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How photosynthetic bacteria pass light along: Two major energy pathways identified

Phys · · 511 words · By RIKEN

RIKEN researchers successfully determined how light energy is transferred from supplementary pigments (phycobilisomes) to the primary photosynthetic machinery (photosystem II) in cyanobacteria. The study, published in Plant and Cell Physiology, identified two major pathways for this energy transfer. The research aims to advance the understanding of detailed molecular mechanisms of photosynthesis across various plants and algae.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://phys.org/news/2026-05-photosynthetic-bacteria-major-energy-pathways.html

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9 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

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“RIKEN researchers have found out how light energy harvested by pigments besides chlorophyll is transferred to the molecular site where photosynthesis occurs in cyanobacteria.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The web search results confirm that cyanobacteria use various pigments (chlorophyll, carotenoids, phycobilins) for photosynthesis, but none of the provided sources specifically mention RIKEN researchers determining the transfer mechanism from non-chlorophyll pigments to the photosynthetic site in cyanobacteria.
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web search NEUTRAL — This video summarize What are the pigments in photosynthesis?Site of pigments?3 Major classes of pigments; Chlorophyll, carotenoids and phycobilins?Major cha...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n6W-mJ6xgI
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web search NEUTRAL — Cyanobacteria use photosynthetic pigments such as various forms of chlorophyll, carotenoids and phycobilins to convert the photonic energy in sunlight to chemical energy. Unlike heterotrophic prokaryo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanobacteria
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web search NEUTRAL — During photosynthesis in green plants, light energy is captured and used to convert water, carbon dioxide, and minerals into oxygen and energy-rich organic compounds.
https://www.britannica.com/science/photosynthesis
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“The work is published in the journal Plant and Cell Physiology.”
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The web search results provide general information about journals like 'Plant Physiology' and 'Plant Physiology and Biochemistry' but do not contain any specific evidence confirming that the research findings were published in the journal 'Plant and Cell Physiology.'
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Cell physiology is the biological study of the activities that take place in a cell to keep it alive. The term physiology refers to normal functions in a living organism. Animal cells, plant cells and…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cell_physiology
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Physiology (; from Ancient Greek φύσις (phúsis) 'nature, origin' and -λογία (-logía) 'study of') is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a subdiscipline of biology…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physiology
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Plant physiology is a subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. A professional in this field is called a Plant physiologist. Plant physiologists study fundament…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_physiology
+ 3 more evidence sources
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“Some microalgae such as cyanobacteria and red algae contain other pigments that complement chlorophyll by catching wavelengths that chlorophyll doesn't absorb very well.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that pigments exist in microalgae (like red algae) that supplement chlorophyll by absorbing wavelengths that chlorophyll does not absorb efficiently. One source notes that red algae carry pigments that absorb green light effectively, and another mentions pigments complementing chlorophyll by absorbing photons outside of chlorophyll's narrow absorption spectrum.
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web search NEUTRAL — These pigments complement chlorophyll by absorbing photons at wavelengths outside of chlorophyll's narrow absorption spectrum and deliver additional electrons to the photosystem.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chlorophyll
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web search NEUTRAL — Chlorophyllin supplements: Green algae like chlorella are often used to make chlorophyllin, which is found in most supplements. That’s because natural chlorophyll is not very shelf-stable and is prone…
https://draxe.com/nutrition/chlorophyll-benefits/
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web search NEUTRAL — Chlorophyll absorbs red and blue light to power photosynthesis, reflecting green back to our eyes — a trait shared across plants for over a billion years.Red algae, for example, carry pigments that ab…
https://scienceinsights.org/why-are-algae-and-ferns-both-gre…
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“Photosystem II absorbs solar energy, converts it into chemical energy, and splits water molecules to produce molecular oxygen.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that Photosystem II uses light energy to split water molecules, which produces oxygen. One source specifies that two water molecules are oxidized by Photosystem II to yield diatomic oxygen. Another source states that Photosystem II uses light energy to split water molecules, creating electrons and protons, and that this system produces the oxygen we breathe.
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web search NEUTRAL — Two water molecules are oxidized by the energy of four successive charge-separation reactions of photosystem II to yield a molecule of diatomic oxygen and four hydrogen ions. The electrons yielded are…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Photosynthesis
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web search NEUTRAL — - Conversion of solar energy to chemical energy - Splitting of water -> produces oxygen NADP+ -> NADPH ADP + P -> ATP - Occurs in thylakoids. Choose an answer.Organisms that use light energy to produc…
https://quizlet.com/62418645/chapter-10-flash-cards/
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web search NEUTRAL — Photosystem II was the interest of this study. It uses light energy to split water molecules, creating electrons and protons used at other parts of the process. This system also produces the oxygen we…
https://gizmodo.com/how-plants-produce-oxygen-revealed-by-to…
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“In contrast, supplementary pigments are located in neighboring molecular structures called phycobilisomes, which specialize only in energy capture.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources confirm that phycobilisomes are pigment-protein complexes specialized for light-harvesting. One source mentions that phycobilisomes are composed of pigment-protein complexes like R-phycoerythrin, and another notes that in phycobilisomes, the energy transfer process has an efficiency of almost 100%.
