Collaborative project uncovers the role of a protein in the
formation and maintenance of the inner membrane structures of photosynthetic
systems
(May 13, 2015) Chloroplasts
are the solar cells of plants and green algae. In a process called
photosynthesis, light energy is used to produce biochemical energy and the
oxygen we breathe. Thus, photosynthesis is one of the most important biological
processes on the planet. A central part of photosynthesis takes place in a
specialized structure within chloroplasts, the thylakoid membrane system.
Despite its apparent important function, until now it was not clear how this
specialized internal membrane system is actually formed. In a collaborative
project, researchers at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) have now identified
how this membrane is generated. According to their findings, a protein called
IM30 plays a major role by triggering the fusion of internal membranes. The
study elucidating the role of IM30 involved biologists, chemists, biochemists,
and biophysicists at Mainz University and the Max Planck Institute for Polymer
Research. Their results have recently been published in the journal Nature
Communications.