Phys.org  November 7, 2023 It has been hypothesized that a specific metabolic pathway in photosynthesis that competes with carbon fixation has a protective function for plants. To test this hypothesis an international team of researchers (Germany, USA – Michigan State University) characterized plants with varying PR enzyme activities under fluctuating and non-fluctuating light conditions. Contrasting their expectations, growth of mutants with decreased PR enzyme levels was least affected in fluctuating light compared with wild type. Results for growth, photosynthesis and metabolites combined with thermodynamics-based flux analysis revealed two main causal factors for this unanticipated finding: reduced rates of photosynthesis in […]