Beijing: Chinese scientists have revealed for the first time the three-dimensional structure of the light energy utilization system of Coccolithophores, a well-known photosynthetic organism, shedding light on designing new photosynthetic proteins to cope with climate change. The research findings were published as the cover story in the journal Science on Friday.

According to Namibia Press Agency, Coccolithophores are one of the major marine phytoplankton and significant contributors to the ocean's primary productivity. This process allows organisms to convert inorganic substances into organic compounds and plays a crucial role in marine carbon deposition and the global carbon cycle. Coccolithophores' ability to adapt to varying light environments at different seawater depths and their efficient photoautotrophic growth facilitate their rapid reproduction. However, the mechanism of their photosystem's efficient light energy capture and utilization has remained unclear until now.

A team led by Wang Wenda and Tian Lijin from the Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, discovered the light-harvesting structure of this seaweed species. This structure comprises 38 light-harvesting antennas arranged into eight radial bands in a vortex pattern around the photosystem core, significantly expanding the light-harvesting area. The researchers also identified abundant chlorophyll-c and fucoxanthin-type carotenoids in these antennas, which enable efficient absorption of blue-green and green light with wavelengths between 460 and 540 nanometers in deep water.

Additionally, the study revealed that a large amount of chlorophyll-c and chlorophyll-a form a flat and smooth energy transfer network, potentially key to maintaining ultra-high quantum conversion efficiency. Wang stated that the study offers a new structural model for understanding the efficient energy conversion mechanism of photosynthetic organisms.

"In the future, we expect to use the findings as a basis to design new photosynthetic proteins and further guide the artificial simulation and development of high carbon sink biological resources, which has great potential in the fields of synthetic biology and climate change response," he said.