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Rhodopseudomonas palustris CGA009 is a purple non-sulfur bacterium that can fix carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and nitrogen or break down organic compounds for its carbon and nitrogen requirements. Light, inorganic, and organic compounds can all be used for its source of energy. Excess electrons produced during its metabolic processes can be exploited to produce hydrogen gas or biodegradable polyesters. A genome-scale metabolic model of the bacterium was reconstructed to study the interactions between photosynthesis, CO 2 fixation, and the redox state of the quinone pool. A comparison of model-predicted flux values with available Metabolic Flux Analysis (MFA) fluxes yielded predicted errors of 5-19% across four different growth substrates. The model predicted the presence of an unidentified sink responsible for the oxidation of excess quinols generated by the TCA cycle. Furthermore, light-dependent energy production was found to be highly dependent on the quinol oxidation rate. Finally, the extent of CO 2 fixation was predicted to be dependent on the amount of ATP generated through the electron transport chain, with excess ATP going toward the energy-demanding Calvin-Benson-Bassham (CBB) pathway. Based on this analysis, it is hypothesized that the quinone redox state acts as a feed-forward controller of the CBB pathway, signaling the amount of ATP available.

The analysis of the irradiance responses of photosynthetic processes, such as the quantum efficiencies of electron transport by photosystems I and II (PSI and PSII) or the rate of carbon dioxide fixation, is limited by the lack of mechanistically based analytical model for these processes. Starting with a model of P700 redox state, we develop a series of analytical functions which can be used to fit the irradiance responses of the quantum yields for electron transport by PSI and PSII, the irradiance responses of electron transport by PSI and PSII, and even the irradiance response of the fixation rate of carbon dioxide. These functions depend on two or three parameters so they can be fit to typical irradiance response data. We illustrate by example the use of these functions in various applications and discuss further use and development of the basic model described in detail here., (© 2017 The Authors. Physiologia Plantarum published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Scandinavian Plant Physiology Society.)

Little was known on how sunlight affects the seed metabolism in nongreen seeds. Castor bean (Ricinus communis L.) is a typical nongreen oilseed crop and its seed oil is an important feedstock in industry. In this study, photosynthetic activity of seed coat tissues of castor bean in natural conditions was evaluated in comparison to shaded conditions. Our results indicate that exposure to high light enhances photosynthetic activity in seed coats and consequently increases oil accumulation. Consistent results were also reached using cultured seeds. High-throughput RNA-Seq analyses further revealed that genes involved in photosynthesis and carbon conversion in both the Calvin-Benson cycle and malate transport were differentially expressed between seeds cultured under light and dark conditions, implying several venues potentially contributing to light-enhanced lipid accumulation such as increased reducing power and CO2 refixation which underlie the overall lipid biosynthesis. This study demonstrated the effects of light exposure on oil accumulation in nongreen oilseeds and greatly expands our understanding of the physiological roles that light may play during seed development in nongreen oilseeds. Essentially, our studies suggest that potential exists to enhance castor oil yield through increasing exposure of the inflorescences to sunlight either by genetically changing the plant architecture (smart canopy) or its growing environment.

While the diazotrophic cyanobacterium Trichodesmium is known to display inverse diurnal performances of photosynthesis and N2 fixation, such a phenomenon has not been well documented under different day-night (L-D) cycles and different levels of light dose exposed to the cells. Here, we show differences in growth, N2 fixation and photosynthetic carbon fixation as well as photochemical performances of Trichodesmium IMS101 grown under 12L:12D, 8L:16D and 16L:8D L-D cycles at 70 μmol photons m-2 s-1 PAR (LL) and 350 μmol photons m-2 s-1 PAR (HL). The specific growth rate was the highest under LL and the lowest under HL under 16L:8D, and it increased under LL and decreased under HL with increased levels of daytime light doses exposed under the different light regimes, respectively. N2 fixation and photosynthetic carbon fixation were affected differentially by changes in the day-night regimes, with the former increasing directly under LL with increased daytime light doses and decreased under HL over growth-saturating light levels. Temporal segregation of N2 fixation from photosynthetic carbon fixation was evidenced under all day-night regimes, showing a time lag between the peak in N2 fixation and dip in carbon fixation. Elongation of light period led to higher N2 fixation rate under LL than under HL, while shortening the light exposure to 8 h delayed the N2 fixation peaking time (at the end of light period) and extended it to night period. Photosynthetic carbon fixation rates and transfer of light photons were always higher under HL than LL, regardless of the day-night cycles. Conclusively, diel performance of N2 fixation possesses functional plasticity, which was regulated by levels of light energy supplies either via changing light levels or length of light exposure.

