Photosynthesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii: What We Have Learned So Far?

Abstract

Microalgae play a major role in the global photosynthesis and CO2 fixation. Chlamydomonas reinhardtii represents one of the most extensively studied eukaryotic algal organism, and milestone discoveries related to photosynthesis have been achieved over the years in this alga, including photosynthetic complexes biogenesis, regulation of photosynthetic genes expression, pigments biosynthesis, and the regulation of photosynthetic performance in response to changes of environmental parameters. Comparisons of Chlamydomonas photosynthetic mechanisms with other phototrophs, such as cyanobacteria and higher plants, have dramatically expanded our understanding about the robustness and plasticity of photosynthetic machineries during more than 1 billion years of evolution in nature.