Final Activity Report Summary - INTRO2 (Interdisciplinary Network for Training and Research on Photosystem 2)
The Interdisciplinary network for training and research on photosystem II INTRO2 was a Marie Curie network, funded under the European Communitys Sixth Framework Programme, which focussed on photosystem II, one of the key enzymes in photosynthesis. The network consisted of 10 groups from seven European countries, was active from March 2004 to March 2008 and recruited 13 early stage researchers (ESR) and 7 experienced researchers (ER) for a total duration of 450 months. The network organised seven one-week training courses, and at the time of these courses almost all researchers were employed, as well as several young researchers from groups that did not participate in INTRO2. In addition, the network organised two large international workshops and two smaller workshops, as well as five network meetings in which the young researchers presented their progress.
The most significant outcome was that a group of about 40 young researchers received high-level training in a modern, relevant and extremely interdisciplinary research topic. The research and training involved plant physiology, modern molecular biological techniques such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, advanced techniques applied in structural biology and a large number of modern, laser spectroscopic techniques. The possibility to collaborate with the best researchers was a significant added value of the research. The young researchers had very frequent contacts and not only defined 26 different collaborative projects, but also organised two meetings by themselves and hence built up their own network that persisted after their contracts with INTRO2 ended and helped them build their own scientific careers. Almost all former INTRO2 employees got excellent positions after their training in the network and many communicated and collaborated with each other after the project completion, despite that some of them chose other research fields. Therefore, the ER and ESR were with no doubt better trained than they would otherwise have been, and the research outcome was definitely of higher quality.
A significant scientific outcome of the project was the elucidation of a molecular mechanism for non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) by three partners. This work was published in two Nature papers. The first paper established the structural basis of the NPQ site in the main light-harvesting complex in photosystem II (LHCII) and established the signature of the protein conformation associated with the formation of the quenching state. In the second paper, this information was used to prove the existence of this quenching state in whole leaves, and, moreover, the quencher was shown to be a lutein molecule bound to LHCII.
Other highlights involved the role of the supramolecular organisation of the thylakoid membranes in two different regulatory mechanisms, which was demonstrated by four network partners and resulted in two papers in Plant Cell, and the discovery of a new photoregulatory mechanism in cyanobacteria by three network partners. The latter involved the discovery of the mechanism and the role of a key protein, as presented in a paper in Plant Cell, and the elucidation of the molecular mechanism, which resulted in a paper in PNAS publication.
The most significant outcome was that a group of about 40 young researchers received high-level training in a modern, relevant and extremely interdisciplinary research topic. The research and training involved plant physiology, modern molecular biological techniques such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics, advanced techniques applied in structural biology and a large number of modern, laser spectroscopic techniques. The possibility to collaborate with the best researchers was a significant added value of the research. The young researchers had very frequent contacts and not only defined 26 different collaborative projects, but also organised two meetings by themselves and hence built up their own network that persisted after their contracts with INTRO2 ended and helped them build their own scientific careers. Almost all former INTRO2 employees got excellent positions after their training in the network and many communicated and collaborated with each other after the project completion, despite that some of them chose other research fields. Therefore, the ER and ESR were with no doubt better trained than they would otherwise have been, and the research outcome was definitely of higher quality.
A significant scientific outcome of the project was the elucidation of a molecular mechanism for non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) by three partners. This work was published in two Nature papers. The first paper established the structural basis of the NPQ site in the main light-harvesting complex in photosystem II (LHCII) and established the signature of the protein conformation associated with the formation of the quenching state. In the second paper, this information was used to prove the existence of this quenching state in whole leaves, and, moreover, the quencher was shown to be a lutein molecule bound to LHCII.
Other highlights involved the role of the supramolecular organisation of the thylakoid membranes in two different regulatory mechanisms, which was demonstrated by four network partners and resulted in two papers in Plant Cell, and the discovery of a new photoregulatory mechanism in cyanobacteria by three network partners. The latter involved the discovery of the mechanism and the role of a key protein, as presented in a paper in Plant Cell, and the elucidation of the molecular mechanism, which resulted in a paper in PNAS publication.