Chloroplast sunscreening by protein condensates confers high-light tolerance.

MBS1 protein condensates in chloroplasts provide high-light tolerance by acting as a sunscreening mechanism, reducing photodamage in rice under stress conditions.

• Why it matters: Understanding how plants rapidly sense and respond to damaging singlet oxygen is crucial for improving crop resilience amid increasing high-light environments caused by climate change.
• What they did: The study examined MBS1, a conserved protein with a zinc-finger domain, demonstrating its phase transition from liquid-like droplets to condensates in response to high light, which shields chloroplasts.
• The result: Overexpressing MBS1 in rice enhanced high-light tolerance and increased yield in field trials, suggesting this condensate-based sunscreening could be a strategy for crop improvement.