Carotenoids and Environmental Stress in Plants: Significance of Carotenoid-Mediated Modulation of Membrane Physical Properties

Carotenoids, apart of their antenna function in photosynthesis, play an important role in the mechanisms protecting the photosynthetic apparatus against various harmful environmental factors. They protect plants against overexcitation in strong light and dissipate the excess of absorbed energy, they scavenge reactive oxygen species formed during photooxidative stress and moderate the effect of extreme temperatures. One of the important factors involved in the protective action of carotenoids is their influence on the molecular dynamics of membranes. To obtain complex information about interactions between carotenoids and lipids in a membrane, different techniques were used. In this review, the data resulting from EPR–spin label spectrometry, 31P- and 13C-NMR, differential scanning calorimetry, and computer simulation of the membrane molecular dynamics are presented. The effects of selected, structurally different carotenoid species on various physical parameters of model and natural membranes are described and their relevance to protection against some environmental stresses are discussed.

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