Photosynthetic algae evolve distinctive pigments to protect from daylight and enhance vitality effectivity
by Riko Seibo
Tokyo, Japan (SPX) Oct 23, 2025
Marine inexperienced algae have developed a exceptional protection towards the dangerous results of extra daylight, in keeping with a research by Osaka Metropolitan College and its worldwide analysis companions. The investigation revealed {that a} pigment referred to as siphonein acts as a protecting protect, enabling algae to keep up environment friendly photosynthesis with out risking injury from overexposure to gentle.
The analysis centered on the marine alga Codium fragile, which, like land crops, accommodates light-harvesting complexes geared up with chlorophyll to soak up daylight. Nonetheless, Codium fragile stands out because of its incorporation of distinctive carotenoids, notably siphonein and siphonaxanthin, which permit efficient use of inexperienced gentle beneath water.
“Organisms use carotenoids to rapidly dissipate extra vitality, or quench these triplet states, by means of a course of referred to as triplet-triplet vitality switch (TTET),” stated Ritsuko Fujii, affiliate professor at Osaka Metropolitan College. Utilizing a specialised electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy technique, the workforce immediately noticed that Codium fragile’s carotenoids eradicate probably damaging chlorophyll triplet states much more successfully than in spinach crops.
The scientists found that siphonein’s placement within the light-harvesting antenna construction is essential for this energy-dissipating course of, and additional quantum chemical simulation confirmed the digital construction’s key function in stopping oxidative hurt whereas enhancing photosynthetic efficiency.
Algae’s evolutionary adaptation, proven on this research, not solely helps them stand up to vivid marine daylight however might pave the best way for bio-inspired enhancements in photo voltaic vitality know-how. The workforce now hopes to establish structural options in carotenoids that maximize vitality quenching, probably revolutionizing the design of synthetic photosynthetic and renewable vitality techniques.
“Our analysis has revealed that the antenna construction of photosynthetic inexperienced algae has a superb photoprotective perform,” said Alessandro Agostini, College of Padua, co-lead writer of the research. “We hope to additional make clear the structural traits of carotenoids that improve quenching effectivity, finally enabling the molecular design of pigments that optimize photosynthetic antennae,” Fujii stated.
Analysis Report:Siphonein enables an effective photoprotective triplet quenching mechanism in green algal light-harvesting complexes
Associated Hyperlinks
Osaka Metropolitan University
All About Solar Energy at SolarDaily.com
