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A recent study published in Science Advances led by Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and involving collaborators from Imperial College London and Tanai Cardona from the Centre for Molecular Cell Biology sheds new light on an unusual mode of photosynthesis.

The research focused on Acaryochloris marina NIES-2412, a cyanobacterium capable of performing photosynthesis using far-red light. By integrating spectroscopy, cryo-electron microscopy, and bioinformatic approaches, the team characterised the structural and functional features that enable this organism to utilise light at wavelengths of up to ~760 nm, substantially beyond the ~700 nm limit typical of most plants.

This capability arises from the bacterium's use of chlorophyll d, rather than the chlorophyll a found in plants, allowing it to absorb red-shifted light and extend the range of usable solar energy.

These findings provide important mechanistic insights into how photosynthetic systems can adapt to low-energy light environments. Crucually, they offer a potential blueprint for engineering crops with the avbility to capture far-red light alongside visible wavelengths, a development that could significantly enhance photosynthetic efficiency and boost agricltural productivity.

Explore this study in more detail:

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aed7355