Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

PHOTOSYNTHETIC MEMBRANES

Chlorophyll biogenesis sees the light

Nature Plants volume 7, pages 380–381 (2021)Cite this article

Subjects

Upon first exposure to light, plants initiate the synchronized biogenesis of chlorophyll and thylakoid membranes. Two new studies have revealed a molecular view of the light-dependent step of chlorophyll synthesis within the membranes of developing angiosperm chloroplasts.

The light-harvesting steps of photosynthesis take place within thylakoids, an intricate network of sheet-like membranes. In plant chloroplasts, thylakoid membranes stack to form interconnected grana. Thylakoids scaffold an assortment of chlorophyll-containing proteins, including light-harvesting antennas and photosystems, which transform the energy of photons into electrochemical potential. Despite decades of research, the molecular events that coordinate thylakoid biogenesis remain elusive.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Rent or buy this article

Prices vary by article type

from$1.95

to$39.95

Learn more

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Fig. 1: Light-induced ‘greening’ of the chloroplast.

References

  1. Wang, P. & Grimm, B. Trends Plant Sci. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tplants.2020.12.005 (2021).

  2. Kowalewska, Ł., Mazur, R., Suski, S., Garstka, M. & Mostowska, A. Plant Cell 28, 875–891 (2016).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Floris, D. & Kühlbrandt, W. Nat. Plants https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00896-z (2021).

  4. Blomqvist, L. A., Ryberg, M. & Sundqvist, C. Photosynth. Res. 96, 37–50 (2008).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Ryberg, M. & Sundqvist, C. Physiol. Plant. 56, 125–132 (1982).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  6. Nguyen, H. C., Melo, A. A., Kruk, J., Frost, A. & Gabruk, M. Nat. Plants https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00885-2 (2021).

  7. Masuda, S. et al. Plant J. 58, 952–960 (2009).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Frick, G., Su, Q., Apel, K. & Armstrong, G. A. Plant J. 35, 141–153 (2003).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Armbruster, U. et al. Plant Cell 25, 2661–2678 (2013).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gupta, T. K. et al. Preprint at bioRxiv https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.08.11.243204 (2020).

  11. Muraki, N. et al. Nature 465, 110–114 (2010).

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Helmholtz Pioneer Campus, Helmholtz Zentrum München, Neuherberg, Germany

    Wojciech Wietrzynski & Benjamin D. Engel

  2. Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich, Garching, Germany

    Benjamin D. Engel

Authors
  1. Wojciech Wietrzynski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Benjamin D. Engel
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Wojciech Wietrzynski or Benjamin D. Engel.

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and Permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Wietrzynski, W., Engel, B.D. Chlorophyll biogenesis sees the light. Nat. Plants 7, 380–381 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00900-6

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41477-021-00900-6

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing