Redox Regulation in Oxigenic Photosynthesis

TLDR: In this article, three sets of parameters appear to be of interest and should be controlled in order to optimize the process of photosynthesis, to minimize the waste of energy and to prevent the development of damage.

Abstract: Photosynthetic cells use the energy from absorbed light to synthesize partially or fully reduced organic compounds such as carbohydrates, fatty acids and amino acids from oxidized substrates. A series of elaborate redox reactions links the fundamental events of light absorption to the ultimate supply of reduced assimilates within the cell and also for export to sink tissues. When one looks from a modeling point of view, three sets of parameters appear to be of interest and — if possible — should be controlled in order to optimize the process of photosynthesis, to minimize the waste of energy and to prevent the development of damage (Fig. 1). These three sets of parameters are (1) the input parameters, mainly the incident photon flux density, other environmental parameters and gene activity, (2) the output parameters, particularly the accumulated amount of assimilate products and the energy status, and (3) process parameters, the redox state of intermediate reactions which are of key importance for the whole process.