photosynthesis
Commentary | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceEarly Cyanobacteria and the Innovation of Microbial SunscreensMetabolism drives life; thus, understanding how and when various branches of metabolism evolved provides a critical piece to understanding how life has integrated itself into the geochemical cycles of our planet over billions of years.
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPhycobilisomes Harbor FNRL in CyanobacteriaCyanobacterial light-harvesting complex PBSs are essential for photochemistry in light reactions and for balancing energy flow to carbon fixation in the form of ATP and NADPH. We isolated a new type of PBS without an allophycocyanin core (i.e., CpcL-PBS). CpcL-PBS contains both a spectral red-shifted chromophore, enabling efficient energy transfer to chlorophyll molecules in the reaction centers, and an increased FNRL content...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceSilver and Copper Acute Effects on Membrane Proteins and Impact on Photosynthetic and Respiratory Complexes in BacteriaThe use of metal ions represents a serious threat to the environment and to all living organisms because of the acute toxicity of these ions. Nowadays, silver nanoparticles are one of the most widely used nanoparticles in various industrial and health applications. The antimicrobial effect of nanoparticles is in part related to the released Ag+ ions and their ability to interact with bacterial membranes. Here, we identify,...
- Research ArticleEngineering Nitrogen Fixation Activity in an Oxygenic Phototroph
Application of chemically synthesized nitrogen fertilizers has revolutionized agriculture. However, the energetic costs of such production processes and the widespread application of fertilizers have raised serious environmental issues. A sustainable alternative is to endow to crop plants the ability to fix atmospheric N2in situ. One long-term approach is to transfer all nif genes from a prokaryote to plant...
- Research ArticleAdjustments to Photosystem Stoichiometry and Electron Transfer Proteins Are Key to the Remarkably Fast Growth of the Cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973
As the global population increases, the amount of arable land continues to decrease. To prevent a looming food crisis, crop productivity per acre must increase. A promising target for improving crop productivity is increasing the photosynthetic rates in crop plants. Cyanobacteria serve as models for higher plant photosynthetic systems and are an important test bed for improvements in photosynthetic productivity. In this study, we...