An open-source controller to build a dynamic light intensity setup.

BACKGROUND: The development and physiology of plants are influenced by light intensity and its changes. Despite the significance of this phenomenon, there is a lack of understanding regarding the processes light regulates. This lack of understanding is partly due to the complexity of plant's responses, but also due to the limited availability of light setups capable of producing specific light patterns. RESULTS: While unraveling the complexities of plant responses will require further studies, this research proposes a simple method to implement dynamic light setups. In this study, we introduce two distinct electronic circuits that are cost-effective and enable the control of a dimmable power supply. CONCLUSION: This method enables the generation of intricate light patterns and rapid intensity fluctuations, providing a means to investigate how plants respond and develop when exposed to dynamic light conditions.

Validation of temperature-controlled rheo-MRI measurements in a submillimeter-gap Couette geometry.

A temperature-controlled submillimeter-gap (500 µm) rheo-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Couette cell has been developed to measure confined flow of soft structured materials under controlled temperature. The proposed setup enables performing rheo-MRI measurements using (i) a spatially uniform temperature control over the range 15°C to 40°C and (ii) a high spatial resolution up to 10 µm, as a consequence of the improved mechanical stability of the in-house developed rotating elements. Here, we demonstrate the performance of the cell for the rheo-MRI velocimetry study of a thixotropic fat crystal dispersion, a complex fluid commonly used in food manufacturing. The submillimeter-gap geometry and variable temperature capability of the cell enable observing the effects of shear- and temperature-induced fat recrystallization on both wall slip and shear banding under strongly confined flow. Our improved rheo-MRI setup opens new perspectives for the fundamental study of strongly confined flow, cooperative effects, and the underlying interparticle interactions and for ultimately aiding optimization of products involved in spreading/extrusion, such as cosmetics and foods.

Digitonin-sensitive LHCII enlarges the antenna of Photosystem I in stroma lamellae of Arabidopsis thaliana after far-red and blue-light treatment.

Light drives photosynthesis. In plants it is absorbed by light-harvesting antenna complexes associated with Photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). As PSI and PSII work in series, it is important that the excitation pressure on the two photosystems is balanced. When plants are exposed to illumination that overexcites PSII, a special pool of the major light-harvesting complex LHCII is phosphorylated and moves from PSII to PSI (state 2). If instead PSI is over-excited the LHCII complex is dephosphorylated and moves back to PSII (state 1). Recent findings have suggested that LHCII might also transfer energy to PSI in state 1. In this work we used a combination of biochemistry and (time-resolved) fluorescence spectroscopy to investigate the PSI antenna size in state 1 and state 2 for Arabidopsis thaliana. Our data shows that 0.7 ± 0.1 unphosphorylated LHCII trimers per PSI are present in the stroma lamellae of state-1 plants. Upon transition to state 2 the antenna size of PSI in the stroma membrane increases with phosphorylated LHCIIs to a total of 1.2 ± 0.1 LHCII trimers per PSI. Both phosphorylated and unphosphorylated LHCII function as highly efficient PSI antenna.

Imaging the Photosystem I/Photosystem II chlorophyll ratio inside the leaf.

Oxygenic photosynthesis is driven by photosystems I (PSI) and II (PSII). In plants the number of chlorophylls of PSI versus PSII is adjusted to the light irradiance spectrum. On a timescale of days, this is regulated at the level of protein concentration. Instead, on a timescale of minutes, it is regulated by the dynamic association of light-harvesting complex II with either PSI or PSII. Thus far very diverse values have been reported for the PSI/PSII chlorophyll ratio, ranging from 0.54 to 1.4. The methods used require the isolation of chloroplasts and are time consuming. We present a fluorescence lifetime imaging approach that quantifies the PSI/PSII Chl ratio of chloroplasts directly in their natural leaf environment. In wild type Arabidopsis thaliana plants, grown under white light, the PSI/PSII chlorophyll ratio appeared to be 0.99±0.09 at the adaxial side and 0.83±0.05 at the abaxial side of the leaf. When these plants were acclimated to far red light for several days the PSI/PSII chlorophyll ratio decreased by more than a factor of 3 to compensate for the ineffective far red light absorption of PSII. This shows how plants optimize their light-harvesting capacity to the specific light conditions they encounter. Zooming in on single chloroplasts inside the leaf allowed to study the grana/stroma membrane network and their PSI/PSII chlorophyll ratios. The developed method will be useful to study dynamic processes in chloroplasts in intact leaves which involve changes in the grana and the stroma membranes such as state transitions.

Calcium signalling in human neutrophil cell lines is not affected by low-frequency electromagnetic fields.

We are increasingly exposed to low-frequency electromagnetic fields (LF EMFs) by electrical devices and power lines, but if and how these fields interact with living cells remains a matter of debate. This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of LF EMF exposure on calcium signalling in neutrophils. In neutrophilic granulocytes, activation of G-protein coupled receptors leads to efflux of calcium from calcium stores and influx of extracellular calcium via specialised calcium channels. The cytoplasmic rise of calcium induces cytoskeleton rearrangements, modified gene expression patterns, and cell migration. If LF EMF modulates intracellular calcium signalling, this will influence cellular behaviour and may eventually lead to health problems. We found that calcium mobilisation upon chemotactic stimulation was not altered after a short 30 min or long-term LF EMF exposure in human neutrophil-like cell lines HL-60 or PLB-985. Neither of the two investigated wave forms (Immunent and 50 Hz sine wave) at three magnetic flux densities (5 µT, 300 µT, and 500 µT) altered calcium signalling in vitro. Gene-expression patterns of calcium-signalling related genes also did not show any significant changes after exposure. Furthermore, analysis of the phenotypical appearance of microvilli by scanning electron microscopy revealed no alterations induced by LF EMF exposure. The findings above indicate that exposure to 50 Hz sinusoidal or Immunent LF EMF will not affect calcium signalling in neutrophils in vitro.