Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026

High-Throughput Analysis of Non-Photochemical Quenching in Crops Using Pulse Amplitude Modulated Chlorophyll Fluorometry
Published on: July 6, 2022
Dissecting the contributions to non-photochemical quenching in a land plant under fluctuating light
Lam Lam1,2, Rebecca Lee3, Dhruv Patel-Tupper2,4
1Graduate Group in Biophysics, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Photosynthetic organisms have evolved multiple non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) processes, providing photoprotection by safely dissipating excess excitation energy. These processes involve various molecular players functioning on overlapping timescales from seconds to days, making it challenging to isolate and quantify their individual kinetics. In this study, we perform whole-leaf chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime and xanthophyll concentration measurements on wild-type and various newly characterized NPQ mutants of Nicotiana benthamiana, a vascular land plant. Based on these measurements, we construct a fluorescence lifetime-based quantitative kinetic model that disentangles individual photoprotection components and, when integrated additively, accurately predicts wild-type and mutant NPQ behaviors under various light-dark regimes. Additionally, the model quantifies the per-molecule quenching effectiveness of various xanthophylls and the contributions of six quenching components (qEV, qEA, qEZ, qEL, qZ, and qI) across different genotypes. It also suggests improved overall quenching efficiency at specific VDE:ZEP:PsbS overexpression stoichiometries, aligning with previous studies and supporting translational efforts to optimize photoprotection and enhance crop yields under dynamic light environments.
More Related Videos
10:20Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses
Published on: August 9, 2019
08:40Separation of Spinach Thylakoid Protein Complexes by Native Green Gel Electrophoresis and Band Characterization using Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting
Published on: February 14, 2019
Related Concept Videos
Photoreceptors and Plant Responses to Light
Biological Clocks and Seasonal Responses
Cell Signaling in Plants
Photoluminescence: Fluorescence and Phosphorescence
A pair of electrons in a...
Light as Energy
Photons
A photon is a discrete electromagnetic particle or bundle of energy. Photons are characterized by their frequency, wavelength, and amplitude, similar to the properties of a wave. Waves with higher frequencies transmit more energy and have shorter wavelengths than longer wavelengths that transmit...
The Antenna Complex