is explained by uphill energy transfer from the Chl compartments with Gibbs free energies of ≈kT below that of the FRL-RC.
PubMed: 37680463
DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107650 -
Photosynthesis Research Apr 2024We describe an emerging hard X-ray spectroscopy technique, stimulated X-ray emission spectroscopy (S-XES). S-XES has the potential to characterize the electronic... (Review)
Review
We describe an emerging hard X-ray spectroscopy technique, stimulated X-ray emission spectroscopy (S-XES). S-XES has the potential to characterize the electronic structure of 3d transition metal complexes with spectral information currently not reachable and might lead to the development of new ultrafast X-ray sources with properties beyond the state of the art. S-XES has become possible with the emergence of X-ray free-electron lasers (XFELs) that provide intense femtosecond X-ray pulses that can be employed to generate a population inversion of core-hole excited states resulting in stimulated X-ray emission. We describe the instrumentation, the various types of S-XES, the potential applications, the experimental challenges, and the feasibility of applying S-XES to characterize dilute systems, including the MnCa cluster in the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II.
PubMed: 38619702
DOI: 10.1007/s11120-024-01080-y -
Cell Dec 2023Photosynthesis is central to food production and the Earth's biogeochemistry, yet the molecular basis for its regulation remains poorly understood. Here, using...
Photosynthesis is central to food production and the Earth's biogeochemistry, yet the molecular basis for its regulation remains poorly understood. Here, using high-throughput genetics in the model eukaryotic alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, we identify with high confidence (false discovery rate [FDR] < 0.11) 70 poorly characterized genes required for photosynthesis. We then enable the functional characterization of these genes by providing a resource of proteomes of mutant strains, each lacking one of these genes. The data allow assignment of 34 genes to the biogenesis or regulation of one or more specific photosynthetic complexes. Further analysis uncovers biogenesis/regulatory roles for at least seven proteins, including five photosystem I mRNA maturation factors, the chloroplast translation factor MTF1, and the master regulator PMR1, which regulates chloroplast genes via nuclear-expressed factors. Our work provides a rich resource identifying regulatory and functional genes and placing them into pathways, thereby opening the door to a system-level understanding of photosynthesis.
Topics: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; Chloroplasts; Photosynthesis; Gene Expression Regulation; Proteins; Mutation; Ribosomes; RNA, Messenger
PubMed: 38065083
DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2023.11.007 -
Planta Dec 2023The photosystem-II (PSII) repair cycle is essential for the maintenance of photosynthesis in plants. A number of novel findings have illuminated the regulatory... (Review)
Review
The photosystem-II (PSII) repair cycle is essential for the maintenance of photosynthesis in plants. A number of novel findings have illuminated the regulatory mechanisms of the PSII repair cycle. Photosystem II (PSII) is a large pigment-protein complex embedded in the thylakoid membrane. It plays a vital role in photosynthesis by absorbing light energy, splitting water, releasing molecular oxygen, and transferring electrons for plastoquinone reduction. However, PSII, especially the PsbA (D1) core subunit, is highly susceptible to oxidative damage. To prevent irreversible damage, plants have developed a repair cycle. The main objective of the PSII repair cycle is the degradation of photodamaged D1 and insertion of newly synthesized D1 into the PSII complex. While many factors are known to be involved in PSII repair, the exact mechanism is still under investigation. In this review, we discuss the primary steps of PSII repair, focusing on the proteolytic degradation of photodamaged D1 and the factors involved.
Topics: Photosynthesis; Thylakoids; Photosystem II Protein Complex; Plants; Proteolysis; Light
PubMed: 38091081
DOI: 10.1007/s00425-023-04295-w