Reorganization of the Photosystem II Unit in Developing Thylakoids of Higher Plants after Transfer to Darkness : Changes in Chlorophyll b, Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll Protein Content, and Grana Stacking.

A light-dependent reversible grana stacking-unstacking process, paralleled by a reorganization of thylakoid components, has been noticed in greening etiolated bean (Phaseolus vulgaris, var. red kidney) leaves upon transfer to darkness. The reorganization, based on biochemical and biophysical criteria, involves mainly the photosystem II (PSII) unit components: upon transfer to darkness, the light-harvesting chlorophyll protein (LHCP), its 25 kilodalton polypeptide and chlorophyll b are decreased, while the CPa and its 42 kilodalton polypeptide are increased and new PSII units of smaller size are formed. This reorganization of components occurs only in thylakoids still in the process of development and not in those present in steady state conditions.It is proposed that this process does not reflect the turnover of the LHCP component per se, but a regulatory process operating during development, by which the ratio of light-harvesting to PSII reaction center components, determined by the environmental conditions, controls the photosynthetic rate.

[1]  E. Tobin.  White Light Effects on the mRNA for the Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b-Protein in Lemna gibba L. G-3. , 1981, Plant physiology.

[2]  J. Hoober,et al.  Structural similarities between the major polypeptides of thylakoid membranes from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. , 1980, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[3]  J. Argyroudi-Akoyunoglou,et al.  The chlorophyll‐protein complexes of the thylakoid in greening plastids of Phaseolus vulgaris , 1979 .

[4]  S. W. Thorne,et al.  Chlorophyll—protein complexes of spinach and barley thylakoids , 1978 .

[5]  J. Argyroudi-Akoyunoglou,et al.  Development of the cation-induced stacking capacity during the biogenesis of higher plant thylakoids. , 1977, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[6]  G. Akoyunoglou.  Development of the photosystem II unit in plastids of bean leaves greened in periodic light. , 1977, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[7]  W. G. Hopkins,et al.  A second distinct chlorophyll a – protein complex in maize mesophyll chloroplasts , 1977 .

[8]  J. Argyroudi-Akoyunoglou,et al.  Correlation between cation-induced formation of heavy subchloroplast fractions and cation-induced increase in chlorophyll a fluorescence yield in tricine-washed chloroplasts. , 1977, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[9]  J. Argyroudi-Akoyunoglou.  Effect of cations on the reconstitution of heavy subchloroplast fractions (grana) in disorganized low-salt agranal chloroplasts. , 1976, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics.

[10]  Y. Inoue,et al.  Action Spectrum for Photoactivation of the Water‐splitting System in Plastids of Intermittently Illuminated Wheat Leaves , 1974 .

[11]  R. Rémy.  APPEARANCE AND DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITIES IN WHEAT ETIOPLASTS GREENED UNDER CONTINUOUS OR INTERMITTENT LIGHT—EVIDENCE FOR WATER‐SIDE PHOTOSYSTEM II DEFICIENCY AFTER GREENING UNDER INTERMITTENT LIGHT* , 1973 .

[12]  C. Sironval,et al.  Evidence for induction of photosystem II activities in primary thylakoids when illuminated with continuous light for a short time , 1972, FEBS letters.

[13]  J. Argyroudi-Akoyunoglou,et al.  Photoinduced changes in the chlorophyll a to chlorophyll B ratio in young bean plants. , 1970, Plant physiology.

[14]  L. Vernon,et al.  Photoreduction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol by diphenylcarbazide: a photosystem 2 reaction catalyzed by tris-washed chloroplasts and subchloroplast fragments. , 1969, Plant physiology.

[15]  T. Yamashita,et al.  Photoreduction and photophosphorylation with tris-washed chloroplasts. , 1968, Plant physiology.

[16]  G. Mackinney,et al.  ABSORPTION OF LIGHT BY CHLOROPHYLL SOLUTIONS , 1941 .

[17]  J. Bennett.  Biosynthesis of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein. Polypeptide turnover in darkness. , 1981, European journal of biochemistry.

[18]  G. Akoyunoglou,et al.  The Effect of Light Quality and the Mode of Illumination on Chloroplast Development in Etiolated Bean Leaves , 1980 .

[19]  T. V. Marsho,et al.  [47] Detection and isolation of P700 , 1971 .