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web search NEUTRAL — Other Photoprotective Pigments. Pigment Protein Complexes LHCII and Phycobilisomes.Bacteriochlorophylls (BChls) are specialized photosynthetic pigments of anoxygenic photosynthetic bacteria, namely th…
https://microbenotes.com/photosynthetic-pigments/
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web search NEUTRAL — In a nonradiating-induced resonance transfer process leading up to the reaction centers, they transfer the excitation energy to other pigment molecules which are excited in turn. In phycobilisomes, th…
https://www.intechopen.com/chapters/65949
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web search NEUTRAL — Pigment-protein complexes, referred to as R-phycoerythrin, are rod-like in shape and make up the rods and core of the phycobilisome.[7] Little light reaches algae that reside at a depth of one meter o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Light-harvesting_complex
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“The captured energy then has to be transferred to photosystem II for use in photosynthesis.”
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While the overall process of energy transfer from light-harvesting complexes (like phycobilisomes) to Photosystem II is a known concept in photosynthesis, none of the provided web search results explicitly state that the captured energy *must* be transferred to Photosystem II for photosynthesis. The evidence is general about energy transfer but lacks the specific directional requirement stated in the claim.
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web search NEUTRAL — Genesis Mission leverages the Department of Energy's unique scientific datasets-spanning more than 100 petabytes of experimental and simulation data across every major domain of science—to double the …
https://www.energy.gov/
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web search NEUTRAL — Apr 17, 2026 · Energy Consumption is the amount of electricity, fossil fuels, or renewable energy sources that are used by various sectors, including residential, commercial, industrial, and transport…
https://www.energy.gov/topics/consumption
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web search NEUTRAL — Electric Power Electricity -- the flow of electrical power -- is a secondary energy source generated by the conversion of primary sources of energy like fossil, nuclear, wind or solar. Keeping the pow…
https://www.energy.gov/electric-power
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“Kawakami and co-workers have found a way to isolate the phycobilisome–photosystem II megacomplex while preserving the interaction between them.”
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Two web search results directly reference Keisuke Kawakami's work on isolating the phycobilisome–photosystem II megacomplex. One source mentions establishing a new method for isolating the PBS-PSII megacomplex, and another presents in situ structures of the PBS–PSII–PSI–LHC megacomplexes, confirming the successful isolation and study of this complex.
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web search NEUTRAL — Keisuke Kawakami’s research while affiliated with RIKEN and other places.In this study, we established a new method for isolating the PBS-PSII megacomplex using ammonium sulfate and dodecyl-α-D-maltos…
https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Keisuk…
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web search NEUTRAL — ORCID record for Keisuke Kawakami. ORCID provides an identifier for individuals to use with their name as they engage in research, scholarship, and innovation activities.
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1689-1819
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web search NEUTRAL — Here we present in situ structures of PBS–PSII–PSI–LHC megacomplexes from the red alga Porphyridium purpureum at near-atomic resolution using cryogenic electron tomography and in situ single-particle …
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-05831-0?error=coo…
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“Using their method, the team was able to determine the rate of light-energy transfer from phycobilisome to photosystem II in a cyanobacterium and to identify two major pathways for this transfer.”
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Two web search results contain nearly identical claims, stating that the research team was able to determine the rate and identify major pathways for light-energy transfer from phycobilisomes to photosystem II in cyanobacteria.
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web search NEUTRAL — Using their method, the team was able to determine the rate of light-energy transfer from phycobilisome to photosystem II in a cyanobacterium and to identify two major pathways for this transfer.
https://phys.org/news/2026-05-photosynthetic-bacteria-major-…
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web search NEUTRAL — The major light-harvesting systems for photosynthesis in cyanobacteria and red algae are phycobilisomes (PBS). Here, the authors present the cryo-EM structures of two cyanobacterial PBS from ...
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-021-25813-y
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web search NEUTRAL — The light-harvesting antennas of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms capture light energy and transfer it to the reaction centers of their photosystems. The light-harvesting antennas of cyanobacteria an…
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11120-017-0345-3
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“Keisuke Kawakami et al, Preparation, structural characterization, and ultrafast energy transfer dynamics of the phycobilisome–photosystem II megacomplex in a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Plant and Cell Physiology (2025). DOI: 10.1093/pcp/pcaf076”
SINGLE SOURCE
The claim provides a specific citation (Kawakami et al, Plant and Cell Physiology, 2025) and DOI. While the web search results confirm the existence of Wikipedia and general scientific research, they do not independently confirm the specific publication details, title, or year (2025) of this article. The evidence is limited to the claim's own citation structure.
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Artificial photosynthesis is a chemical process that biomimics the natural process of photosynthesis. The term artificial photosynthesis is used loosely, referring to any scheme for capturing and the…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_photosynthesis
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Manganese is a chemical element; it has the symbol Mn and atomic number 25. It is a hard, brittle, silvery metal, often found in minerals in combination with iron. First isolated in the 1770s, mangane…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manganese
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wikipedia NEUTRAL — In the context of nutrition, a mineral is a chemical element. Some "minerals" are essential for life, but most are not. Minerals are one of the four groups of essential nutrients; the others are vita…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mineral_(nutrient)
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.