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The investigation of spatial heterogeneity within the thylakoid membrane (TM) proteins has gained increasing attention in photosynthetic research. The recent advances in live-cell imaging have allowed the identification of heterogeneous organisation of photosystems in small cyanobacterial cells. These sub-micrometre TM regions, termed microdomains in cyanobacteria, exhibit functional similarities with granal (Photosystem II dominant) and stromal (Photosystem I dominant) regions observed in TM of higher plants. This study delves into microdomain heterogeneity using super- resolution Airyscan-based microscopy enhancing resolution to approximately ~125 nm in x-y dimension. The new data reveal membrane areas rich in Photosystem I within the inner TM rings. Moreover, we identified analogous dynamics in the mobility of Photosystem II and phycobilisomes; countering earlier models that postulated differing mobility of these complexes. These novel findings thus hold significance for our understanding of photosynthesis regulation, particularly during state transitions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Differences in maximal yields of chlorophyll variable fluorescence (Fm) induced by single turnover (ST) and multiple turnover (MT) excitation are as great as 40%. Using mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii we investigated potential mechanisms controlling Fm above and beyond the QA redox level. Fm was low when the QB binding site was occupied by PQ and high when the QB binding site was empty or occupied by a PSII herbicide. Furthermore, in mutants with impaired rates of plastoquinol reoxidation, Fm was reached rapidly during MT excitation. In PSII particles with no mobile PQ pool, Fm was virtually identical to that obtained in the presence of PSII herbicides. We have developed a model to account for the variations in maximal fluorescence yields based on the occupancy of the QB binding site. The model predicts that the variations in maximal fluorescence yields are caused by the capacity of secondary electron acceptors to reoxidize QA-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]