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SUMMARY:Decoupling Photoprotective Roles of Carotenoids in the PSII Light 
 Harvesting Complexes for Improved Plant Growth - Dr Julia Walter\, Departm
 ent of Plant Sciences
DTSTART:20211118T130000Z
DTEND:20211118T140000Z
UID:TALK162103@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Kumari Billakurthi
DESCRIPTION:Photosynthesis is a promising target for optimisation to enhan
 ce biomass accumulation in plants. As the initial step in this complex pro
 cess\, light harvesting plays a pivotal role and depends on the prevailing
  light conditions. \n\nWhile a minimum level of light intensity is require
 d for the activation of photosynthetic electron transfer between photosyst
 ems\, high light intensities can damage the photosynthetic machinery in th
 e thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts by the formation of Reactive Oxygen S
 pecies (ROS)\, giving rise to photoinhibition. \n\nThis can be prevented b
 y the action of several photoprotective mechanisms\, including the dissipa
 tion of excess light energy as heat (non-photochemical quenching\, NPQ)\, 
 and ROS scavenging. A specific group of carotenoids\, the xanthophylls\, a
 re known to be involved in both mechanisms by binding to the subunits of t
 he light harvesting complexes (LHCs) connected to the photosystems. \n\nUn
 der fluctuating light conditions\, the rate of NPQ (de)activation is trans
 iently limiting photosynthetic efficiency and can be accelerated by speedi
 ng up the xanthophyll cycle (Kromdijk et al.\, 2016). This\, however\, may
  in turn compromise the ROS scavenging capacity of xanthophylls and advers
 ely affect plant growth. \n\nTherefore\, it is our objective to decouple b
 oth functions of xanthophylls in LHCs in plants to ultimately optimise pla
 nt growth without compromising ROS scavenging capacity.\n\nContact recepti
 on@plantsci.cam.ac.uk for a Zoom link prior to a talk if you are not on ou
 r mailing list. Due to having to go online\, we are restricting the talks 
 to University of Cambridge and alumni to keep them as informal as possible
 .\n
LOCATION:Online
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