Initially, the presence of chlororespiration as a legitimate respiratory process in plants was heavily doubted. However, experimentation on Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, discovered Plastoquinone (PQ) to be a redox carrier. The role of this redox carrier is to transport electrons from the NAD(P)H enzyme to oxygen molecules on the thylakoid membrane. Using this cyclic electron chain around photosystem one (PS I), chlororespiration compensates for the lack of light. This cyclic pathway also allows electrons to re-enter the PQ pool through NAD(P)H enzyme activity and production, which is then used to supply ATP molecules (energy) to plant cells.
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In the year 2002, the discovery of the molecules; plastid terminal oxidase (PTOX) and NDH complexes have revolutionised the concept of chlororespiration. Using evidence from experimentation on the plant species Rosa Meillandina, this latest model observes the role of PTOX to be an enzyme that prevents the PQ pool from over-reducing, by stimulating its reoxidation. Whereas, the NDH complexes are responsible for providing a gateway for electrons to form an ETC. The presence of such molecules are apparent in the non-appressed thylakoid membranes of higher order plants like Rosa Meillandina.