Activation of photoprotection in photosystem II proteins with Molecular Simulations and Raman Spectroscopy

Operation co-funded by EU cohesion policy (European Regional Development Fund (ERDF)) under the programme Competitiveness and sustainable development - CY - ERDF/CF (2014CY16M1OP001), managing authority: Γενική Διεύθυνση Ευρωπαϊκών Προγραμμάτων, Συντονισμού και Ανάπτυξης. Beneficiary: Τεχνολογικό Πανεπιστήμιο Κύπρου. Location: Cyprus. Budget: total eligible expenditure EUR 159,965.2; EU co-financing EUR 135,970.42 (co-financing rate 85%), as stated by the source. Runs 2017-01-11 to 2021-12-01. Source: Kohesio, EU cohesion policy projects managed by national and regional authorities (not CORDIS); selected because its summary names quantum technology. Summary from Kohesio (English machine translation by the source): Light absorption acts as the biological signal and the trigger for photosynthesis in plants and algae. As an energy source, light is unreliable, as its intensity ranges from below the limit for an efficient photosynthesis to values that exceed the potential of the photochemical system. These light fluctuations can destroy the biochemical components of the system and destabilise efficient energy storage, which is important for their survival. Our goal is to promote scientific knowledge at a basic level, using complex computational methods and experimental techniques, to investigate the response of higher plants to fluctuating light intensity and photoprotection mechanism, on an individual scale. Large-scale Molecular Dynamic (CMD) and quantum mechanics (ab initio, QM) simulations will be performed to investigate energy transfer and the potential damping of excess energy in light-harvest proteins (LHCs). Knowledge of the structure and dynamics of LHCs can be used to replicate experimental observations on the basis of a complex relationship between structure, experimental observations, and function of LHCs under damping conditions. The clarification of the photoprotection mechanism, called Non-Photochemical Depreciation (NPQ), and especially its larger component (qE), has potential applications related to climate change. The latter leads to stress conditions (light, heat, salinity) in crops. Research on the mechanism NPQ (qE) proposed here is an important part of experimental biochemistry and computational biophysics. It is a research object of many international groups and is constantly being confronted by a constant challenge for cutting-edge scientific research. The results of this work will be an important addition to the scientific literature and will stimulate the research production of Ky

Original source.

Source: Kohesio (EU cohesion policy projects), European Commission, Directorate-General for Regional and Urban Policy (DG REGIO). Retrieved 2026-10-21. Licence: CC0 1.0 (Cohesion Open Data Platform, dataset 2014-2020 Kohesio projects). Selected metadata, adapted presentation; the publisher's record is authoritative. No endorsement by the source is implied. Licence: public domain dedication (CC0 1.0).

AI-assisted summary: The project focuses on the activation of photoprotection in photosystem II proteins using molecular simulations and Raman spectroscopy. It is co-funded by the EU with a budget of EUR 159,965.2, running from January 2017 to December 2021 in Cyprus. Suggested technology pillar: simulation. Generated by AI from the public source text; it may contain errors and the original source is authoritative.