Logistics as a limiting factor
A research team led by Franz Hagn, Professor for Structural Membrane Biochemistry at TUM and research group leader at Helmholtz Munich, has investigated a new approach to optimizing photosynthesis. The researchers didn't focus on the chemical photosynthesis process, instead they looked at what could be called the logistics. "Increasing the yield of simple sugars and other metabolites in the chloroplasts is the subject of intensive research," says Hagn. "But just improving the process itself won't help. The products must also be transported out of the chloroplasts across the inner and outer envelope membrane so that the plant can use them to grow."
A large number of transport proteins of the inner envelope membrane and their functionalities have already been investigated in detail. However, the role the outer envelope membrane plays in this process is by far less clear. "Among other things there was a theory that the outer envelope membrane functions as a kind of sieve which allows for almost unrestricted passage of these metabolites."
