Cell metabolism is extremely complex especially in plants but as most molecular components are now well characterized it appears possible in a near future to predict its behavior. However, this can only be done thanks to dedicated software. To this purpose we developed a web-application dedicated to the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana (freely available at http://chlorokb.fr ). The main originality of ChloroKB is a graphical representation of the cellular context (subcellular localization of proteins and metabolites, proteins inside protein-protein complexes, fine regulations). Thanks to this tool it is now possible to explore interactively the metabolic network of the chloroplast and […]

Photosynthesis is a unique biological process that has permitted the colonization of land and sea by plants and phytoplankton respectively. While the mechanisms of photosynthesis in plants are well understood, scientists are only now beginning to elucidate how the process developed in phytoplankton. In collaboration with scientists from several thylakoid architecture optimizes photosynthesis in countries, researchers from the Cell and Plant Physiology Laboratory (CNRS/CEA/UGA/Inra), the Institut de Biologie Structurale (CNRS/CEA/UGA), the LEMMA Advanced Electron Microscopy Laboratory (CEA/UGA), and the Laboratory of Membrane and Molecular Physiology of the Chloroplast (CNIRS/UPMC) have proposed a structural model of the photosynthetic process in phytoplankton, […]

Green microalgae, the ancestors of land plants, are microscopic organisms mainly living in the planet waters. Like plants, they are able of performing photosynthesis, a complex metabolic process that converts CO2 into biomass and oxygen using the energy of sunlight. Light is not only the source of energy that fuels photosynthesis but also acts as source of information. Thanks to specific sensors, called photoreceptors, algae respond to the light colour moving towards or against the light (phototaxis), regulating their cell division and other fundamental processes. When light intensity becomes very strong (i.e. under full sunlight) it can become toxic, producing reactive oxygen species and cell […]

​​​​Researchers at the Cell & Plant Physiology Laboratory are studying diatoms glycerolipids, some of which are called oleaginous and of interest since they should allow industrial developments (biofuels). By screening small molecules, they demonstrated that the metabolic pathways leading to these glycerolipids could be oriented to favor the accumulation of oil they and deposit a patent.​​​​​ References Abida H, Dolch LJ, Meï C, Villanova V, Conte M, Block MA, Finazzi G, Bastien O, Tirichine L, Bowler C, Rébeillé F, Petroutsos D, Jouhet J and Maréchal E Membrane glycerolipid remodeling triggered by nitrogen and phosphorus starvation in Phaeodactylum tricornutum. Plant Physiology, […]