Let algae see the light – and improve biofuels
6 Jan 2010 by Evoluted New Media
A specific protein that plays a critical role in eliminating excess absorbed light in algae has been discovered, which has important implications for agriculture and biofuels.
A specific protein that plays a critical role in eliminating excess absorbed light in algae has been discovered, which has important implications for agriculture and biofuels.
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Chlamydomanas reinhardtii has potential uses in agriculture and biofuel production |
Graham Peers from the University of California – working with researchers from Germany’s University of Münster – used a mutant strain of the single-celled green alga Chlamydomonas reinhartdii to show LHCSR, a protein from the light harvesting family, acts as a safety valve to dissipate excess absorbed light energy before it can wreak havoc in cells. Researchers exposed a mutant algae lacking in LHCSR to fluctuating light conditions to show that it suffered greatly.
“Photosynthetic organisms must be able to manage absorbed light energy, and the LHCSR proteins appear to be critical for algae to eliminate absorbed light energy as heat as light levels in the environment fluctuate, becoming potentially toxic,” said Arthur Grossman, study co-author from Carnegie Institute’s Department of Plant Biology, where the alga was originally isolated.
Grossman says it’s important to understand how the environment has shaped the evolution of photosynthetic machinery - some have evolved in the desert to withstand high light and temperature environments, while other have adapted to alpine environments with high light and low temperatures. He says it opens the possibility of introducing these mechanisms into plants to allow them to better manage absorbed light energy and to survive harsher conditions, which has many benefits for agriculture.
Algae can be used to generate biofuels, with the suggestion that it could be cultivated in deserts where solar input can be extremely high. Grossman said: “If we are going to attempt this, we have to make sure that we use the right algae that can thrive and produce oil at high levels under harsh conditions.” He noted that although there are many challenges associated with producing such a robust, commercially viable strain, it may be possible to tailor features of the photosynthetic machinery to let algae use light more efficiently.
