Life Sciences & Biotechnology
Title : | Probing the Role of Photoprotective State Transitions in Regulating Photosynthetic Light Harvesting |
Area of research : | Life Sciences & Biotechnology |
Focus area : | Plant Science, Biophysics |
Principal Investigator : | Dr. Vivek Tiwari, Indian Institute Of Science, Bangalore, Karnataka |
Timeline Start Year : | 2023 |
Timeline End Year : | 2026 |
Contact info : | vivektiwari@iisc.ac.in |
Details
Executive Summary : | Photosynthesis is a crucial process that begins with light absorption from chlorophylls bound to light harvesting antenna complexes (LHCs) in the thylakoids. This energy is then transferred across a network of LHCs embedded in the chloroplast membrane within picoseconds. This energy is partitioned between Photosystems 1 and 2 (PS1 and 2) for balancing ATP and NADPH synthesis. This partitioning tightly regulates light harvesting efficiency and is sensitive to abiotic stress, affecting crop yield and fitness. Membrane remodeling is a photoprotective response to light stress, balancing PS1-2 energy partitioning in changing light conditions. Balancing light harvesting efficiency against photodamage is achieved by regulating the amount of LHC antennas associated with PS1 and PS2. Under high photon flux, chloroplast membrane remodeling can occur within minutes, causing up to 80% of LHC-PS2 supercomplexes to detach and form PS1-LHC supercomplexes. This adaptive response is a vital photo-protection mechanism. However, there are several gaps in our understanding of light harvesting mechanisms and its robustness to photoprotective response, such as reorganization of protein networks. These gaps could lead to new design principles for artificial light-harvesting and help identify early spectral markers of stress to advance crop health monitoring technologies. |
Total Budget (INR): | 55,98,560 |
Organizations involved