Under high light conditions, excess energy can damage the machinery of oxygenic photosynthesis. Plants have evolved a series of photoprotective processes, including conformational changes of the light-harvesting complexes that activate dissipation of energy as heat. In this mini-review, we will summarize our recent work developing and applying single-molecule methods to investigate the conformational states of the light-harvesting complexes. Through these measurements, we identified dissipative conformations and how they depend on conditions that mimic high light. Our studies revealed an equilibrium between the light-harvesting and dissipative conformations, and that the nature of the equilibrium varies with cellular environment, between proteins, and between species. Finally, we conclude with an outlook on open questions and implications for photosynthetic yields.

在强光条件下，多余的能量会损坏含氧光合作用的机制。植物已经进化出一系列光保护过程，包括光捕获复合物的构象变化，这些复合物激活能量以热量的形式消散。在这篇小型评论中，我们将总结我们最近开发和应用单分子方法来研究光捕获复合物的构象状态的工作。通过这些测量，我们确定了耗散构象以及它们如何依赖于模拟强光的条件。我们的研究揭示了光捕获和耗散构象之间的平衡，并且平衡的性质随细胞环境、蛋白质之间和物种之间的不同而变化。最后，