Publications by authors named "Selene Casella"
Article Synopsis
- The study explores the structural dynamics of cell membranes, focusing on the thylakoid membrane of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus, which is key to photosynthesis and respiration.
- Researchers used advanced microscopy techniques to visualize the arrangement and movement of photosynthetic complexes like photosystem I, photosystem II, and cytochrome bf at the molecular level.
- The findings reveal how these complexes reorganize in response to environmental changes, which could inform the development of artificial photosynthetic systems and enhance our understanding of other cell membranes.
Article Synopsis
- * Researchers isolated and characterized β-carboxysomes from Synechococcus elongatus PCC7942, identifying their unique structural domains and mechanical properties using advanced imaging techniques.
- * Findings indicate that β-carboxysomes have flexible and soft mechanical properties, distinct from rigid viruses, which could inform the design of engineered carboxysomes to improve photosynthesis in various organisms.
Cyanobacteria have evolved effective adaptive mechanisms to improve photosynthesis and CO2 fixation. The central CO2-fixing machinery is the carboxysome, which is composed of an icosahedral proteinaceous shell encapsulating the key carbon fixation enzyme, Rubisco, in the interior. Controlled biosynthesis and ordered organization of carboxysomes are vital to the CO2-fixing activity of cyanobacterial cells.
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