In collaboration with the “Photosynthetic Membranes Group” at the BRC Institute in Szeged (Hungary)
Higher plants evolved a typical thylakoid membrane organization, consisting of stacked appressed membranes (grana) interconnected by non-appressed membranes (stroma lamellae). This highly ordered structure is essential for maintaining “lateral heterogeneity”, the spatial separation of photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI). Such separation ensures efficient electron transport within the photosynthetic chain and prevents excitation energy from PSII being drained by the more efficient PSI—a phenomenon known as “spillover,” which significantly reduces photosynthetic efficiency. It was observed that some LHC-deficient mutants exhibited disrupted grana–stroma lamellae organization. To investigate the extent of spillover in these genotypes, post-doctoral researcher Zeno Guardini collaborated with the “Photosynthetic Membranes Group” at the BRC Institute in Szeged (Hungary), where he conducted time-resolved fluorescence measurements. These analyses will shed light on the role of LHC proteins in shaping the supramolecular architecture and dynamics of thylakoid membranes.
This research was conducted by Zeno Guardini, funded by the ERC.
