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PubMed1999

Spectroscopic characterization of the spinach Lhcb4 protein (CP29), a minor light-harvesting complex of photosystem II.

A spectroscopic characterization is presented of the minor photosystem II chlorophyll a/b-binding protein CP29 (or the Lhcb4 protein) from spinach, prepared by a modified form of a published protocol [Henrysson, T., Schroder, W. P., Spangfort, M. & Akerlund, H.-E. (1989) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 977, 301-308]. The isolation procedure represents a quicker, cheaper means of isolating this minor antenna protein to an equally high level of purity to that published previously. The pigment-binding protein shows similarities to other related light-harvesting complexes (LHCs), including the bulk complex LHCIIb but more particularly another minor antenna protein CP26 (Lhcb5). It is also, in the main, similar to other preparations of CP29, although some significant differences are discussed. In common with CP26, the protein binds about six chlorophyll a and two chlorophyll b molecules. Two chlorophyll b absorption bands are present at 638 and 650 nm and they are somewhat more pronounced than in a recent report [Giuffra, E., Zucchelli, G., Sandonà, D., Croce, R., Cugini, D., Garlaschi, F.M., Bassi, R. & Jennings, R.C. (1997) Biochem. 36, 12984-12993]. The bands give rise to positive and negative linear dichroism, respectively; both show negative CD bands (cf. bands with similar properties at 637 and 650 nm in CP26). Chlorophyll a absorption is dominated by a large contribution at 674 nm which also shows similarities to the major band in LHCIIb and CP26, while (as for CP26) a reduction in absorption around 670 nm is observed relative to the bulk complex. Principal differences from LHCIIb and CP26, and from other CP29 preparations, occur in the carotenoid region.

Circular Dichroism↗

PubMed1990

Isolation and characterization of cDNAs from Lycopersicon esculentum and Arabidopsis thaliana encoding the 33 kDa protein of the photosystem II-associated oxygen-evolving complex.

We have identified and isolated cDNA clones of the 33 kDa protein of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEE1) from Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) and Arabidopsis thaliana and determined their nucleotide sequences. The cDNA clones and antibodies prepared against OEE1 were used as probes to examine the expression of the oee1 gene with respect to regulation by light, organ specificity, and ripening stage of tomato fruit. The steady-state mRNA level is regulated by light, being present in light-grown plants and absent in etiolated seedlings. The oee1 transcripts that accumulate during growth in the light were reduced to non-detectable or low levels by a 3-day dark treatment. The oee1 gene also exhibits differential expression in various organs of the tomato plant. Steady-state mRNA level was highest in immature leaves and absent in roots while the protein was most abundant in mature leaves and absent in roots. During tomato fruit ripening oee1 mRNA decreases to a low level in the pericarp while the protein level decreases below detection. The expression of oee1 appears to be under the control of a complex mechanism regulating both the amount of RNA and its translation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1996

A protein kinase in the core of photosystem II.

In green plants, several intrinsic protein components of the photosystem II (PS II) complexes are subject to reversible phosphorylation on threonine residues. Evidence from mutant and inhibitor studies indicates that multiple kinases are involved. The protein kinases appear to be membrane-bound and redox-regulated, with activity requiring reducing conditions. We report the identification of a protein kinase activity which copurifies with a core complex of PS II and is capable of phosphorylating the photosystem proteins and associated light-harvesting complex. The enzyme is a distinct and novel protein whose close proximity to the photosystem reaction center is confirmed by its rapid inactivation under strong red light irradiation in the presence of oxygen.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed2002

Proteolytic activity against the light-harvesting complex and the D1/D2 core proteins of Photosystem II in close association to the light-harvesting complex II trimer.

