Structure of giant kelp Photosystem I-FCP uncovers drivers of antenna evolution across the red lineage
fixation via photosynthesis. To understand the photosynthetic function of brown algae, we obtained the structure of giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera photosystem I (PSI) with a fucoxanthin-chlorophyll-protein (FCP) antenna and compared it to known structures from the red-algal lineage. We identified differences in M. pyrifera's antenna composition, architecture, and chlorophyll networks, as well as a pronounced variation in transmembrane hydrophobic thickness across the PSI-FCP supercomplex, with implications for photochemical function. Our work lays the foundation to understand kelp's high photosynthetic productivity and reveals drivers of antenna conservation and diversification for the red lineage.
Authors
- Pablo Maturana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0686-1605)
- Reece Riddle (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6121-4895)
- Philipp Zerbe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5163-9523)
- Jeff Weissman
- María Maldonado (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3428-1053)
- Gabrielle Wyatt
- Hui M. O. Oung
- Viktoria G. T. Dubinin
Institutions
- University of Concepción (CL)
- Discovery Institute (US)
- National Cancer Institute (US)
- Monash University (AU)
- University of California, Davis (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-05-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-73499-x
- Primary Topic
- Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- Directorate for Biological Sciences
- University of California, Davis
- National Institute of General Medical Sciences
- SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory