Summary
Mammalian eyes are exposed to visible light but cannot perform photosynthesis. Here, we show that introducing a nanoscale, structurally and functionally preserved thylakoid system, LEAF (light-reaction enriched thylakoid NADPH-foundry), into corneal cells enables light-driven bona fide photosynthetic production of NADPH and ATP, similar to plant leaves, which alleviates oxidative stress and inflammation. LEAF acts in two domains. Intracellularly, it integrates with host cells to supply NADPH and ATP via intact photosynthetic electron transport, restoring redox balance. Extracellularly, photosynthesized NADPH enhances endogeneous antioxidant enzyme activity and reduces reactive oxygen species in the local environment. These results establish a strategy for using light as an energy input in mammalian metabolic systems and suggest a possible cross-kingdom, endosymbiosis-like interaction in which animal cells derive functional benefits from plant-derived photosynthetic neo-organelles.
Trade-offs between light absorption and energy transfer in a marine light-harvesting complex 2
1mon 4d ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.pnas.org
Intracellular photonic crystals in photosynthetic sea slugs form via a kidney-mediated biomineralisation pathway
1mon 6d ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.biorxiv.orgPhotophysics of plasmonically enhanced self-assembled artificial light-harvesting nanoantennas
9mon 20d ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.nature.comUnlocking the potential of cacao yield with full sun cultivation | Scientific Reports
1y 4mon ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.nature.comHow Histone Acetyltransferases Shape Plant Photomorphogenesis and UV Response
1y 10mon ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.mdpi.comOxygen-evolving photosystem II structures during S1–S2–S3 transitions - Nature
2y 4mon ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.nature.com
Helping plants make better use of sunlight - The Global Plant Council
2y 10mon ago by mander.xyz/u/fossilesque in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from globalplantcouncil.org
Ambidextrous Microbes May Pump Out CO2 as Temperatures Rise - Certain microbes that engage in both photosynthesis and predation are more likely to do the latter as the planet warms
2y 11mon ago by mander.xyz/u/fossilesque in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from eos.org
ELI5: How do extremely variegated plants survive and thrive?
2y 11mon ago by mander.xyz/u/fossilesque in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from mander.xyz
Microbes Gained Photosynthesis Superpowers From a ‘Proton Pump’ | Quanta Magazine
2y 11mon ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from www.quantamagazine.org
[Book] Molecular Mechanisms of Photosynthesis
2y 11mon ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from media.wiley.com
Chemists discover why photosynthetic light-harvesting is so efficient
2y 11mon ago by mander.xyz/u/Sal in photosynthesis@mander.xyz from news.mit.edu