Grant: Discovery Grants Program - Individual

About 3 billion years ago, cyanobacteria played a crucial role in creating the oxygen-rich atmosphere that supports advanced life on Earth today. These tiny organisms use photosynthesis to convert sunlight into stored chemical energy, but we still have much to learn about how this process works. Cyanobacteria can be found in both water and on land and are able to adapt to their environment to make the most of the sunlight available to them. Generally, they use only the visible portion of the solar spectrum, but some species can alter their own structure to take advantage of the unused far-red region and survive in environments where there is little visible light available. This remarkable ability to adapt and acclimate suggests that it could be used to engineer crops that thrive in shaded conditions and may even lead to innovations in sustainable energy. Plants owe their green color to chlorophyll. However, not all chlorophyll molecules are the same. In the case of marine cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina, when it is deprived of white light, its usual chlorophyll a is replaced with closely related but chemically distinct chlorophyll d under far-red light conditions. This alternate form of chlorophyll allows A. marina to use far-red light for photosynthesis and maintain its metabolic functions. My research program is part of my long-term vision to provide fundamental insights into the design principles of far-red oxygenic photosynthesis, not only in A. marina but also in other photosynthetic organisms. The findings from this fundamental research could have far-reaching implications, impacting agriculture and food security by increasing yields, improving produce quality, promoting environmental sustainability, and enhancing our understanding of fundamental biological processes. My specific short-term objectives for the next five years are: Objective 1: Investigate the Electronic Structures of the Cofactors Involved in Far-Red Light-Induced Electron Transfer Objective 2: Probe the Impact of Protein Environment on Electron Transfer Pathways Objective 3: Comparative Analysis of Electron Transfer in different species of cyanobacteria The program also aims to provide an opportunity for HQP to gain extensive experience in computational biophysics, with a particular focus on theoretical chemistry methods. These include quantum Density Functional Theory, hybrid Quantum Mechanics/Molecular Mechanics, classical Molecular Dynamics, and Monte Carlo continuum electrostatics methods. In addition to playing a central role in addressing the short-term objectives, they are an important part of the development and training of HQP. The program will encourage international and interdisciplinary collaborations between experts from diverse fields such as biology, chemistry, physics and computer science including partnerships with academia and industry. By participating in this program, researchers will enhance their skills and expertise in the relevant fields.