A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal
Probing the biogenesis pathway and dynamics of thylakoid membranes
Authors: Huokko Tuomas, Ni Tao, Dykes Gregory F, Simpson Deborah M, Brownridge Philip, Conradi Fabian D, Beynon Robert J, Nixon Peter J, Mullineaux Conrad W, Zhang Peijun, Liu Lu-Ning
Publisher: NATURE RESEARCH
Publication year: 2021
Journal: Nature Communications
Journal name in source: NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
Journal acronym: NAT COMMUN
Article number: ARTN 3475
Volume: 12
Number of pages: 14
ISSN: 2041-1723
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-23680-1(external)
Self-archived copy’s web address: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/66454358(external)
How 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. Cyanobacterial thylakoid membranes host the molecular machinery for the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis and respiratory electron flow. Here, the authors show that newly synthesized thylakoids emerge between the plasma membrane and pre-existing thylakoids and describe the time-dependent assembly process of photosynthetic complexes.
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