Integrative Modelling of the Early Steps in Photosynthesis

Dear Colleagues,

Photosynthetic organisms such as plants, algae, and photosynthetic bacteria absorb solar photons to live and multiply, and this process is at the basis of nearly all the biomass (and fossil fuels) present on our planet. The early steps (or light reactions) of photosynthesis occur through a highly developed system of pigments, proteins, and membranes, the photosynthetic apparatus. Energy conversion starts with the absorption of a photon by light-harvesting pigments, followed by the rapid transfer of the resulting excitation energy to photosystems, or reaction centers, in which photo-initiated electron transfer reactions and proton transfers achieve the ultimate transduction of the solar energy into chemical potential energy. Two ultrafast processes thus determine the success of photosynthesis: excitation energy transfer in a light-harvesting antenna and transmembrane charge separation in reaction centers. Under optimal conditions, the energy of every absorbed solar photon is stored as useful chemical energy, in spite of the highly energetically disordered nature of living matter. Under conditions of stress, the photosynthetic apparatus switches rapidly to a state where the absorbed energy is dissipated as harmless heat through a process called non-photochemical quenching.

The light reactions of the photosynthetic process represent a sequence of events covering the widest range of time scales, from femtoseconds to seconds. They constitute, besides their obvious intrinsic interest, an ideal process for studying and manipulating undisclosed aspects of the physics of proteins, such as static and dynamic disorder, local electrical fields, the quantum coherence between active cofactors and subtle conformational changes in pigments and proteins involved in fine regulation. Disentangling the influence of all these parameters using high-end physical approaches has led to the extensive modelling of the different aspects of photosynthesis, such as the properties of the photosynthetic pigments (chlorophylls and carotenoids), the excitation energy transfer within and between antennae, the exciton migration in the photosynthetic membranes, the charge separation and subsequent electron transfers, and the response of the photosynthetic apparatus to its light environment. Photosynthesis is the only biological process for which a nearly complete integrative modelling has been attempted, and the aim of this issue is to sum up the different aspects and consequences of such modelling.

Prof. Dr. Bruno Robert
Prof. Dr. Leonas Valkunas
Prof. Dr. ‪Rienk van Grondelle
Guest Editors

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Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Prof. Dr. Bruno Robert
Prof. Dr. Leonas Valkunas
Prof. Dr. ‪Rienk van Grondelle
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Biology is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2700 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• photosynthesis
• pigments
• energy conversion
• antenna
• reaction center
• exciton migration
• energy trapping
• regulation