Abstract 2686 Interrogating fibrillin-thylakoid binding mechanics through molecular simulation

Plastoglobules are lipid bodies found on the surface of the thylakoid in photosynthetic organisms. Plastoglobules bud from the thylakoid in response to abiotic stresses. While the morphology of plastoglobules are well established, the mechanism leading to plastoglobule formation and maintenance are unknown. The leading hypothesis is that proteins at the plastoglobule or thylakoid surface drive membrane reorganization leading to plastoglobule budding. In A. thaliana, the protein fibrillin 1A is suspected to bind to plastoglobule membranes to facilitate plastoglobule formation.