BEGIN:VCALENDAR
VERSION:2.0
PRODID:-//Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam//NONSGML v1.0//EN
NAME:PhD defence K. Hajduk
METHOD:PUBLISH
BEGIN:VEVENT
DTSTART:20260605T114500
DTEND:20260605T131500
DTSTAMP:20260605T114500
UID:2026/phd-defence-k-hajduk@8F96275E-9F55-4B3F-A143-836282E12573
CREATED:20260531T104308
LOCATION:Hoofdgebouw, Aula De Boelelaan
1105 1081 HV Amsterdam
SUMMARY:PhD defence K. Hajduk
X-ALT-DESC;FMTTYPE=text/html: The pH-Sensing in Photo
synthetic Protection: The Role of Light-Harvesting Complexes and PsbS
More insight into how plants protect themselves from
damage by excessive sunlight
Biophysicist Kinga Hajd
uk's research on photosynthesis centers on a natural protective mecha
nism that prevents plants from "burning out" when they absorb more li
ght than they can handle.
To do this, plants use a process know
n as nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). In this process, excess light
energy is safely dissipated before damage occurs to the photosyntheti
c system. While it was known that the protein PsbS plays an important
role in activating this protection, exactly how this process works a
t the molecular level remained unclear for a long time.
Hajduk'
s research shows that PsbS likely functions as a distinct unit that i
nteracts with other proteins to initiate the protective response. In
addition, laboratory experiments show that even without PsbS, the pro
tective mechanism can still be activated under extremely acidic condi
tions. At the same time, the results show that key light-trapping pro
teins do not directly detect changes in acidity, as previously though
t. Thus, the findings shed new light on the complex cooperation among
proteins that protect plants from light stress.
The results of
Hajduk's research are especially important for agriculture and food
production. Due to climate change, crops increasingly face extreme he
at and intense sunlight. A better understanding of plants' natural "s
un protection" can help develop crops that use light more efficiently
and waste less energy. This could lead to higher yields and stronger
plants under varying climatic conditions.
According to researc
hers, there are already initial examples where modifications to simil
ar proteins have led to more productive crops. In the future, these n
ew insights could contribute to more targeted improvement of crops th
at are more resistant to heat and light stress. Although practical ap
plications still take time, the research represents an important step
toward more sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture.
Mor
e information about the thesis
DESCRIPTION: More insight into how plants protect themselv
es from damage by excessive sunlight
Biophysicist Kinga
Hajduk's research on photosynthesis centers on a natural protective
mechanism that prevents plants from "burning out" when they absorb mo
re light than they can handle. To do this, plants use a process known
as nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). In this process, excess light e
nergy is safely dissipated before damage occurs to the photosynthetic
system. While it was known that the protein PsbS plays an important
role in activating this protection, exactly how this process works at
the molecular level remained unclear for a long time. Hajduk's resea
rch shows that PsbS likely functions as a distinct unit that interact
s with other proteins to initiate the protective response. In additio
n, laboratory experiments show that even without PsbS, the protective
mechanism can still be activated under extremely acidic conditions.
At the same time, the results show that key light-trapping proteins d
o not directly detect changes in acidity, as previously thought. Thus
, the findings shed new light on the complex cooperation among protei
ns that protect plants from light stress. The results of Hajduk's res
earch are especially important for agriculture and food production. D
ue to climate change, crops increasingly face extreme heat and intens
e sunlight. A better understanding of plants' natural "sun protection
" can help develop crops that use light more efficiently and waste le
ss energy. This could lead to higher yields and stronger plants under
varying climatic conditions. According to researchers, there are alr
eady initial examples where modifications to similar proteins have le
d to more productive crops. In the future, these new insights could c
ontribute to more targeted improvement of crops that are more resista
nt to heat and light stress. Although practical applications still ta
ke time, the research represents an important step toward more sustai
nable and climate-resilient agriculture. More information about the <
a href="https://hdl.handle.net/1871.1/9f59aaf0-cb54-42fe-9c6c-d4cd59c
0e938" data-new-window="true" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferre
r">thesis The pH-Sensing in Photosynthetic Protection: The Role o
f Light-Harvesting Complexes and PsbS
END:VEVENT
END:VCALENDAR