Light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) prepared from isolated thylakoids of either broken or intact chloroplasts by three independent methods, exhibits proteolytic activity against LHCII. This activity is readily detectable upon incubation of these preparations at 37 degrees C (without addition of any chemicals or prior pre-treatment), and can be monitored either by the LHCII immunostain reduction on Western blots or by the Coomassie blue stain reduction in substrate-containing "activity gels". Upon SDS-sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation of SDS-solubilized thylakoids, a method which succeeds in the separation of the pigment-protein complexes in their trimeric and monomeric forms, the protease activity copurifies with the LHCII trimer, its monomer exhibiting no activity. This LHCII trimer, apart from being "self-digested", also degrades the Photosystem II (PSII) core proteins (D1, D2) when added to an isolated PSII core protein preparation containing the D1/D2 heterodimer. Under our experimental conditions, 50% of LHCII or the D1, D2 proteins are degraded by the LHCII-protease complex within 30 min at 37 degrees C and specific degradation products are observed. The protease is light-inducible during chloroplast biogenesis, stable in low concentrations of SDS, activated by Mg(2+), and inhibited by Zn(2+), Cd(2+), EDTA and p-hydroxy-mercury benzoate (pOHMB), suggesting that it may belong to the cysteine family of proteases. Upon electrophoresis of the LHCII trimer on substrate-containing "activity gels" or normal Laemmli gels, the protease is released from the complex and runs in the upper part of the gel, above the LHCII trimer. A polypeptide of 140 kDa that exhibits proteolytic activity against LHCII, D1 and D2 has been identified as the protease. We believe that this membrane-bound protease is closely associated to the LHCII complex in vivo, as an LHCII-protease complex, its function being the regulation of the PSII unit assembly and/or adaptation.

Centrifugation, Density Gradient↗

PubMed1997

Identification of domains on the extrinsic 33-kDa protein possibly involved in electrostatic interaction with photosystem II complex by means of chemical modification.

The extrinsic 33-kDa protein of photosystem II (PSII) was modified with various reagents, and the resulting proteins were checked for the ability to rebind to PSII and to reactivate oxygen evolution. While modification of more than eight carboxyl groups of aspartyl and glutamyl residues with glycine methyl ester did not affect the rebinding and reactivating capabilities, modification of amino groups of lysyl residues with either N-succinimidyl propionate or 2, 4,6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid or modification of guanidino groups of arginyl residues with 2,3-butanedione resulted in a loss of rebinding and reactivating capabilities of the 33-kDa protein. Moreover, the number of lysyl and arginyl residues susceptible to modification was significantly decreased when the protein was bound to PSII as compared with when it was free in solution, whereas the number of carboxyl groups modified was little affected. These results suggested that positive charges are important for the electrostatic interaction between the extrinsic 33-kDa protein and PSII intrinsic proteins, whereas negative charges on the protein do not contribute to such interaction. By a combination of protease digestion and mass spectroscopic analysis, the domains of lysyl residues accessible to N-succinimidyl propionate or 2,4, 6-trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid modification only when the 33-kDa protein is free in solution were determined to be Lys4, Lys20, Lys66-Lys76, Lys101, Lys105, Lys130, Lys159, Lys186, and Lys230-Lys236. These domains include those previously reported accessible to N-hydroxysuccinimidobiotin only in solution (Frankel and Bricker (1995) Biochemistry 34, 7492-7497), and may be important for the interaction of the 33-kDa protein with PSII intrinsic proteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1998

Close vicinity of Lhc b1 and Lhc b4 in Photosystem II--membrane fragments as verified by chemical cross-linking.

The nearest neighbourhood of pigment-protein complexes within Photosystem II (PSII) membrane fragments has been studied by means of chemical cross-linking with o-phthalaldehyde (OPA) in conjunction with protein-chemical techniques. By means of OPA-induced cross-linking a major conjugate of about 60 kDa has been identified. This conjugate was shown to consist of two pigment-protein complexes of light-harvesting complex II (LHC II), Lhc b1 (CP27) and Lhc b4 (CP29) by means of SDS/PAGE in combination with an immunological analysis using mAbs directed against Lhc b4 and by matrix-assisted-laser-desorption-ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and sequence analysis of peptides derived from a proteolytic digest of the conjugate. Domains of Lhc bl and Lhc b4 have been localized to a distance of not more than 5 A within LHC II. Our results are discussed in the light of recent models on the topography of the two subunits within the antenna system of Photosystem II.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed1999

Protective function of chloroplast 2-cysteine peroxiredoxin in photosynthesis. Evidence from transgenic Arabidopsis.

