Tailoring confocal microscopy for real-time analysis of photosynthesis at single-cell resolution
Résumé
Photoautotrophs’ environmental responses have been extensively studied at the organism and ecosystem
level. However, less is known about their photosynthesis at the single-cell level. This information is needed
to understand photosynthetic acclimation processes, as light changes as it penetrates cells, layers of cells, or
organs. Furthermore, cells within the same tissue may behave differently, being at different developmental/
physiological stages. Here, we describe an approach for single-cell and subcellular photophysiology based
on the customization of confocal microscopy to assess chlorophyll fluorescence quenching by the saturation
pulse method. We exploit this setup to (1) reassess the specialization of photosynthetic activities in developing
tissues of non-vascular plants; (2) identify a specific subpopulation of phytoplankton cells in marine
photosymbiosis, which consolidate energetic connections with their hosts; and (3) examine the link between
light penetration and photoprotection responses inside the different tissues that constitute a plant leaf
anatomy.
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