scholarly journals Probing the biogenesis pathway and dynamics of thylakoid membranes

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tuomas Huokko ◽  
Tao Ni ◽  
Gregory F. Dykes ◽  
Deborah M. Simpson ◽  
Philip Brownridge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Photosystem I ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Electron Flux ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Thylakoid Biogenesis ◽  
Photosynthetic Complexes ◽  
Photosynthetic Machinery ◽  
Pcc 7942

AbstractHow thylakoid membranes are generated to form a metabolically active membrane network and how thylakoid membranes orchestrate the insertion and localization of protein complexes for efficient electron flux remain elusive. Here, we develop a method to modulate thylakoid biogenesis in the rod-shaped cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 by modulating light intensity during cell growth, and probe the spatial-temporal stepwise biogenesis process of thylakoid membranes in cells. Our results reveal that the plasma membrane and regularly arranged concentric thylakoid layers have no physical connections. The newly synthesized thylakoid membrane fragments emerge between the plasma membrane and pre-existing thylakoids. Photosystem I monomers appear in the thylakoid membranes earlier than other mature photosystem assemblies, followed by generation of Photosystem I trimers and Photosystem II complexes. Redistribution of photosynthetic complexes during thylakoid biogenesis ensures establishment of the spatial organization of the functional thylakoid network. This study provides insights into the dynamic biogenesis process and maturation of the functional photosynthetic machinery.

scholarly journals Structural and functional analyses of photosystem II in the marine diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (35) ◽  
pp. 17316-17322 ◽  
Author(s):  
Orly Levitan ◽  
Muyuan Chen ◽  
Xuyuan Kuang ◽  
Kuan Yu Cheong ◽  
Jennifer Jiang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Photosystem Ii ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Higher Plants ◽  
Electron Tomography ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Spatial Differentiation ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Marine Diatom ◽  
Red Algal ◽  
Antenna Proteins

A descendant of the red algal lineage, diatoms are unicellular eukaryotic algae characterized by thylakoid membranes that lack the spatial differentiation of stroma and grana stacks found in green algae and higher plants. While the photophysiology of diatoms has been studied extensively, very little is known about the spatial organization of the multimeric photosynthetic protein complexes within their thylakoid membranes. Here, using cryo-electron tomography, proteomics, and biophysical analyses, we elucidate the macromolecular composition, architecture, and spatial distribution of photosystem II complexes in diatom thylakoid membranes. Structural analyses reveal 2 distinct photosystem II populations: loose clusters of complexes associated with antenna proteins and compact 2D crystalline arrays of dimeric cores. Biophysical measurements reveal only 1 photosystem II functional absorption cross section, suggesting that only the former population is photosynthetically active. The tomographic data indicate that the arrays of photosystem II cores are physically separated from those associated with antenna proteins. We hypothesize that the islands of photosystem cores are repair stations, where photodamaged proteins can be replaced. Our results strongly imply convergent evolution between the red and the green photosynthetic lineages toward spatial segregation of dynamic, functional microdomains of photosystem II supercomplexes.

scholarly journals Eisosome proteins assemble into a membrane scaffold

2011 ◽  
Vol 195 (5) ◽  
pp. 889-902 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Karotki ◽  
Juha T. Huiskonen ◽  
Christopher J. Stefan ◽  
Natasza E. Ziółkowska ◽  
Robyn Roth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Self Assembly ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Lipid Binding ◽  
Yeast Cells ◽  
Core Components ◽  
The Many ◽  
Plasma Membrane Domain ◽  
Membrane Scaffold

Spatial organization of membranes into domains of distinct protein and lipid composition is a fundamental feature of biological systems. The plasma membrane is organized in such domains to efficiently orchestrate the many reactions occurring there simultaneously. Despite the almost universal presence of membrane domains, mechanisms of their formation are often unclear. Yeast cells feature prominent plasma membrane domain organization, which is at least partially mediated by eisosomes. Eisosomes are large protein complexes that are primarily composed of many subunits of two Bin–Amphiphysin–Rvs domain–containing proteins, Pil1 and Lsp1. In this paper, we show that these proteins self-assemble into higher-order structures and bind preferentially to phosphoinositide-containing membranes. Using a combination of electron microscopy approaches, we generate structural models of Pil1 and Lsp1 assemblies, which resemble eisosomes in cells. Our data suggest that the mechanism of membrane organization by eisosomes is mediated by self-assembly of its core components into a membrane-bound protein scaffold with lipid-binding specificity.

scholarly journals Regulatory factors for the assembly of thylakoid membrane protein complexes