2-Cysteine peroxiredoxins (2-CPs) constitute a ubiquitous group of peroxidases that reduce cell-toxic alkyl hydroperoxides to their corresponding alcohols. Recently, we cloned 2-CP cDNAs from plants and characterized them as chloroplast proteins. To elucidate the physiological function of the 2-CP in plant metabolism, we generated antisense mutants in Arabidopsis. In the mutant lines a 2-CP deficiency developed during early leaf and plant development and eventually the protein accumulated to wild-type levels. In young mutants with reduced amounts of 2-CP, photosynthesis was impaired and the levels of D1 protein, the light-harvesting protein complex associated with photosystem II, chloroplast ATP synthase, and ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase were decreased. Photoinhibition was particularly pronounced after the application of the protein synthesis inhibitor, lincomycin. We concluded that the photosynthetic machinery needs high levels of 2-CP during leaf development to protect it from oxidative damage and that the damage is reduced by the accumulation of 2-CP protein, by the de novo synthesis and replacement of damaged proteins, and by the induction of other antioxidant defenses in 2-CP mutants.

Antioxidants↗

PubMed1986

Biogenesis of photosystem II complexes: transcriptional, translational, and posttranslational regulation.

The integral membrane proteins of photosystem II (PS II) reaction center complexes are encoded by chloroplast genomes. These proteins are absent from thylakoids of PS II mutants of algae and vascular plants as a result of either chloroplast or nuclear gene mutations. To resolve the molecular basis for the concurrent absence of the PS II polypeptides, protein synthesis rates and mRNA levels were measured in mutants of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii that lack PS II. The analyses show that one nuclear gene product regulates the levels of transcripts from the chloroplast gene encoding the 51-kD chlorophyll a-binding polypeptide (polypeptide 5) but is not involved in the synthesis of other chloroplast mRNAs. Another nuclear product is specifically required for translation of mRNA encoding the 32-34-kD polypeptide, D1. The absence of either D1 or polypeptide 5 does not eliminate the synthesis and thylakoid insertion of two other integral membrane proteins of PS II, the chlorophyll a-binding polypeptide of 46 kD (polypeptide 6) and the 30-kD "D1-like" protein, D2. However, these two unassembled subunits cannot be properly processed and/or are degraded in the mutants even though they reside in the membrane. In addition, pulse labeling of the nuclear mutants and a chloroplast mutant that does not synthesize D1 mRNA indicates that synthesis of polypeptide 5 and D1 is coordinated at the translational level. A model is presented to explain how absence of one of the two proteins could lead to translational arrest of the other.

Chlamydomonas↗

PubMed2005

Mutagenesis of CP43-arginine-357 to serine reveals new evidence for (bi)carbonate functioning in the water oxidizing complex of Photosystem II.

The chlorophyll-binding protein CP43 is an inner subunit of the Photosystem II (PSII) reaction center core complex of all oxygenic photoautotrophs. X-Ray structural evidence places the guanidinium cation of the conserved arginine 357 residue of CP43 within a few Angstroms to the Mn(4)Ca cluster of the water-oxidizing complex (WOC) and has been implicated as a possible carbonate binding site. To test the hypothesis, the serine mutant, CP43-R357S, from Synechocystis PCC 6803 was investigated by PSII variable fluorescence (F(v)/F(m)) and simultaneous flash O(2) yield measurements in cells and thylakoid membranes. The R357S mutant assembles PSII-WOC centers, but is unable to grow photoautotrophically. Reconstitution of O(2) evolution by photoactivation and the occurrence of period-four oscillations of F(v)/F(m) establishes that the R357S mutant contains an assembled Mn(4)Ca cluster, but turnover is impaired as seen by an 11-fold larger Kok double miss parameter and faster decay of upper S states. Using pulsed light to avoid photoinactivation, wild-type cells and thylakoid membranes exhibit a 2-4-fold loss in O(2) evolution rate upon partial bicarbonate depletion under multiple turnover conditions, while the R357S mutant is unaffected by bicarbonate. Arginine R357 appears to function in binding a (bi)carbonate ion essential to normal catalytic turnover of the WOC. The quantum yield of electron donation from the WOC into PSII increases with decreasing turnover rate in R357S mutant cells and involves an aborted two-flash pathway that is distinct from the classical four-flash pattern. We speculate that an altered photochemical mechanism for O(2) production occurs via formation of hydrogen peroxide, by analogy to other treatments that retard the kinetics of proton release into the lumen.

