# Topics and Trends in Most Cited Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms Papers, Class of 2026

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/photosynthetic-processes-and-mechanisms/2026*

## What topics and trends defined most-cited Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms research in the Class of 2026?

The 2026 cohort in Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms is driven by structural biology, with heavy emphasis on Photosystem I/II and Cryo-electron microscopy. We observe a marked shift toward regulatory mechanisms like stomatal movement and C4 photosynthesis, while focus on environmental stress responses and photoprotection has declined.

## At a glance

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Field | Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms |
| Cohort label | Class of 2026 (2024 publications) |
| Papers analyzed | 5,875 |
| Papers ranked | 20 |
| Top topics in ranked papers | Photosystem II, Cryo-electron microscopy, Photosystem I, Carbon fixation |
| Publication window | Jan 1, 2024 – Dec 31, 2024 |
| Eligibility | Research articles; reviews excluded |
| Citation window | 18 months post-publication |
| 18m citation range | 28–84 |
| Data source | OpenAlex · Retrieved July 2026 |
| License | CC BY 4.0 |

## Rankings

| Rank | Title | Authors | Corresponding authors | Affiliation | Journal | 18m citations | DOI |
| ---: | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | ---: | --- |
| 1 | The mechanisms of photoinhibition and repair in plants under high light conditions and interplay with abiotic stressors | Fardad Didaran, Mojtaba Kordrostami, Ali Akbar Ghasemi-Soloklui, Pavel Pashkovskiy, Vladimir Kreslavski, Vladimir Kuznetsov, Suleyman I Allakhverdiev | Pavel Pashkovskiy | University of Tehran, Iran | Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B Biology | 84 | 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2024.113004 |
| 2 | MYB-related transcription factors control chloroplast biogenesis | Eftychios Frangedakis, Nataliya E Yelina, Kumari Billakurthi, Lei Hua, Tina Schreier, Patrick J Dickinson, Marta Tomaselli, Jim Haseloff, Julian M Hibberd | Eftychios Frangedakis, Julian M. Hibberd | University of Cambridge, United Kingdom | Cell | 66 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.06.039 |
| 3 | Exaptation of ancestral cell-identity networks enables C4 photosynthesis | Joseph Swift, Leonie H Luginbuehl, Lei Hua, Tina B Schreier, Ruth M Donald, Susan Stanley, Na Wang, Travis A Lee, Joseph R Nery, Joseph R Ecker, Julian M Hibberd | Leonie H. Luginbuehl, Joseph R. Ecker, Julian M. Hibberd | Salk Institute for Biological Studies, United States | Nature | 64 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08204-3 |
| 4 | Effects of abiotic stress on chlorophyll metabolism | Xu Li, Wei Zhang, Di Niu, Xiaomin Liu | Xiaomin Liu | Beijing Forestry University, China | Plant Science | 58 | 10.1016/j.plantsci.2024.112030 |
| 5 | Oxygen-evolving photosystem II structures during S1–S2–S3 transitions | Hongjie Li, Yoshiki Nakajima, Eriko Nango, Shigeki Owada, Daichi Yamada, Kana Hashimoto, Fangjia Luo, Rie Tanaka, Fusamichi Akita, Koji Kato, Jungmin Kang, Yasunori Saitoh, Shunpei Kishi, Huaxin Yu, Naoki Matsubara, Hajime Fujii, Michihiro Sugahara, Mamoru Suzuki, Tetsuya Masuda, Tetsunari Kimura, Tran Nguyen Thao, Shinichiro Yonekura, Long-Jiang Yu, Takehiko Tosha, Kensuke Tono, Yasumasa Joti, Takaki Hatsui, Makina Yabashi, Minoru Kubo, So Iwata, Hiroshi Isobe, Kizashi Yamaguchi, Michihiro Suga, Jian-Ren Shen | Michihiro Suga, Jian‐Ren Shen | Okayama University, Japan | Nature | 57 | 10.1038/s41586-023-06987-5 |
| 6 | Light-induced remodeling of phytochrome B enables signal transduction by phytochrome-interacting factor | Zhengdong Wang, Wenfeng Wang, Didi Zhao, Yanping Song, Xiaoli Lin, Meng Shen, Cheng Chi, Bin Xu, Jun Zhao, Xing Wang Deng, Jizong Wang | Xing Wang Deng, Jizong Wang | Peking University, China | Cell | 53 | 10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.005 |
| 7 | Emergence of a distinct mechanism of C–N bond formation in photoenzymes | Felix C Raps, Ariadna Rivas-Souchet, Chey M Jones, Todd K Hyster | Todd K. Hyster | Princeton University, United States | Nature | 50 | 10.1038/s41586-024-08138-w |
| 8 | The primary carbon metabolism in cyanobacteria and its regulation | Stefan Lucius, Martin Hagemann | Martin Hagemann | University of Rostock, Germany | Frontiers in Plant Science | 48 | 10.3389/fpls.2024.1417680 |
