Photosynthesis takes place in specialized membrane systems, made up of stacked disks linked together by unstacked planar leaflets. Researchers at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) have now identified a protein that tucks the membrane in at the edge of each stack. By making use of sunlight to generate molecular oxygen and other energy-rich chemical compounds that other organisms can utilize as nutrients, photosynthesis provides the basis for almost all life on Earth. Radiant energy from the Sun is captured by pigment-protein complexes embedded in specialized membrane systems called thylakoids. The thylakoids of green plants reside within organelles called chloroplasts, membrane-bounded compartments in… Login to continue

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