Engineering artificial photosynthetic life-forms through endosymbiosis.

The evolutionary origin of the photosynthetic eukaryotes drastically altered the evolution of complex lifeforms and impacted global ecology. The endosymbiotic theory suggests that photosynthetic eukaryotes evolved due to endosymbiosis between non-photosynthetic eukaryotic host cells and photosynthetic cyanobacterial or algal endosymbionts. The photosynthetic endosymbionts, propagating within the cytoplasm of the host cells, evolved, and eventually transformed into chloroplasts.

Cellular uptake of protic ruthenium complexes is influenced by pH dependent passive diffusion and energy dependent efflux.

The lipophilic vs. hydrophilic properties of three protic ruthenium compounds were studied as a function of pH. Specifically, we measured Log(D) values for [(N,N)Ru(6,6'-dhbp)] complexes (where N,N = 2,2'-bipyridine (1), 1,10-phenanthroline (2), 2,3-dihydro-[1,4]dioxino[2,3-f][1,10]phenanthroline (3) and 6,6'-dhbp is the diprotic 6,6'-dihydroxy-2,2'-bipyridine ligand) from pH 4.