ISSN 0006-2979, Biochemistry (Moscow), 2025, Vol. 90, No. 7, p. 829 © Pleiades Publishing, Ltd., 2025.
Published in Russian in Biokhimiya, 2025, Vol. 90, No. 7, pp. 901-902.
829
EDITORIAL NOTES
Preface to the Special Issue “New Advances
in Photobiochemistry and Photobiophysics”
Vladimir S. Sukhov
1,a
, Maria M. Borisova-Mubarakshina
2,b*
,
and Alexey Yu. Semenov
3,c
1
N. I. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod, 603022 Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
2
Institute of Basic Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
Federal Research Center, Pushchino Scientific Center for Biological Research of the Russian Academy of Sciences,
142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia
3
A. N. Belozersky Institute of Physico-Chemical Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119234 Moscow, Russia
a
e-mail: vssuh@mail.ru
b
e-mail: mubarakshinamm@gmail.com
c
e-mail: semenov@belozersky.msu.ru
DOI: 10.1134/S000629792560200X
* To whom correspondence should be addressed.
The special issue of Biochemistry entitled “New
Advances in Photobiochemistry and Photobiophysics”
is devoted to current research on the interaction of
light with living organisms and, in particular, to the
elucidation of the biophysical and biochemical mecha-
nisms underlying biological responses to illumination.
Itbrings together contributions from scientists who pre-
sented their findings at the 1st Regional Meeting of the
Russian Society for Photobiology and the All-Russian
Conference with International Participation “Current
Problems of Photobiology and Biophotonics”, held in
Nizhny Novgorod on October 14-19, 2024 and hosted by
N. I. Lobachevsky State University of Nizhny Novgorod.
Light is recognized as a key environmental factor
for photosynthesizing organisms of all kinds, exerting
both beneficial and deleterious effects. In photosynthe-
sis, it serves primarily as the energy source that drives
electron transport in the thylakoid membranes of plant
chloroplasts, cyanobacteria, and photosynthetic bacte-
ria. Excess illumination, however, can inflict photodam-
age on pigment–protein complexes. This dual energetic
and destructive character of light necessitates a suite
of light-dependent regulatory mechanisms, including
non-photochemical quenching, the activation of alter-
native electron-transfer pathways (such as electron
flow to molecular oxygen and cyclic electron flow
around PhotosystemI), and other protective responses.
Consequently, photobiophysical and photobiochemical
studies of photosynthesis focus mainly on the primary
events of solar energy conversion, the operation of the
thylakoid electron-transport chain, and the strategies
that regulate and safeguard the photosynthetic appara-
tus under fluctuating environmental conditions.
A further, predominantly applied, branch of photo-
biochemistry and photobiophysics involves developing
methods to modify photosynthetic organisms – mostly
algae and bacteria – for “green” energy applications and
designing hybrid energy devices that incorporate com-
ponents of the photosynthetic electron-transport chain.
Another important area concerns the mecha-
nisms of photoreception, encompassing both the pri-
mary light-sensing targets and the ensuing signaling
cascades that shape physiological responses. Because
photoreception is widespread – rhodopsin- and iodop-
sin-based in animals, phytochrome-, cryptochrome-,
and phototropin-based in plants – its study holds great
fundamental and practical significance.
Investigations of protein fluorescence mechanisms,
together with the development of new research tools
such as green fluorescent proteins expressed in model
transgenic organisms, likewise fall within photobiochem-
istry and photobiophysics and are expanding rapidly.
Finally, photobiochemistry and photobiophysics
play a pivotal role in biomedical research. Photody-
namic therapy of cancer, which relies on selective
photodamage to malignant cells, is one prominent
example, yet the medical relevance of photobiological
processes extends far beyond this application.
In sum, photobiochemistry and photobiophysics
are dynamic, fast-evolving disciplines that span a
broad spectrum of biological and medical research.
The present special issue offers the latest experimental
and theoretical contributions that advance these fields.
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