Arginine↗

PubMed1997

Thermal protection of the oxygen-evolving machinery by PsbU, an extrinsic protein of photosystem II, in Synechococcus species PCC 7002.

The evolution of oxygen is the reaction that is the most susceptible to heat in photosynthesis. We showed previously that, in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002, some protein factors located on the thylakoid membranes are involved in the stabilization of this reaction against heat-induced inactivation, and we identified cytochrome C550 as one such factor (Y. Nishiyama, H. Hayashi, T. Watanabe, N. Murata [1994] Plant Physiol 105: 1313-1319). In the present study we purified another protein that appears to be essential for the stabilization of the oxygen-evolving machinery. The purified protein had an apparent molecular mass of 13 kD, and the gene encoding the 13-kD protein was cloned from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 and sequenced. The deduced amino acid sequence revealed that the protein was homologous to PsbU, an extrinsic protein of the photosystem II complex, which has been found in thermophilic species of cyanobacteria. Western analysis showed that the level of PsbU in thylakoid membranes was constant, regardless of the growth temperature. Our studies indicate that PsbU, a constituent of the photosystem II complex, protects the oxygen-evolving machinery against heat-induced inactivation.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Molecular weight determination of membrane proteins by sedimentation equilibrium at the sucrose or nycodenz-adjusted density of the hydrated detergent micelle.

The determination of the molecular weight of a membrane protein by sedimentation equilibrium is complicated by the fact that these proteins interact with detergents and form complexes of unknown density. These effects become marginal when running sedimentation equilibrium at gravitational transparency, i.e., at the density corresponding to that of the hydrated detergent micelles. Dodecyl-maltoside and octyl-glucoside are commonly used for dissolving membrane proteins. The density of micelles thereof was measured in sucrose or Nycodenz. Both proved to be about 50% lower than those of the corresponding non-hydrated micelles. Several membrane proteins were centrifuged at sedimentation equilibrium in sucrose- and in Nycodenz-enriched solutions of various densities. Their molecular weights were then calculated by using the resulting slope value at the density of the hydrated detergent micelles, i.e. at gravitational transparency, and the partial specific volume corrected for a 50% hydration of the membrane protein. The molecular weights of all measured membrane proteins, i.e. of photosystem II complex, reaction center of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26, spinach photosystem II reaction center (core complex), bacteriorhodopsin, OmpF-porin and rhodopsin from Bovine retina corresponded within +/-15% to those reported previously, indicating a general applicability of this approach.

Animals↗

PubMed1996

Molecular studies of CtpA, the carboxyl-terminal processing protease for the D1 protein of the photosystem II reaction center in higher plants.

The D1 reaction center protein of the Photosystem II complex in green plants is synthesized with a short carboxyl-terminal extension. Proteolytic cleavage and removal of this extension peptide in the thylakoid lumen are necessary for the assembly of a manganese cluster that is essential for the oxygen evolution activity of Photosystem II. We have isolated cDNAs encoding CtpA, the carboxyl-terminal processing protease for the D1 protein, from two higher plants, spinach and barley. In each of these organisms, CtpA is encoded by a single copy nuclear gene, and its steady-state mRNA levels are light-regulated. The CtpA protein is detectable in etiolated material, and its level increases approximately 5-fold upon illumination. Moreover, the CtpA gene is expressed in shoot tissues and not in roots. In its precursor form, the CtpA protein harbors a bipartite transit sequence characteristic for thylakoid lumenal proteins. Cell fractionation studies demonstrated that CtpA is associated with thylakoid membranes and is resistant to treatments with thermolysin, consistent with its localization in the lumen of thylakoids. Comparisons of the sequence of the higher plant CtpA enzyme with those of other related carboxyl-terminal processing proteases suggest that these proteins constitute a new family of proteases.

Algal Proteins↗

PubMed1990

Targeted deletion mutagenesis of the beta subunit of cytochrome b559 protein destabilizes the reaction center of photosystem II.

Oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis techniques were used to delete the psbF gene, encoding the beta subunit of the cytochrome b559 protein of the photosystem II complex in the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis 6803. Cyt b559 is an integral component of PS II complex. However, its precise functional role in PS II remains to be determined. Previously, we created a mutant in which the psbF gene as well as three of its neighbouring genes, psbE, psbL and psbJ were simultaneously deleted from the chromosome of Synechocystis 6803 (Pakrasi, Williams and Arntzen, EMBO J. 7, 325-332, 1988). This mutant had no PS II activity. However, the role of any one of the four individual gene products could not be determined by studying this mutant. The newly generated mutant, T256, had only one gene, psbF, deleted from the genome. This mutant was also impaired in its PS II activities. In addition, it had barely detectable levels of two other protein components, D1 (herbicide binding protein) and D2, of the reaction center of PS II, in its thylakoid membranes. In contrast, two other proteins of PS II, CP47 and CP43 were present in appreciable amounts. Fluorescence spectra (77 K) of the mutant showed the absence of a peak at 695 nm that was previously believed to originate from CP47. In addition, phycobilisomes, the light-harvesting antenna system of PS II, were found to be assembled normally in this mutant. We conclude that the presence of the beta subunit of Cyt b559 in the thylakoid membranes is critically important for the assembly of PS II reaction center.

Base Sequence↗

PubMed2000

Cross-reconstitution of various extrinsic proteins and photosystem II complexes from cyanobacteria, red algae and higher plants.

Photosystem II (PSII) contains different extrinsic proteins required for oxygen evolution among different organisms. Cyanobacterial PSII contains the 33 kDa, 12 kDa proteins and cytochrome (cyt) c-550; red algal PSII contains a 20 kDa protein in addition to the three homologous cyanobacterial proteins; whereas higher plant PSII contains the 33 kDa, 23 kDa and 17 kDa proteins. In order to understand the binding and functional properties of these proteins, we performed cross-reconstitution experiments with combinations of PSII and extrinsic proteins from three different sources: higher plant (spinach), red alga (Cyanidium caldarium) and cyanobacterium (Synechococcus vulcanus). Among all of the extrinsic proteins, the 33 kDa protein is common to all of the organisms and is totally exchangeable in binding to PSII from any of the three organisms. Oxygen evolution of higher plant and red algal PSII was restored to a more or less similar level by binding of any one of the three 33 kDa proteins, whereas oxygen evolution of cyanobacterial PSII was restored to a larger extent with its own 33 kDa protein than with the 33 kDa protein from other sources. In addition to the 33 kDa protein, the red algal 20 kDa, 12 kDa proteins and cyt c-550 were able to bind to cyanobacterial and higher plant PSII, leading to a partial restoration of oxygen evolution in both organisms. The cyanobacterial 12 kDa protein and cyt c-550 partially bound to the red algal PSII, but this binding did not restore oxygen evolution. The higher plant 23 kDa and 17 kDa proteins bound to the cyanobacterial and red algal PSII only through non-specific interactions. Thus, only the red algal extrinsic proteins are partially functional in both the cyanobacterial and higher plant PSII, which implies a possible intermediate position of the red algal PSII during its evolution from cyanobacteria to higher plants.

Bacterial Proteins↗

PubMed1997

Expression of the psbA gene during photoinhibition and recovery in Synechocystis PCC 6714: inhibition and damage of transcriptional and translational machinery prevent the restoration of photosystem II activity.

The D1 reaction center protein of the photosystem II complex is very sensitive to light. It is continuously being damaged, degraded and resynthesized. Under high light, photosystem II inactivation is observed. This is because the rate of D1 damage is faster than that of its replacement. This process can be reversed if exposure to high light is not too long. In this work we study the changes that occur in the transcriptional and translational machinery that could lead to irreversible photoinhibition in Synechocystis PCC 6714. In the first minutes of photoinhibition, high light induced an accumulation of psbA mRNA due to an increase in psbA transcription initiation. Although the transcription rate of other photosynthetic genes (e.g. psaE and cpcB-cpcA) declined, the high turnover of the psbA transcript was maintained for a long time. When the light stress was too long, the stability of psbA mRNA increased and the psbA transcription rate appeared to decrease. A high level of psbA mRNA was maintained even though translation no longer occurred and the cells were unable to recover. Experiments to measure newly synthesized D1 incorporation into the thylakoid membranes during recovery in the presence of rifampicin showed that the initiation of transcription was not required for translation of psbA mRNA when photoinhibition was still reversible. Since psbA translation did not depend on the level of psbA transcript or on the initiation of psbA transcription, we propose that damage to the translational machinery also occurred during light stress, leading to the inhibition of D1 synthesis and to irreversible photoinhibition.

