Role of nanodomains in compartmentalisation of electron transport functions in plant photosynthetic membranes.

地球上的生命依赖于光合作用，光合作用是我们所有食物、氧气和大部分能量的来源。光合作用的早期步骤包括通过光合膜中的电子转移(ET)反应捕获太阳能。原子力显微镜和荧光激发光谱的最新进展揭示了光合膜中ET组分在大小为50-100 nm的特定纳米区域内的意外划分。为了提高内质网的效率，我们建议将同源组分紧密地分组，从而在严重的蛋白质拥挤的膜上促进快速内质网，同时分离竞争途径的组分。然而，由于其极端的脆弱性，这些ET纳米结构域已被证明对纯化具有抵抗力。该项目将利用体内交联和质谱学的最新进展来表征ET纳米微球的结构组成，并确定其确切的ET功能。博士学位将为候选人提供现代生物化学纯化技术、质谱学以及荧光和吸收光谱学方面的跨学科培训，并有机会在项目过程中与生物学家、物理学家和化学工程师互动。

Life on earth depends on photosynthesis, the source of all of our food, oxygen and most of our energy. The early steps of photosynthesis involve trapping of solar energy by electron transfer (ET) reactions in the photosynthetic membrane. Recent advances have shown using atomic force microscopy and fluorescence excitation spectroscopy have revealed an unexpected compartmentalization of ET components in the photosynthetic membrane within specific nanodomains, 50-100 nm in size. Compartmentalization was suggested to improve ET efficiency by closely grouping cognate components, thereby facilitating rapid ET in the severely protein crowded membrane, while separating components of competing pathways. However, due to their extreme fragility such ET nanodomains have proved resistant to purification. This project will make use of the latest advances in in vivo crosslinking and mass spectrometry to characterise the structural components of ET nanodmomains and determine their exact ET function. The PhD would offer the candidate a board interdisciplinary training in modern biochemistry purification techniques, mass spectrometry and fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy with the opportunity to interact with biologists, physicists and chemical engineers during the course of their project.