Quantification of the mechanisms of light tolerance that determine growth and productivity in plants and algae.

该提案解决了植物和藻类对光环境频繁变化的快速适应：非光化学猝灭（NPQ）。NPQ的分子基础以及NPQ在光合生物中的有效性和高耐光性的评估是本提案的重点。光合机构响应强光的适应性重组背后的机制将在选择性地去除其成分的膜中重现，并使用电子显微镜、光谱学和生物化学方法进行研究。我们将讨论特定蛋白PsbS和Lhcx在这一过程中的作用。最近开发的一种新方法将用于确定NPQ的有效性和植物和藻类的高耐光性-即所谓的pNPQ技术。这些知识对于理解光合生物在变化的环境中的进化模式非常重要，可以预测气候变化对我们星球上的植物和藻类群落的影响。这一建议是及时的，因为PI已经发现了PsbS蛋白与光合机构成分的相互作用模式，NPQ的经济性质以及光合膜中聚光蛋白（LHCII）的可视化特异性聚类。此外，Niyogi和Long的实验室最近发表的论文（https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27856901）得益于基于pnpq的技术的使用，该技术通过使NPQ对光线波动的反应更快，帮助开发出性能更好的作物。此外，Optisciences （USA）公司在其革命性的植物监测荧光仪PSP32 （http://www.optisci.com/psp32.html）中使用了pNPQ方法，这对于监测现场的植物耐光性是必不可少的。因此，目前关于通过增强能量收集或耐光性能来改善作物的研究建议的进一步影响是可以预期的。

This proposal addresses the rapid adaptation of plants and algae to frequent changes in the light environment: non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). The molecular basis of NPQ and the assessment of NPQ effectiveness and high light tolerance in photosynthetic organisms are the focus of this proposal. The mechanism behind the adaptive reorganisation of the photosynthetic apparatus in response to high light intensities will be reproduced in membranes selectively devoid of its components and studied using electron microscopy, spectroscopy and biochemistry approaches. The role of specific proteins PsbS and Lhcx in the process will be addressed. A recently-developed novel method will be applied to determine effectiveness of NPQ and high light tolerance of plants and algae - a so-called pNPQ technology. This knowledge is important for understanding the patterns of the evolution of photosynthetic organisms in changing environments, allowing for the prediction of the impact of the climate change upon our planet's plant and algal communities. The proposal is timely since the PI has discovered the PsbS protein interaction patterns with the components of the photosynthetic apparatus, the economic nature of NPQ and visualised specific clustering of the light-collecting proteins (LHCII) in the photosynthetic membrane. Further, the recent paper of Niyogi's and Long's laboratories (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27856901) benefited from the use of pNPQ-based technology that helped to develop better performing crop plants just by making their NPQ respond more quickly to light fluctuations. In addition, the company Optisciences (USA) has utilised the pNPQ methodology in their revolutionary plant monitoring fluorimeter PSP32 (http://www.optisci.com/psp32.html) that is indispensable for monitoring plant light tolerance in the field. Hence, the further impact of the current proposal on research dealing with crop improvement via enhancement of energy-harvesting or light-endurance properties is expected.