The grana margins of plant thylakoid membranes

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Abstract
Plant thylakoid membranes contain three structurally distinct domains: the planar appressed membranes of the grana; the planar non‐appressed stroma thylakoids; and the highly curved, non‐appressed margins of the grana. Evidence is presented to suggest that the grana margins form a significant structural domain, which has hitherto been neglected. If indeed the grana margins contain some of the cytochrome b/f complex, photosystem (PS) I complex and ATP synthase, they form a third functional domain of the laterally heterogeneous continuous thylakoid membrane network. The consequences of grana margins containing complexes are explored with respect to linear electron transport under light‐saturating and light‐limiting conditions, non‐cyclic vs cyclic photophorylation, and the regulation of light energy distribution to both PS I and PS II.