What role does sulpholipid play within the thylakoid membrane?
Sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol is a negatively charged lipid which exists in the thylakoid membrane. It is proposed that a large proportion of this acidic lipid does not form a part of the bulk lipid matrix but is closely associated with protein complexes where it is tightly bound and participates in either optimising catalytic activities, or maintaining the complexes in a functional conformation. Experimental evidence for this proposal is emerging from studies with isolated photosystem 2, and coupling factor complexes.
AFRC Photosynthesis Research Group, Department of Pure and Applied Biology, Imperial College of Science and Technology, SW7 2BB, London, UK.
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