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Probing the biogenesis pathway and dynamics of thylakoid membranes
DOI:
10.1038/s41467-021-23680-1
Authors:
Tuomas
Huokko
(University of Liverpool)
,
Tao
Ni
(Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford)
,
Gregory F.
Dykes
(University of Liverpool)
,
Deborah M.
Simpson
(University of Liverpool)
,
Philip
Brownridge
(University of Liverpool)
,
Fabian D.
Conradi
(Queen Mary University of London)
,
Robert J.
Beynon
(University of Liverpool)
,
Peter J.
Nixon
(Imperial College London)
,
Conrad W.
Mullineaux
(Queen Mary University of London)
,
Peijun
Zhang
(Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, University of Oxford; Diamond Light Source)
,
Lu-Ning
Liu
(University of Liverpool; Ocean University of China)
Co-authored by industrial partner:
No
Type:
Journal Paper
Journal:
Nature Communications
, VOL 12
State:
Published (Approved)
Published:
June 2021
Diamond Proposal Number(s):
21004

Abstract: 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.
Journal Keywords: Confocal microscopy; Cryoelectron microscopy; Membrane structure and assembly; Photosynthesis
Diamond Keywords: Photosynthesis; Cyanobacteria
Subject Areas:
Biology and Bio-materials,
Chemistry
Diamond Offline Facilities:
Electron Bio-Imaging Centre (eBIC)
Instruments:
Krios II-Titan Krios II at Diamond
Added On:
14/06/2021 10:19
Discipline Tags:
Biochemistry
Chemistry
Structural biology
Life Sciences & Biotech
Technical Tags:
Imaging
Tomography
Cryo Electron Tomography (Cryo ET)