A survey on structural dynamics of energy-converting thylakoid membranes in vascular plants

Abstract:

Vascular plants experience dynamic situations on both the internal (i.e., metabolic) and the external (i.e., environmental) level that can fluctuate on different time scales ranging from sub-seconds to hours. The energy converting photosynthetic machinery harbored by thylakoid membranes inside chloroplasts must integrate both levels to make energy transformation both safe and efficient. This integration is realized by a battery of regulatory processes that either up- or downregulate the efficiency of photosynthetic energy conversion balancing fluctuating energy input by sunlight and metabolic energy demand. The talk will survey our research on the plasticity of the thylakoid membrane system in vascular plants triggered by environmental stimuli. The physiological meaning of certain architectural features will be discussed and driving fo rces which control structural thylakoid dynamics presented. The talk will introduce a dynamic multidimensional coarse grain computational model for a holistic understanding of photosynthetic energy conversion. This model not only forms a versatile platform for a basic knowledge gain in photosynthesis research but can also be employed for the rational design of crop plants by integrating it in metabolic plant cell models, urgently required for a 2nd green revolution.