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Title: Revealing the Dynamics of Thylakoid Membranes in Living Cyanobacterial Cells

Journal Article · · Scientific Reports
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/srep19627· OSTI ID:1259841
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [2];  [3];  [1]
  1. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Neutron Sciences Directorate (NScD
  3. Washington Univ., St. Louis, MO (United States)
+ Show Author Affiliations

Cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes that make major contributions to the production of the oxygen in the Earth atmosphere. The photosynthetic machinery in cyanobacterial cells is housed in flattened membrane structures called thylakoids. The structural organization of cyanobacterial cells and the arrangement of the thylakoid membranes in response to environmental conditions have been widely investigated. However, there is limited knowledge about the internal dynamics of these membranes in terms of their flexibility and motion during the photosynthetic process. Here, we present a direct observation of thylakoid membrane undulatory motion in vivo and show a connection between membrane mobility and photosynthetic activity. High-resolution inelastic neutron scattering experiments on the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 assessed the flexibility of cyanobacterial thylakoid membrane sheets and the dependence of the membranes on illumination conditions. Moreover, we observed softer thylakoid membranes in the dark that have three-to four fold excess mobility compared to membranes under high light conditions. Finally, our analysis indicates that electron transfer between photosynthetic reaction centers and the associated electrochemical proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane result in a significant driving force for excess membrane dynamics. These observations provide a deeper understanding of the relationship between photosynthesis and cellular architecture.

Research Organization:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Photosynthetic Antenna Research Center (PARC); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001035; AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1259841
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1261505
Journal Information:
Scientific Reports, Vol. 6; ISSN 2045-2322
Publisher:
Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 32 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Cited By (8)

Diverse hydrocarbon biosynthetic enzymes can substitute for olefin synthase in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 journal February 2019
Influence of Chemically Disrupted Photosynthesis on Cyanobacterial Thylakoid Dynamics in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 journal April 2019
Macroorganisation and flexibility of thylakoid membranes journal October 2019
Charge regulation radically modifies electrostatics in membrane stacks journal November 2019
Neutron scattering in the biological sciences: progress and prospects journal December 2018
The Role of Slr0151, a Tetratricopeptide Repeat Protein from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803, during Photosystem II Assembly and Repair journal May 2016
Introducing an Arabidopsis thaliana Thylakoid Thiol/Disulfide-Modulating Protein Into Synechocystis Increases the Efficiency of Photosystem II Photochemistry journal October 2019
Charge regulation radically modifies electrostatics in membrane stacks text January 2019

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