Protective mechanisms of photosynthetic processes against oxidative damage in Chlamydomonas Reinhardt II
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- Sunlight is by far the most abundant source of energy that drives processes on the Earth. Oxygenic photosynthesis is a series of catalytic reactions that convert the solar energy into chemical bond energy. The process begins by harvesting light energy by pigment-protein complexes in photosynthetic membranes. The absorbed light energy drives a series of electron transfer reactions that generate reducing equivalents and high energy compounds. These chemicals are used to fuel the Calvin Benson Bassham (CBB) Cycle in which atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) is fixed in energy rich organic molecules. Molecular oxygen (O2) is another major product generated in photosynthesis. Although necessary for aerobic respiration, O¬2 can also form reactive oxygen species (ROS) that can cause severe cellular damage. Excess light energy absorbed by photosynthetic pigments may result in the transfer of electrons to O2 and the formation of ROS. Photosynthetic processes are particularly susceptible to oxidative damage since the photosynthetic complexes contain many O2 sensitive components. Furthermore, control of the photosynthetic activity and the production and quenching of ROS are critical since the rates of photosynthetic electron transport are constantly impacted by environmental conditions such as light intensity and the atmospheric gas compositions. This dissertation explores the regulatory functions of proteins associated with protection of the photosynthetic apparatus from oxidative damage that can impact both the assembly and activity of photosynthetic complexes. The green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Chlamydomonas throughout) was used for all experiments described in this study. The first chapter introduces the reader to photosynthesis. The second chapter focuses on the CGL71, a protein critical for protecting photosystem I (PSI) assembly from oxidative damage. In the third chapter, the first part explores a high-throughput mutant screen to get Chlamydomonas mutants in proteins associated with oxidative damage. The second part of the third chapter focuses on RMT2, which was selected from the screen. It is a methyltransferase, which allows us to investigate the biological roles of post-translational modification in regulation of photosynthesis. Overall, this work reveals novel components associated with mechanisms critical for protecting photosynthetic functions from oxidative damage.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2018; ©2018 |
| Publication date | 2018; 2018 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Kim, Rick Gyusik |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Grossman, Arthur (Arthur R.) |
| Degree supervisor | Mudgett, Mary Beth, 1967- |
| Thesis advisor | Grossman, Arthur (Arthur R.) |
| Thesis advisor | Mudgett, Mary Beth, 1967- |
| Thesis advisor | Long, Sharon |
| Thesis advisor | Moerner, W. E. (William Esco), 1953- |
| Degree committee member | Long, Sharon |
| Degree committee member | Moerner, W. E. (William Esco), 1953- |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Biology. |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Rick Gyusik Kim. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Biology. |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2018. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2018 by Rick Gyusik Kim
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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