2012 ◽  
Vol 367 (1608) ◽  
pp. 3420-3429 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wei Chi ◽  
Jinfang Ma ◽  
Lixin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Thylakoid Membrane ◽  
Molecular Mechanisms ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Regulatory Factors ◽  
Photosynthetic Organisms ◽  
Photosynthetic Complexes ◽  
Membrane Protein Complexes

Major multi-protein photosynthetic complexes, located in thylakoid membranes, are responsible for the capture of light and its conversion into chemical energy in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. Although the structures and functions of these photosynthetic complexes have been explored, the molecular mechanisms underlying their assembly remain elusive. In this review, we summarize current knowledge of the regulatory components involved in the assembly of thylakoid membrane protein complexes in photosynthetic organisms. Many of the known regulatory factors are conserved between prokaryotes and eukaryotes, whereas others appear to be newly evolved or to have expanded predominantly in eukaryotes. Their specific features and fundamental differences in cyanobacteria, green algae and land plants are discussed.

scholarly journals A Novel Chloroplast Super-Complex Consisting of the ATP Synthase and Photosystem I Reaction Center

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Satarupa Bhaduri ◽  
Sandeep K Singh ◽  
Whitaker Cohn ◽  
S. Saif Hasan ◽  
Julian P. Whitelegge ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Membrane Protein ◽  
Reaction Center ◽  
Atp Synthase ◽  
Photosystem I ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Native Page ◽  
Membrane Protein Complexes ◽  
Reaction Center Complexes

AbstractSeveral ‘super-complexes’ of individual hetero-oligomeric membrane protein complexes, whose function is to facilitate intra-membrane electron and proton transfer and harvesting of light energy, have been previously characterized in the mitochondrial cristae and chloroplast thylakoid membranes. The latter membrane is reported here to also be the location of an intra-membrane super-complex which is dominated by the ATP-synthase and photosystem I (PSI) reaction-center complexes, defined by mass spectrometry, clear-native PAGE and Western Blot analyses. This is the first documented presence of ATP synthase in a super-complex with the PSI reaction-center located in the non-appressed stromal domain of the thylakoid membrane.

scholarly journals Atomic force microscopy visualizes mobility of photosynthetic proteins in grana thylakoid membranes

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bibiana Onoa ◽  
Shingo Fukuda ◽  
Masakazu Iwai ◽  
Carlos Bustamante ◽  
Krishna K. Niyogi
Keyword(s):  
High Speed ◽  
Spinacia Oleracea ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Rotational Diffusion ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Spatiotemporal Resolution ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Photosynthetic Complexes ◽  
Protein Density ◽  
Photosynthetic Protein Complexes

ABSTRACTThylakoid membranes in chloroplasts contain photosynthetic protein complexes that convert light energy into chemical energy. Photosynthetic protein complexes are considered to undergo structural reorganization to maintain the efficiency of photochemical reactions. A detailed description of the mobility of photosynthetic complexes in real-time is necessary to understand how macromolecular organization of the membrane is altered by environmental fluctuations. Here, we used high-speed atomic force microscopy to visualize and characterize the in situ mobility of individual protein complexes in grana thylakoid membranes isolated from Spinacia oleracea. Our observations reveal that these membranes can harbor complexes with at least two distinctive classes of mobility. A large fraction of grana membranes contained proteins with quasi-static mobility, exhibiting molecular displacements smaller than 10 nm2. In the remaining fraction, the protein mobility is variable with molecular displacements of up to 100 nm2. This visualization at high-spatiotemporal resolution enabled us to estimate an average diffusion coefficient of ∼1 nm2 s-1. Interestingly, both confined and Brownian diffusion models could describe the protein mobility of the second group of membranes. We also provide the first direct evidence of rotational diffusion of photosynthetic complexes. The rotational diffusion of photosynthetic complexes could be an adaptive response to the high protein density in the membrane to guarantee the efficiency of electron transfer reactions. This characterization of the mobility of individual photosynthetic complexes in grana membranes establishes a foundation that could be adapted to study the dynamics of the complexes inside the intact and photosynthetically functional thylakoid membranes to be able to understand its structural responses to diverse environmental fluctuations.STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCEWe characterized the dynamics of individual photosynthetic protein complexes in grana thylakoid membranes from Spinacia oleracea by high-speed atomic microscopy (HS-AFM). Direct visualization at high spatiotemporal resolution unveils that the mobility of photosynthetic proteins is heterogeneous but governed by the confinement effect imposed by the high protein density in the thylakoid membrane. The photosynthetic complexes display rotational diffusion, which might be a consequence of the crowded environment in the membrane and a mechanism to sustain an efficient electron transfer chain.

