A research group led by Associate Professor Minoru Shibata of Tohoku University has uncovered part of the mechanism of highly efficient photosynthesis in organisms, which is effective in mitigating global warming. While the structure of proteins has been elucidated using cutting-edge X-ray and electron microscopes, it has been difficult to capture how they function inside living cells. By using a special optical microscope to observe Chlamydomonas, a type of single-celled algae, in a near-living state, the group discovered that the light-harvesting protein in this organism is much larger and more efficient than previously thought.

【Press release (in Japanese)】https://www.tohoku.ac.jp/japanese/2025/07/press20250702-02-micro.html
【Journal】Plant Physiology　
【Title】　Revealing the diversity of in vivo photosystem I light-harvesting antennae
【Authors】Xianjun Zhang, Rin Taniguchi, Shen Ye, Yutaka Shibata　　
【DOI】10.1093/plphys/kiaf207　
【URL】https://doi.org/10.1093/plphys/kiaf207