| 9 | Effects of Nitrogen Deficiency on the Photosynthesis, Chlorophyll a Fluorescence, Antioxidant System, and Sulfur Compounds in Oryza sativa | Ling-Hua Chen, Ming Xu, Zuxin Cheng, Lin-Tong Yang | Lin-Tong Yang | Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, China | International Journal of Molecular Sciences | 47 | 10.3390/ijms251910409 |
| 10 | Cryo–electron microscopy reveals hydrogen positions and water networks in photosystem II | Rana Hussein, André Graça, Jack Forsman, A Orkun Aydin, Michael Hall, Julia Gaetcke, Petko Chernev, Petra Wendler, Holger Dobbek, Johannes Messinger, Athina Zouni, Wolfgang P Schröder | Rana Hussein, André T. Graça, Johannes Messinger, Athina Zouni, Wolfgang P. Schröder | Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany | Science | 45 | 10.1126/science.adn6541 |
| 11 | Stomatal opening under high temperatures is controlled by the OST1-regulated TOT3–AHA1 module | Xiangyu Xu, Hongyan Liu, Myrthe Praat, Gaston A Pizzio, Zhang Jiang, Steven Michiel Driever, Ren Wang, Brigitte Van De Cotte, Selwyn L Y Villers, Kris Gevaert, Nathalie Leonhardt, Hilde Nelissen, Toshinori Kinoshita, Steffen Vanneste, Pedro L Rodriguez, Martijn van Zanten, Lam Dai Vu, Ive De Smet | Ive De Smet | Ghent University, Belgium | Nature Plants | 43 | 10.1038/s41477-024-01859-w |
| 12 | A family of NADPH/NADP+ biosensors reveals in vivo dynamics of central redox metabolism across eukaryotes | Marie Scherschel, Jan-Ole Niemeier, Lianne J H C Jacobs, Markus D A Hoffmann, Anika Diederich, Christopher Bell, Pascal Höhne, Sonja Raetz, Johanna B Kroll, Janina Steinbeck, Sophie Lichtenauer, Jan Multhoff, Jannik Zimmermann, Tanmay Sadhanasatish, R Alexander Rothemann, Carsten Grashoff, Joris Messens, Emmanuel Ampofo, Matthias W Laschke, Jan Riemer, Leticia Prates Roma, Markus Schwarzländer, Bruce Morgan | Markus Schwarzländer, Bruce Morgan | Saarland University, Germany | Nature Communications | 41 | 10.1038/s41467-024-55302-x |
| 13 | Increasing Rubisco as a simple means to enhance photosynthesis and productivity now without lowering nitrogen use efficiency | Coralie E Salesse-Smith, Yu Wang, Stephen P Long | Coralie E. Salesse‐Smith | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States | New Phytologist | 41 | 10.1111/nph.20298 |
| 14 | The methylerythritol phosphate pathway as an oxidative stress sense and response system | Jordi Perez-Gil, James Behrendorff, Andrew Douw, Claudia E Vickers | Claudia E. Vickers | Queensland University of Technology, Australia | Nature Communications | 34 | 10.1038/s41467-024-49483-8 |
| 15 | Unlocking the adaptation mechanisms of the oleaginous microalga Scenedesmus sp. BHU1 under elevated salt stress: a physiochemical, lipidomics and transcriptomics approach | Rahul Prasad Singh, Priya Yadav, Himani Sharma, Ajay Kumar, Abeer Hashem, Elsayed Fathi Abd Allah, Rajan Kumar Gupta | Ajay Kumar, Rajan Kumar Gupta | Banaras Hindu University, India | Frontiers in Microbiology | 32 | 10.3389/fmicb.2024.1475410 |
| 16 | Plants distinguish different photoperiods to independently control seasonal flowering and growth | Qingqing Wang, Wei Liu, Chun Chung Leung, Daniel A Tarté, Joshua M Gendron | Joshua M. Gendron | Yale University, United States | Science | 31 | 10.1126/science.adg9196 |
| 17 | Rubisco is evolving for improved catalytic efficiency and CO <sub>2</sub> assimilation in plants | Jacques W Bouvier, David M Emms, Steven Kelly | Steven Kelly | University of Oxford, United Kingdom | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences | 29 | 10.1073/pnas.2321050121 |
| 18 | The microRNA408–plantacyanin module balances plant growth and drought resistance by regulating reactive oxygen species homeostasis in guard cells | Yanzhi Yang, Lei Xu, Chen Hao, Miaomiao Wan, Yihan Tao, Yan Zhuang, Yanning Su, Lei Li | Lei Xu, Lei Li | Peking University, China | The Plant Cell | 29 | 10.1093/plcell/koae144 |
| 19 | Dynamic responses of chlorophyll fluorescence parameters to drought across diverse plant families | Yotam Zait, Or Emma Shemer, Amnon Cochavi | Amnon Cochavi | The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel | Physiologia Plantarum | 29 | 10.1111/ppl.14527 |
| 20 | Quantum phase synchronization via exciton-vibrational energy dissipation sustains long-lived coherence in photosynthetic antennas | Ruidan Zhu, Wenjun Li, Zhanghe Zhen, Jiading Zou, Guohong Liao, Jiayu Wang, Zhuan Wang, Hailong Chen, Song Qin, Yuxiang Weng | Song Qin, Yuxiang Weng | Chinese Academy of Sciences, China | Nature Communications | 28 | 10.1038/s41467-024-47560-6 |

