IdR63/26 - Functional architecture of the peripheral antenna of Photosystems I and II in higher plants

Over the past decade, significant research has focused on light-harvesting and excitation energy dissipation mechanisms, aiming to improve light-use efficiency and expand the biotechnological applications of plants. However, manipulation of the gene products of light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) has been limited by an incomplete understanding of structure–function relationships.In this project, selected LHC gene products will be characterized in detail. Spectroscopic techniques will be applied to purified LHCII protein variants, including steady-state absorption/fluorescence spectroscopy and spectral deconvolution, transient absorption spectroscopy, and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy. The structural changes underlying specific spectral features will be investigated by (i) molecular modeling and (ii) direct structural analysis by cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM).