In photosynthesis, harnessing the power of the Sun is made possible by the flow of electrons from one protein to another inside an organelle called the chloroplast. This organelle contains a complex system of membranes, some of which are densely stacked, and others that are organized into more expansive assemblies. Until now, the scientific consensus was that this spatial structure forces the electrons to cover large distances between proteins, slowing down the process of photosynthesis. But in a paper recently published in Nature Plants, a research team led by staff scientist Dr. Reinat Nevo from Reich’s lab revealed that the membranes change their organization in space during the transition from darkness to light, enabling the proteins to come closer to one another and thus shortening the distance the electrons must cross.
