title: Short-term acclimation of the photosynthetic electron transfer chain to changing light: a mathematical model.
abstract: Photosynthetic eukaryotes house two photosystems with distinct light absorption spectra. Natural fluctuations in light quality and quantity can lead to unbalanced or excess excitation, compromising photosynthetic efficiency and causing photodamage. Consequently, these organisms have acquired several distinct adaptive mechanisms, collectively referred to as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of chlorophyll fluorescence, which modulates the organization and function of the photosynthetic apparatus. The ability to monitor NPQ processes fluorometrically has led to substantial progress in elucidating the underlying molecular mechanisms. However, the relative contribution of distinct NPQ mechanisms to variable light conditions in different photosynthetic eukaryotes remains unclear. Here, we present a mathematical model of the dynamic regulation of eukaryotic photosynthesis using ordinary differential equations. We demonstrate that, for Chlamydomonas, our model recapitulates the basic fluorescence features of short-term light acclimation known as state transitions and discuss how the model can be iteratively refined by comparison with physiological experiments to further our understanding of light acclimation in different species.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology, University of Aberdeen, , Meston Building, Old Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UK.
authors.forename: Oliver
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Ebenhöh
authors.forename: Geoffrey
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fucile
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Finazzi
authors.forename: Jean-David
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Rochaix
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldschmidt-Clermont
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization / Q000502:physiology*; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000502:physiology*; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008027:Light; D008954:Models, Biological; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000502:physiology*; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins
keywords: Chlamydomonas reinhardtii; light acclimation; mathematical modelling; non-photochemical quenching; photosynthesis; state transitions