## Topic trends

### What Topics Define the Class of 2026?

The Class of 2026 for Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms is defined by structural biology and core reaction centers. Photosystem II and Photosystem I are the most frequently discussed topics, alongside high mentions of Cryo-electron microscopy. This underscores a strong trend toward resolving the high-resolution atomic structures of these massive protein complexes in different functional states. Carbon fixation and Rubisco remain highly prominent, reflecting ongoing efforts to understand and potentially optimize the dark reactions of photosynthesis for improved crop yields. Additionally, research heavily anchors on light-harvesting complexes and established model organisms like Arabidopsis thaliana to uncover the foundational mechanisms of how plants capture and safely process solar energy.

*Leading research themes*

### How Did Topics Shift from the Class of 2025 to the Class of 2026?

The shift from 2025 to 2026 highlights an emerging focus on regulatory and specialized photosynthetic pathways. Stomatal movement, C4 photosynthesis, and the Calvin cycle saw the largest relative increases, indicating a move toward understanding physiological responses and efficient carbon assimilation strategies. Photosystem I also experienced a massive 2.7-fold increase in focus, reflecting renewed interest in its structural dynamics alongside cyclic electron flow, which also rose significantly. Conversely, topics related to environmental stress responses—such as CO2 concentrating mechanisms, light stress, photoprotection, and chlorophyll fluorescence—declined in prominence. This suggests a subtle transition in the field's top-cited literature, moving away from studying general stress adaptation and toward optimizing the core structural and biochemical machinery of photosynthesis.

*How topics shifted year over year*

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Photosynthetic Processes and Mechanisms Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/photosynthetic-processes-and-mechanisms/2026. Accessed 2026-07-21.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```