Trissl H W, Wilhelm C
Abteilung Biophysik, Universität Osnabrück, Germany.
Trends Biochem Sci. 1993 Nov;18(11):415-9. doi: 10.1016/0968-0004(93)90136-b.
Chloroplasts contain a system of membrane sacs, the thylakoids, some of which are stacked to form grana (singular, granum), whereas others float freely in the stroma. It is on the thylakoid membranes that the electron carriers necessary for photosynthesis reside. There has been continuous speculation and discussion about the function of the grana ever since Menke postulated their lamellar nature in 1939. On the basis of new insights into the biophysics of the two photosystems and the molecular organization of thylakoid membranes of algae that exhibit a different lateral heterogeneity from that of higher plants, we propose that the membrane stacking found in the chloroplasts of higher plants and green algae is just one way in which Nature implements a general principle, namely that of physically separating a slow (PS II) and a fast (PS I) photosystem.
叶绿体含有一个膜囊系统，即类囊体，其中一些类囊体堆叠形成基粒（单数形式为granum），而其他类囊体则自由漂浮在基质中。光合作用所需的电子载体就存在于类囊体膜上。自1939年门克提出基粒的片层性质以来，人们一直在不断猜测和讨论基粒的功能。基于对两个光系统生物物理学以及藻类类囊体膜分子组织的新见解，这些藻类表现出与高等植物不同的横向异质性，我们提出高等植物和绿藻叶绿体中发现的膜堆叠只是自然实现一个普遍原则的一种方式，即物理分离慢速（PS II）和快速（PS I）光系统的原则。
