New research reveals the atomic secrets of photosynthesis, providing insights into the complex process of chloroplast RNA polymerase transcription. This advancement holds promise for improving crop resilience and understanding plant growth mechanisms. Credit: SciTechDaily.com
The mysteries of
Seeing the polymerase molecule that transcribes photosynthetic genes in the plant chloroplast. Images of individual molecules collected with an electron microscope were sorted and aligned to reveal details of the structural architecture of the protein complex. Credit: Michael Webster & Ishika Pramanick
The Webster group at the John Innes Centre investigates how plants make photosynthetic proteins, the molecular machines that make this elegant chemical reaction happen, converting atmospheric carbon dioxide and water into simple sugars and producing oxygen as a byproduct.
The first stage in protein production is transcription, where a gene is read to produce a ‘messenger
The model allowed them to identify a protein that interacts with the