The image shows a high-resolution 3D model of the plant RNA polymerase PEP, which plays a central role in photosynthesis. Copyright: Paula Favoretti Vital do Prado and Johannes Pauly / MPI-NAT, UMG

Light into the darkness of photosynthesis: 3D insights into the copying machine of chloroplasts

For life on Earth, it is essential that plants carry out photosynthesis and ultimately produce oxygen and chemical energy with the help of sunlight. Researchers from Göttingen and Hannover have now succeeded for the first time in visualizing the copying machine of chloroplasts, the RNA polymerase PEP, in high-resolution 3D. The detailed structure provides new insights into the function and evolution of this complex cellular machine, which plays a central role in reading the genetic instructions for photosynthesis proteins.
 

Link to the press release article