Cyanobacteria↗

PubMed1989

Evidence that the amino-terminus of the 33 kDa extrinsic protein is required for binding to the Photosystem II complex.

Chymotrypsin and Staphylococcus aureus (strain V8) proteinase eliminated sixteen and eighteen amino acid residues, respectively, from the amino-terminal side of the extrinsic 33 kDa protein of the oxygen-evolving Photosystem II (PS II) complex of spinach. The carboxy-terminus of the resultant large fragments was found to be identical with that of the intact protein. Neither fragment could rebind to PS II membranes depleted of all the extrinsic proteins. Circular dichroism spectroscopy did not reveal any major conformational change within the two fragments. These results suggest that the amino-terminal region of the 33 kDa protein contains a domain essential for binding to the PS II complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2004

Isolation and characterization of oxygen-evolving photosystem II complexes retaining the PsbO, P and Q proteins from Euglena gracilis.

Oxygen-evolving photosystem II (PSII) complexes of Euglena gracilis were isolated and characterized. (1) The PSII complexes contained three extrinsic proteins of 33 kDa (PsbO), 23 kDa (PsbP) and 17 kDa (PsbQ), and showed oxygen-evolving activity of around 700 micromol O2 (mg Chl)(-1) h(-1) even in the absence of Cl- and Ca2+ ions. (2) NaCl-treatment removed not only PsbP and PsbQ but also a part of PsbO from Euglena PSII, indicating that PsbO binds to Euglena PSII more loosely than those of other organisms. Treatments by urea/NaCl, alkaline Tris or CaCl2 completely removed the three extrinsic proteins from Euglena PSII. (3) Each of the Euglena extrinsic proteins bound directly to PSII independent of the other extrinsic proteins, which is similar to the binding properties of the extrinsic proteins in a green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. (4) One of the significant features of Euglena PSII is that the oxygen evolution was not enhanced by Ca2+. When CaCl2-treated Euglena PSII was reconstituted with PsbO, the oxygen-evolving activity was stimulated by the addition of NaCl, but no further stimulation was observed by CaCl2. (5) Oxygen evolution of Euglena PSII reconstituted with PsbO from C. reinhardtii or spinach instead of that from Euglena also showed no enhancement by Ca2+, whereas a significant enhancement of oxygen evolution was observed by Ca2+ when the green algal or higher plant PSII was reconstituted with Euglena PsbO instead of their own PsbO. These results indicate that the PSII intrinsic proteins instead of the extrinsic PsbO protein, are responsible for the stimulation of oxygen evolution by Ca2+. Sequence comparison of major PSII intrinsic proteins revealed that PsbI of Euglena PSII is remarkably different from other organisms in that Euglena PsbI possesses extra 16-17 residues exposed to the luminal side. This may be related to the loss of enhancement of oxygen evolution by Ca2+ ion.

Algal Proteins↗

PubMed2000

The low molecular mass PsbW protein is involved in the stabilization of the dimeric photosystem II complex in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Arabidopsis thaliana plants have been transformed with an antisense gene to the psbW of photosystem II (PSII). Eight transgenic lines containing low levels of psbW mRNA have been obtained. Transgenic seedlings with low contents of PsbW protein (more than 96% reduced) were selected by Western blotting and used for photosynthetic functional studies. There were no distinct differences in phenotype between the antisense and wild type plants during vegetative period under normal growth light intensities. However, a sucrose gradient separation of briefly solubilized thylakoid membranes revealed that no dimeric PSII supracomplex could be detected in the transgenic plants lacking the PsbW protein. Furthermore, analysis of isolated thylakoids demonstrated that the oxygen-evolving rate in antisense plants decreased by 50% compared with the wild type. This was found to be due to up to 40% of D1 and D2 reaction center proteins of PSII disappearing in the transgenic plants. The absence of the PsbW protein also altered the contents of other PSII proteins to differing extents. These results show that in the absence of the PsbW protein, the stability of the dimeric PSII is diminished and consequently the total number of PSII complexes is greatly reduced. Thus the nuclear encoded PsbW protein may play a crucial role in the biogenesis and regulation of the photosynthetic apparatus.

Amino Acid Sequence↗