Evolution of photosynthetic membrane biogenesis and protein complex assembly

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Marc Nowaczyk, since 9/2017
• Subject Area: Plant Physiology
• Term: from 2014 to 2022
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 239484859

The thylakoid membrane, which harbors the protein complexes mediating the photosynthetic reactions inside chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, is evolutionary related to photosynthetic membrane domains present in the plasma membrane of the primordial cyanobacteria Gloeobacter violaceus. While structure and mechanism of the protein complexes involved in photosynthetic electron transport has been resolved in high detail, many open questions remain concerning the biogenesis of the thylakoid/photosynthetic membranes and the assembly of the individual protein complexes. In particular, the evolutionary development, the conservation and tuning of protein-protein interactions, as well as the influence of different membrane organization are addressed in this project. In the first work package, we investigate the mechanisms underlying the formation of thylakoid membranes and photosynthetic membrane domains in cyanobacteria during the recovery from chlorosis. In the second work package, we addressed specifically the biogenesis of photosystem II to decode molecular interactions of auxiliary proteins that guide the formation of photosystem II assembly intermediates.

• DFG Programme: Research Units
• Subproject of: FOR 2092: Biogenesis of Thylakoid Membranes: Spatiotemporal Organisation of Photosynthetic Protein Complex Assembly
• Ehemaliger Antragsteller: Dr.-Ing. Sascha Rexroth, until 8/2017