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

Ruban, A.V., Wentworth, M., Yakushevska, A.E., Andersson, J., Lee, P.J., Keegstra, W., Dekker, J.P., Boekema, E.J., Jansson, S. and Horton, P. (2003) Plants lacking the main light-harvesting complex retain photosystem II macro-organization. Nature, 421 (6923). pp. 648-652. ISSN 0028-0836

Full text available as:

Preview

Text hortonp1.pdf Download (382Kb)

Abstract

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.

Item Type:	Article
Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information:	© 2003 Nature Publishing Group
Academic Units:	The University of Sheffield > Faculty of Science (Sheffield) > School of Biological Sciences (Sheffield) > Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (Sheffield) The University of Sheffield > University of Sheffield Research Centres and Institutes > Robert Hill Institute (Sheffield)
Depositing User:	Repository Officer
Date Deposited:	20 Sep 2004
Last Modified:	08 Feb 2013 16:46
Published Version:	http://www.nature.com/nature
Status:	Published
Refereed:	Yes
Identification Number:	10.1038/nature01344
URI:	http://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/id/eprint/109

Actions (login required)

View Item