Charting the native architecture of Chlamydomonas thylakoid membranes with single-molecule precision.

ABSTRACT: Thylakoid membranes scaffold an assortment of large protein complexes that work together to harness the energy of light. It has been a longstanding challenge to visualize how the intricate thylakoid network organizes these protein complexes to finely tune the photosynthetic reactions. Previously, we used in situ cryo-electron tomography to reveal the native architecture of thylakoid membranes (Engel et al., 2015). Here, we leverage technical advances to resolve the individual protein complexes within these membranes. Combined with a new method to visualize membrane surface topology, we map the molecular landscapes of thylakoid membranes inside green algae cells. Our tomograms provide insights into the molecular forces that drive thylakoid stacking and reveal that photosystems I and II are

SUBMITTER: Wietrzynski W 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7164959 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature