Photosystem II core phosphorylation and photosynthetic acclimation require two different protein kinases

Illumination changes elicit modifications of thylakoid proteins and reorganization of the photosynthetic machinery. This involves, in the short term, phosphorylation of photosystem II (PSII) and light-harvesting (LHCII) proteins. PSII phosphorylation is thought to be relevant for PSII turnover, whereas LHCII phosphorylation is associated with the relocation of LHCII and the redistribution of excitation energy (state transitions) between photosystems. In the long term, imbalances in energy distribution between photosystems are counteracted by adjusting photosystem stoichiometry. In the green alga Chlamydomonas and the plant Arabidopsis, state transitions require the orthologous protein kinases STT7 and STN7, respectively. Here we show that in Arabidopsis a second protein kinase, STN8, is required for the quantitative phosphorylation of PSII core proteins. However, PSII activity under high-intensity light is affected only slightly in stn8 mutants, and D1 turnover is indistinguishable from the wild type, implying that reversible protein phosphorylation is not essential for PSII repair. Acclimation to changes in light quality is defective in stn7 but not in stn8 mutants, indicating that short-term and long-term photosynthetic adaptations are coupled. Therefore the phosphorylation of LHCII, or of an unknown substrate of STN7, is also crucial for the control of photosynthetic gene expression.     

The PSI-H subunit of photosystem I is essential for state transitions in plant photosynthesis

Photosynthesis in plants involves two photosystems responsible for converting light energy into redox processes. The photosystems, PSI and PSII, operate largely in series, and therefore their excitation must be balanced in order to optimize photosynthetic performance. When plants are exposed to illumination favouring either PSII or PSI they can redistribute excitation towards the light-limited photosystem. Long-term changes in illumination lead to changes in photosystem stoichiometry. In contrast, state transition is a dynamic mechanism that enables plants to respond rapidly to changes in illumination. When PSII is favoured (state 2), the redox conditions in the thylakoids change and result in activation of a protein kinase. The kinase phosphorylates the main light-harvesting complex (LHCII) and the mobile antenna complex is detached from PSII. It has not been clear if attachment of LHCII to PSI in state 2 is important in state transitions. Here we show that in the absence of a specific PSI subunit, PSI-H, LHCII cannot transfer energy to PSI, and state transitions are impaired.     

Effects of temperature on the expression of STN7 andphosphorylation of LHCII proteins in Arabidopsis thaliana

In Arabidopsis thaliana, STN7 kinase is required for phosphorylation of LHCII and for state transitions. In this paper, a hydrophilic polypeptide, derived from the amino acid sequence of STN7, was conjugated to a carrier protein, bovine serum albumin (BSA), to obtain the polyclonal antibody. Immunogenicity and specificity of the polyclonal antibody were evaluated by agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) test and Western blot analysis. The results show that besides the phosphorylation of LHCII proteins, also the expression of STN7 was regulated by temperature conditions. In addition, the change tendency of LHCII proteins phosphorylation was not only coherent with expression of STN7 with respect to increasing temperature, but also closely related to state transitions. These results would provide useful information for studying regulatory mechanism of LHCII proteins phosphorylation and expression of STN7.     

Effects of temperature on the expression of STN7 and phosphorylation of LHCII proteins in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>

In Arabidopsis thaliana, STN7 kinase is required for phosphorylation of LHCII and for state transitions. In this paper, a hydrophilic polypeptide, derived from the amino acid sequence of STN7, was conjugated to a carrier protein, bovine serum albumin （BSA）, to obtain the polyclonal antibody. Immunogenicity and specificity of the polyclonal antibody were evaluated by agar gel immunodiffusion （AGID） test and Western blot analysis. The results show that besides the phosphorylation of LHCII proteins, also the expression of STN7 was regulated by temperature conditions. In addition, the change tendency of LHCII proteins phosphorylation was not only coherent with expression of STN7 with respect to increasing temperature, but also closely related to state transitions. These results would provide useful information for studying regulatory mechanism of LHCII proteins phosphorylation and expression of STN7.     

Cyclic electron flow around photosystem I is essential for photosynthesis

Photosynthesis provides at least two routes through which light energy can be used to generate a proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts, which is subsequently used to synthesize ATP. In the first route, electrons released from water in photosystem II (PSII) are eventually transferred to NADP+ by way of photosystem I (PSI). This linear electron flow is driven by two photochemical reactions that function in series. The cytochrome b6f complex mediates electron transport between the two photosystems and generates the proton gradient (DeltapH). In the second route, driven solely by PSI, electrons can be recycled from either reduced ferredoxin or NADPH to plastoquinone, and subsequently to the cytochrome b6f complex. Such cyclic flow generates DeltapH and thus ATP without the accumulation of reduced species. Whereas linear flow from water to NADP+ is commonly used to explain the function of the light-dependent reactions of photosynthesis, the role of cyclic flow is less clear. In higher plants cyclic flow consists of two partially redundant pathways. Here we have constructed mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana in which both PSI cyclic pathways are impaired, and present evidence that cyclic flow is essential for efficient photosynthesis.     

A giant chlorophyll-protein complex induced by iron deficiency in cyanobacteria

Cyanobacteria are abundant throughout most of the world's water bodies and contribute significantly to global primary productivity through oxygenic photosynthesis. This reaction is catalysed by two membrane-bound protein complexes, photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII), which both contain chlorophyll-binding subunits functioning as an internal antenna. In addition, phycobilisomes act as peripheral antenna systems, but no additional light-harvesting systems have been found under normal growth conditions. Iron deficiency, which is often the limiting factor for cyanobacterial growth in aquatic ecosystems, leads to the induction of additional proteins such as IsiA (ref. 3). Although IsiA has been implicated in chlorophyll storage, energy absorption and protection against excessive light, its precise molecular function and association to other proteins is unknown. Here we report the purification of a specific PSI-IsiA supercomplex, which is abundant under conditions of iron limitation. Electron microscopy shows that this supercomplex consists of trimeric PSI surrounded by a closed ring of 18 IsiA proteins binding around 180 chlorophyll molecules. We provide a structural characterization of an additional chlorophyll-containing, membrane-integral antenna in a cyanobacterial photosystem.     

Changes in the transthylakoid proton gradient are caused by the movement of phycobilisomes in the cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Synechocystis</Emphasis> sp. strain PCC 6803

Phycobilisomes (PBSs) are the main accessory light-harvesting complexes in cyanobacteria and their movement between photosystems (PSs) affects cyclic and respiratory electron transport. However, it remains unclear whether the movement of PBSs between PSs also affects the transthylakoid proton gradient (ΔpH). We investigated the effect of PBS movement on ΔpH levels in a unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803, using glycinebetaine to immobilize and couple PBSs to photosystem II (PSII) or photosystem I (PSI) by applying under far-red or green light, respectively. The immobilization of PBSs at PSII inhibited decreases in ΔpH, as reflected by the slow phase of millisecond-delayed light emission (ms-DLE) that occurs during the movement of PBSs from PSII to PSI. By contrast, the immobilization of PBSs at PSI inhibited the increase in ΔpH that occurs when PBSs move from PSI to PSII. Comparison of the changes in ΔpH and electron transport caused by the movement of PBSs between PSs indicated that the changes in ΔpH were most likely caused by respiratory electron transport. This will further improve our understanding of the physiological role of PBS movement in cyanobacteria.     

ApcD is required for state transition but not involved in blue-light induced quenching in the cyanobacterium <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anabaena</Emphasis> sp. PCC7120

Pbycobilisomes （PBS） are able to transfer absorbed energy to photosystem Ⅰ and Ⅱ, and the distribution of light energy between two photosystems is regulated by state transitions. In this study we show that energy transfer from PBS to photosystem Ⅰ （PSI） requires ApcD. Cells were unable to perform state transitions in the absence of ApcD. The apcD mutant grows more slowly in light mainly absorbed by PBS, indicating that ApcD-dependent energy transfer to PSI is required for optimal growth under this condition. The apcD mutant showed normal blue-light induced quenching, suggesting that ApcD is not required for this process and state transitions are independent of blue-light induced quenching. Under nitrogen fixing condition, the growth rates of the wild type and the mutant were the same, indicating that energy transfer from PBS to PSI in heterocysts was not required for nitrogen fixation.     

Low-light-adapted Prochlorococcus species possess specific antennae for each photosystem

Prochlorococcus, the most abundant genus of photosynthetic organisms, owes its remarkably large depth distribution in the oceans to the occurrence of distinct genotypes adapted to either low- or high-light niches. The pcb genes, encoding the major chlorophyll-binding, light-harvesting antenna proteins in this genus, are present in multiple copies in low-light strains but as a single copy in high-light strains. The basis of this differentiation, however, has remained obscure. Here we show that the moderate low-light-adapted strain Prochlorococcus sp. MIT 9313 has one iron-stress-induced pcb gene encoding an antenna protein serving photosystem I (PSI)--comparable to isiA genes from cyanobacteria--and a constitutively expressed pcb gene encoding a photosystem II (PSII) antenna protein. By comparison, the very low-light-adapted strain SS120 has seven pcb genes encoding constitutive PSI and PSII antennae, plus one PSI iron-regulated pcb gene, whereas the high-light-adapted strain MED4 has only a constitutive PSII antenna. Thus, it seems that the adaptation of Prochlorococcus to low light environments has triggered a multiplication and specialization of Pcb proteins comparable to that found for Cab proteins in plants and green algae.     

海滨锦葵的耐冷性及低温弱光对其光系统的伤害

以海滨锦葵为实验材料,研究不同低温处理对海滨锦葵光合作用的伤害,探求海滨锦葵对低温胁迫的敏感温度,以及低温弱光对海滨锦葵的伤害．结果表明：在低温胁迫下,海滨锦葵的净光合速率（Pn）、光系统II实际光化学效率（ФPSII）、最大光化学效率（Fv／Fm）显著下降,说明随着温度的降低,海滨锦葵光化学活性受到抑制,13℃是其低温胁迫下的临界温度．低温弱光（6℃、200μmol·m^-2s^-1）处理4h后Fv/Fm下降了2．5％,而光系统I活性（△I／I0）下降了18．5％,说明在低温弱光条件下,海滨锦葵光系统I受到的伤害高于光系统II;在恢复过程中,光系统II在8h基本完全恢复,而光系统I和净光合速率在48h后仍没有恢复到正常水平,说明PSI的恢复速率成了光合作用的主要限制因素．     

pH Dependence of Chlorophyll States, Protein Structures and Function of the PSII Membranes

IntroductionPhotosystem II ( PSII) is a pigment- proteincomplex in the thylakoid membrane. Its reactioncenter( PSII- RC) ,which is composed of D1 andD2 proteins,generates the highly positive oxidantrequired for the oxidation of water by light- drivencharge separation. Water oxidation occurs at theMn4cluster positioned atthe center of the oxygen-evolving complex on the lumenal surface of PSII.In green plants,the highly reactive Mn4cluster isshielded by a number of extrinsic proteins( 33…     

Effect of Phosphatidylcholine on the Steady State Fluorescence of Chlorophyll in Photosystem Ⅱ Particles

Phosphatidylcholine (PC) accounts for less than 1% of the total lipids in plant photosystem II (PSII) particles.In this experiment, PSII particles were reconstituted with PC to construct PSII-PC vesicles.The effect of PC on the steady state fluorescence of chlorophyll (Chl) in PSII particles was studied.The results show that PC significantly affected the fluorescence intensity, but did not obviously affect the fluorescence emission band peak position.PC also did not obviously affect the absorbance at 436 nm or the amide I band peak position in FT-IR spectroscopy of PSII particles.The results suggest that PC may affect the light energy transfer from the antenna chlorophyll molecules to the reaction center chlorophyll molecule (P680).     

Effect of Phosphatidylcholine on the Steady State Fluorescence of Chlorophyll in Photosystem Ⅱ Particles

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Iron deficiency induces the formation of an antenna ring around trimeric photosystem I in cyanobacteria

Although iron is the fourth most abundant element in the Earth's crust, its concentration in the aquatic ecosystems-particularly the open oceans-is sufficiently low to limit photosynthetic activity and phytoplankton growth. Cyanobacteria, a major class of phytoplankton, respond to iron deficiency by expressing the 'iron-stress-induced' gene, isiA(ref. 3). The protein encoded by this gene has an amino-acid sequence that shows significant homology with one of the chlorophyll a-binding proteins (CP43) of photosystem II (PSII). The precise function of the CP43-like protein, here called CP43', has not been elucidated, although there have been many suggestions. Here we show that CP43' associates with photosystem I (PSI) to form a complex that consists of a ring of 18 CP43' molecules around a PSI trimer. This significantly increases the size of the light-harvesting system of PSI. The utilization of a PSII-like protein as an extra antenna for PSI emphasises the flexibility of cyanobacterial light-harvesting systems, and seems to be a strategy which compensates for the lowering of phycobilisome and PSI levels in response to iron deficiency.     

Plants lacking the main light-harvesting complex retain photosystem II macro-organization

Photosystem II (PSII) is a key component of photosynthesis, the process of converting sunlight into the chemical energy of life. In plant cells, it forms a unique oligomeric macrostructure in membranes of the chloroplasts. Several light-harvesting antenna complexes are organized precisely in the PSII macrostructure-the major trimeric complexes (LHCII) that bind 70% of PSII chlorophyll and three minor monomeric complexes-which together form PSII supercomplexes. The antenna complexes are essential for collecting sunlight and regulating photosynthesis, but the relationship between these functions and their molecular architecture is unresolved. Here we report that antisense Arabidopsis plants lacking the proteins that form LHCII trimers have PSII supercomplexes with almost identical abundance and structure to those found in wild-type plants. The place of LHCII is taken by a normally minor and monomeric complex, CP26, which is synthesized in large amounts and organized into trimers. Trimerization is clearly not a specific attribute of LHCII. Our results highlight the importance of the PSII macrostructure: in the absence of one of its main components, another protein is recruited to allow it to assemble and function.     

Mutagenesis of Ser24 of Cytochrome b559 α Subunit Affects PSII Acitivies in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

In order to study the functions of cytochrome b559 (Cyt b559) in photosystem two (PSII) activity, mutant S24F of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was constructed using site directed mutagenesis, in which Serine24 (Ser24) locating downstream of Histidine23 (His23) in α subunit of Cyt b559 was replaced by Phenylalanine (Phe). Physiological and biochemical analysis showed that mutant S24F could be grown photoautotrophically or photoheterotrophically. However, their growth rate was slower either on HSM or TAP medium than that of the control; Analysis of PSII activity revealed that its oxygen evolution was about 71% of wild type (WT); The Photochemical efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) of S24F was reduced 0.23 compared with WT; S24F was more sensitive to strong light irradiance than the wild type; Furthermore, SDS-PAGE and Western-blotting analysis indicated that the expression levels of α subunit of Cyt b559, LHCII and PsbO of S24F were a little less than those of the wild type. Overall, these data suggests that Ser24 plays a significant role in making Cyt b559 structure maintain PSII complex activity of oxygen evolution although it is not directly bound to heme group.     

Hydrogen ions directly regulating the oligomerization state of Photosystem I in intact <Emphasis Type="Italic">Spirulina platensis</Emphasis> cells

H^＋ concentration induced-monomerization or trimerization of photosystem Ⅰ （PSI） in cyanobacteria has never been directly observed. In this work, taking characteristic spectra for the trimers and monomers as the indicators, it was experimentally demonstrated that H^＋ could induce the oligomeric changes of PSI reaction centers in the intact Spirulina platensis cells and also in the isolated thylakoid membrane complexes. Especially, the higher concentration of H^＋ would induce the monomerization while the lower the trimerization, suggesting the electrostatic interaction should be mainly responsible for changes in the oligomeric state of PSI in Spirulina platensis.     

Transient Effects of Salt Shock on the Photosynthetic Machinery in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

IntroductionSalt stress is one of the main detrimental factors inthe environment that limit the growth andproductivity of plants.Salt stress causessignificant decreases in photosynthetic activity,such as the electron transport[1,2 ] ,but themechanisms by which salt stress inhibitsphotosynthesis remain poorly understood[3] .　Cyanobacteria are prokaryotes that performoxygenic photosynthesis using a photosyntheticapparatus similar to that in the chloroplasts ofgreen algae and higher plants[4 ] .…     

植物抗热性与叶绿体的关系

与其它细胞器相比,叶绿体对热敏感的多,PSH比PSI对热敏感.各种光合反应中,放氧过程对热最敏感。高温下功能性Mn~(2 )的解离,抑制光合放氧。高温胁迫下,叶绿体膜脂的特性是否与抗热性有关,目前看法不一,有些资料表明,叶绿体在热适应过程中,类囊体中产生热保护因子,其性质不甚明了。HSPs可能参与热保护作用。叶绿体中含有丰富的抗氧化物质和自由基清除酶系,目前有很多资料显示,耐热与热敏植物品种或植物在不同的热处理条件下,其各种活性氧含量或活性氧清除能力存在差异。     

Towards complete cofactor arrangement in the 3.0 A resolution structure of photosystem II

Oxygenic photosynthesis in plants, algae and cyanobacteria is initiated at photosystem II, a homodimeric multisubunit protein-cofactor complex embedded in the thylakoid membrane. Photosystem II captures sunlight and powers the unique photo-induced oxidation of water to atmospheric oxygen. Crystallographic investigations of cyanobacterial photosystem II have provided several medium-resolution structures (3.8 to 3.2 A) that explain the general arrangement of the protein matrix and cofactors, but do not give a full picture of the complex. Here we describe the most complete cyanobacterial photosystem II structure obtained so far, showing locations of and interactions between 20 protein subunits and 77 cofactors per monomer. Assignment of 11 beta-carotenes yields insights into electron and energy transfer and photo-protection mechanisms in the reaction centre and antenna subunits. The high number of 14 integrally bound lipids reflects the structural and functional importance of these molecules for flexibility within and assembly of photosystem II. A lipophilic pathway is proposed for the diffusion of secondary plastoquinone that transfers redox equivalents from photosystem II to the photosynthetic chain. The structure provides information about the Mn4Ca cluster, where oxidation of water takes place. Our study uncovers near-atomic details necessary to understand the processes that convert light to chemical energy.