Understanding the Principles of the Adaptation of Photosynthesis to Diverse Environments

Organizer Yuu Hirose (Toyohashi Univ. of Tech.)，Genji Kurisu（Osaka Univ.）

Photosynthetic organisms synthesize organic compounds from water and carbon dioxides using solar energy. They adapted and expanded over a wide range of environments and sustain all living organisms on Earth. The structure and function of photosynthetic apparatus change dynamically in response to environmental conditions. In 2023, researchers from structural biology, plant physiology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics have teamed up to launch a new research project, “Photosynthetic Ubiquity”, which is supported by Grant-in-Aid for Transformative Research Areas (A) from JSPS. In this symposium, the members of this project will discuss approaches to elucidate the molecular principles of adaptation of photosynthetic supramolecular complexes to diverse environments.

Structure of cyanobacterial photosystem I complexed with ferredoxin and cytochrome c6 at 1.97 Å resolution

Jiannan Li^1,2, Noriyuki Hamaoka^1,2, Fumiaki Makino^3,4, Akihiro Kawamoto^1,2, Keiichi Namba^3,4,5, Christoph Gerle1, Genji Kurisu^1,2,5 (¹Inst. Prot. Res., Osaka Univ., ²Grad. Sch. Sci., Osaka Univ., ³Grad. Sch. Front. Bio., Osaka Univ., ⁴JEOL Co., Ltd., ⁵JEOL YOKOGUSHI Res. Lab., Osaka Univ.)

Visualization of dynamic higher-order molecular structure of thylakoid membranes by HS-AFM

Daisuke Yamamoto, Yudai Nishitani (Fac. Sci., Fukuoka Univ.)

Understanding environmental adaptation mechanisms in photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins

Keisuke Saito^1,2, Masaki Tsujimura¹, Takumi Kagimoto¹, Hiroshi Ishikita^1,2 (1RCAST, Univ. Tokyo, ²Grad. Sch. Sci., Univ. Tokyo)

Decoding the environmental adaptation strategies of biological machineries via ancestral proteins

Yuko Tsuchiya¹, Ryuhei Minei², Atsushi Hijikata³, Tsuyoshi Shirai² (¹Artificial Intelligence Research Center (AIRC), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), ²Department of Bio-science, Nagahama Institute of Bio-Science and Technology, ³School of Life Sciences, Tokyo University of Pharmacy and Life Sciences)

Structural basis of chromatic acclimation in Cyanobacteria

Yuu Hirose (Toyohashi Univ. of Tech. Dept. of Eng.)

Molecular-level life hacks that enable photosynthesis anywhere on Earth.”
Organizer: Shinichiro Maruyama (The University of Tokyo)
The history of life on earth, in which almost all life depends on solar energy, can be described as a history of repeated functional improvement and reoptimization through evolution driven by chance, as if existing molecular functions were “hacked”. We would like to deepen the discussion on the molecular structural innovations that photosynthetic organisms, or light-using organisms as well as photosynthetic organisms, have developed to adapt to various global environments and to expand their range of activities, as well as new technologies and tools to delve into such a history.

Lifehack of Carbon Dioxide fixation from Algae” Yasuhisa Hirakawa (University of Tsukuba)

Mechanism and evolutionary path of infrared-enhanced photosynthesis found in the green alga Nanjokukawa-nori” Makiko Kosugi (National Institute for Basic Biology)

Photosynthesis and Microbial Rhodopsin: Their Lifestyle and Life Hacks Based on Mechanism and Distribution” Susumu YOSHIZAWA (The University of Tokyo)

Molecular-level imaging of dynamics in thylakoid membranes by high-speed atomic force microscopy” Daisuke YAMAMOTO (Fukuoka University)

Life Hacks of Supramolecular Structures Enabling Photosynthesis in Various Environments: Cryo-EM Observations” Akihiro Kawamoto (Osaka University)