The model green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii is frequently subject to periods of dark and anoxia in its natural environment. Here, by resorting to mutants defective in the maturation of the chloroplastic oxygen-sensitive hydrogenases or in Proton-Gradient Regulation-Like1 (PGRL1)-dependent cyclic electron flow around photosystem I (PSI-CEF), we demonstrate the sequential contribution of these alternative electron flows (AEFs) in the reactivation of photosynthetic carbon fixation during a shift from dark anoxia to light. At light onset, hydrogenase activity sustains a linear electron flow from photosystem II, which is followed by a transient PSI-CEF in the wild type. By promoting ATP synthesis without net generation of photosynthetic reductants, the two AEF are critical for restoration of the capacity for carbon dioxide fixation in the light. Our data also suggest that the decrease in hydrogen evolution with time of illumination might be due to competition for reduced ferredoxins between ferredoxin-NADP(+) oxidoreductase and hydrogenases, rather than due to the sensitivity of hydrogenase activity to oxygen. Finally, the absence of the two alternative pathways in a double mutant pgrl1 hydrogenase maturation factor G-2 is detrimental for photosynthesis and growth and cannot be compensated by any other AEF or anoxic metabolic responses. This highlights the role of hydrogenase activity and PSI-CEF in the ecological success of microalgae in low-oxygen environments., (© 2015 American Society of Plant Biologists. All Rights Reserved.)

The chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence induction kinetics, net photosynthetic CO2 fixation rates P N, and composition of photosynthetic pigments of differently light exposed leaves of several trees were comparatively measured to determine the differences in photosynthetic activity and pigment adaptation of leaves. The functional measurements were carried out with sun, half-shade and shade leaves of seven different trees species. These were: Acer platanoides L., Ginkgo biloba L., Fagus sylvatica L., Platanus x acerifolia Willd., Populus nigra L., Quercus robur L., Tilia cordata Mill. In three cases (beech, ginkgo, and oak), we compared the Chl fluorescence kinetics and photosynthetic rates of blue-shade leaves of the north tree crown receiving only blue sky light but no direct sunlight with that of sun leaves. In these cases, we also determined in detail the pigment composition of all four leaf types. In addition, we determined the quantum irradiance and spectral irradiance of direct sunlight, blue skylight as well as the irradiance in half shade and full shade. The results indicate that sun leaves possess significantly higher mean values for the net CO2 fixation rates P N (7.8-10.7 μmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) leaf area) and the Chl fluorescence ratio R Fd (3.85-4.46) as compared to shade leaves (mean P N of 2.6-3.8 μmol CO2 m(-2) s(-1) leaf area.; mean R Fd of 1.94-2.56). Sun leaves also exhibit higher mean values for the pigment ratio Chl a/b (3.14-3.31) and considerably lower values for the weight ratio total chlorophylls to total carotenoids, (a + b)/(x + c), (4.07-4.25) as compared to shade leaves (Chl a/b 2.62-2.72) and (a + b)/(x + c) of 5.18-5.54. Blue-shade and half-shade leaves have an intermediate position between sun and shade leaves in all investigated parameters including the ratio F v/F o (maximum quantum yield of PS2 photochemistry) and are significantly different from sun and shade leaves but could not be differentiated from each other. The mean values of the Chl fluorescence decrease ratio R Fd of blue-shade and half-shade leaves fit well into the strong linear correlation with the net photosynthetic rates P N of sun and shade leaves, thus unequivocally indicating that the determination of the Chl fluorescence decrease ratio R Fd is a fast and indirect measurement of the photosynthetic activity of leaves. The investigations clearly demonstrate that the photosynthetic capacity and pigment composition of leaves and chloroplasts strongly depend on the amounts and quality of light received by the leaves.