scholarly journals Characterizing the supercomplex association of photosynthetic complexes in cyanobacteria

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 202142
Author(s):  
Zimeng Zhang ◽  
Long-Sheng Zhao ◽  
Lu-Ning Liu
Keyword(s):  
Rational Design ◽  
Binding Proteins ◽  
Close Association ◽  
Photosynthetic Apparatus ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Efficient Energy Transfer ◽  
Force Microscopy ◽  
Photosynthetic Complexes ◽  
Artificial Photosynthetic ◽  
Pcc 7942

The light reactions of photosynthesis occur in thylakoid membranes that are densely packed with a series of photosynthetic complexes. The lateral organization and close association of photosynthetic complexes in native thylakoid membranes are vital for efficient light harvesting and energy transduction. Recently, analysis of the interconnections between photosynthetic complexes to form supercomplexes has garnered great interest. In this work, we report a method integrating immunoprecipitation, mass spectrometry and atomic force microscopy to identify the inter-complex associations of photosynthetic complexes in thylakoid membranes from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942. We characterize the preferable associations between individual photosynthetic complexes and binding proteins involved in the complex–complex interfaces, permitting us to propose the structural models of photosynthetic complex associations that promote the formation of photosynthetic supercomplexes. We also identified other potential binding proteins with the photosynthetic complexes, suggesting the highly connecting networks associated with thylakoid membranes. This study provides mechanistic insight into the physical interconnections of photosynthetic complexes and potential partners, which are crucial for efficient energy transfer and physiological acclimatization of the photosynthetic apparatus. Advanced knowledge of the protein organization and interplay of the photosynthetic machinery will inform rational design and engineering of artificial photosynthetic systems to supercharge energy production.

scholarly journals A chlorophyll-protein complex lacking in photosystem I mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

1975 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 361-377 ◽  
Author(s):  
N H Chua ◽  
K Matlin ◽  
P Bennoun
Keyword(s):  
Molecular Weight ◽  
Chlamydomonas Reinhardtii ◽  
Photosystem I ◽  
Protein Complex ◽  
Protein Complexes ◽  
Sodium Dodecyl ◽  
Weight Ratio ◽  
Thylakoid Membranes ◽  
Higher Plant ◽  
Chlorophyll Protein

Sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of unheated, detergent-solubilized thylakoid membranes of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii gives two chlorophyll-protein complexes. Chlorophyll-protein complex I (CP I) is the blue-green in color and can be dissociated by heat into "free" chlorophyll and a constituent polypeptide (polypeptide 2; mol wt 66,000). Similar experiments with spinach and Chinese cabbage show that the higher plant CP I contains an equivalent polypeptide but of slightly lower molecular weight (64,000). Both polypeptide 2 and its counterpart in spinach are soluble in a 2:1 (vol/vol) mixture of chloroform-methanol. Chemical analysis reveals that C. reinhardtii CP I has a chlorophyll a to b weight ratio of about 5 and that it contains approximately 5% of the total chlorophyll and 8-9% of the total protein of the thylakoid membranes. Thus, it can be calculated that each constituent polypeptide chain is associated with eight to nine chlorophyll molecules. Attempts to measure the molecular weight of CP I by calibrated SDS gels were unsuccessul since the complex migrates anomalously in such gels. Two Mendelian mutants of C. reinhardtii, F1 and F14, which lack P700 but have normal photosystem I activity, do not contain CP I or the 66,000-dalton polypeptide in their thylakoid membranes. Our results suggest that CP I is essential for photosystem I reaction center activity and that P700 may be associated with the 66,000-dalton polypeptide.

Caveolin-1, galectin-3 and lipid raft domains in cancer cell signalling

2015 ◽  
Vol 57 ◽  
pp. 189-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay Shankar ◽  
Cecile Boscher ◽  
Ivan R. Nabi
Keyword(s):  
Plasma Membrane ◽  
Lipid Rafts ◽  
Cancer Cell ◽  
Cellular Response ◽  
Spatial Organization ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
Cell Signalling ◽  
Coated Pits ◽  
Signalling Molecules ◽  
Raft Domains

Spatial organization of the plasma membrane is an essential feature of the cellular response to external stimuli. Receptor organization at the cell surface mediates transmission of extracellular stimuli to intracellular signalling molecules and effectors that impact various cellular processes including cell differentiation, metabolism, growth, migration and apoptosis. Membrane domains include morphologically distinct plasma membrane invaginations such as clathrin-coated pits and caveolae, but also less well-defined domains such as lipid rafts and the galectin lattice. In the present chapter, we will discuss interaction between caveolae, lipid rafts and the galectin lattice in the control of cancer cell signalling.

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