Detailed studies of photosynthesis could lead to new ways to generate clean fuels and renewable energy.
In this department, Dr. Jenny Zhang assembled an international team of physicists, chemists, and biologists to study the early stages of photosynthesis in living cells on ultrafast timescales (millionths of a second).
Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, algae and some bacteria convert sunlight into energy. Photosynthesis is one of the best-known and best-studied processes on Earth, but researchers have discovered that photosynthesis still has secrets to tell. Researchers who have used ultrafast spectroscopy to study the movement of energy have found that chemicals capable of extracting electrons from the molecular structures responsible for photosynthesis were found in the early stages, rather than much later as previously thought. I have found to extract the Results are reported in the journal Nature.
Photosynthetic rewiring
Photosynthesis is a natural process, but scientists are also researching ways to mimic the photosynthetic process to produce clean fuels from sunlight and water, to help address the climate crisis. This rewiring of photosynthesis could improve how excess energy is handled and create new, more efficient ways to use that power.
Zhang and her colleagues originally sought to understand why ring-shaped molecules called quinones can “steal” electrons from photosynthesis. You can Researchers used a technique called ultrafast transient absorption spectroscopy to study how quinones behave in photosynthetic cyanobacteria.
“In the early stages of photosynthesis, no one had properly studied how this molecule interacts with the photosynthetic machinery. We wanted to use new techniques to confirm what we already know. I thought they were just using it,” Zhang said. “Instead, we discovered an entirely new pathway, opening up the black box of photosynthesis a bit more.”
Using ultrafast spectroscopy to observe electrons, they found that the protein scaffolds where the first chemical reactions of photosynthesis take place are ‘leaky’, allowing electrons to escape. This leakiness may help plants protect themselves from damage from bright or rapidly changing light.
“The physics of photosynthesis is very impressive. Normally we work with highly ordered materials, but by observing charge transport through cells, we can discover new discoveries about how nature works.” It opens up great opportunities for
“Because the electrons from photosynthesis are distributed throughout the system, it means they are accessible,” says co-lead author Dr. Laura Wei, who did research in the Department of Biochemistry and is now based at the University of Turku. says. Finland. “The fact that we didn’t know this pathway existed is exciting because it could be exploited to extract more energy for renewable energy.”
The researchers say that being able to extract the charge early in the photosynthetic process could make the process more efficient in manipulating the photosynthetic pathway to produce clean fuels from the sun. Additionally, the ability to regulate photosynthesis means that crops can become more tolerant of intense sunlight.
“Many scientists have tried to extract electrons from the early stages of photosynthesis, but they said it was impossible because the energy is buried in the protein scaffold,” Zhang said. “The fact that we were able to steal them earlier is amazing. At first, we thought we made a mistake. ”
“We didn’t know as much about photosynthesis as we thought. This new electron transfer pathway is absolutely amazing,” Zhang said.
Ultrafast spectroscopy
Key to this discovery was the use of ultrafast spectroscopy. This allowed researchers to track the energy flow of living photosynthetic cells at the femtosecond scale (thousandths of a trillionth of a second).
“By using these ultrafast methods, we have gained a greater understanding of the early events of photosynthesis on which life on Earth depends,” said co-author Christopher Howe of the Department of Biochemistry. the professor said.
Original: Photosynthesis ‘hack’ could lead to new ways to generate renewable energy
Than: University of Cambridge | University of Turku
