Super-resolution video rate imaging of photosynthetic membrane dynamics in plants and algae

结构照明显微镜提供的植物叶绿体和藻类内部工作的显著图像表明，光合膜形态变化在适应光强变化中起着重要作用。我们对这一很大程度上未被探索的现象的研究揭示了快速的动力学，帮助植物将光转化为化学能，并将其消耗的二氧化碳固定为生物质。现在，我们有能力利用一项突破性的显微镜技术，第一次以超分辨率实时拍摄这些动态。超分辨率可编程阵列显微镜（SR-PAM），可以在成像过程中适应，以优化信号噪声和分辨率。该系统的适应性意味着我们可以将超分辨率进一步推向深层样本。利用这种令人兴奋的新显微镜技术，我们将研究类囊体膜动力学如何调节光合作用。这项研究的结果有可能为改善光合作用增强作物和生物燃料生产提供一条意想不到的途径。

Remarkable images of the internal workings of plant chloroplasts and algaeprovided by structured illumination microscopy suggest a major role forphotosynthetic membrane morphological changes in the adaptation to changinglight intensity. Our study of this largely unexplored phenomenon has revealedrapid dynamics that help the plant match the conversion of light to chemicalenergy with its consumption for CO 2 fixation into biomass. Now we have theability to image these dynamics in real time at super-resolution for the first timeusing a breakthrough microscopy technology. The super-resolutionprogrammable array microscope (SR-PAM), can adapt during imaging tooptimise signal to noise and resolution. The adaptability of the system meansthat we can push super-resolution further in to deep samples. Utilising thisexciting new microscopy technique we will investigate how the thylakoidmembrane dynamics regulate photosynthesis. The results of this study have thepotential to provide an unexpected route to improving photosynthesis forenhanced crop and biofuel production.