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Formation of light-harvesting complexes of photosystem II in Scenedesmus

II. Different patterns of light-regulation of Lhc-gene expression in green and greening cells

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Abstract

Time courses of the accumulation of chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl b, of mRNA transcribed from the genes encoding the Chl a/b-binding proteins of the light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) (Lhc mRNAs) and LHC apoproteins have been investigated in Scenedesmus wild type (WT) and the mutant C-2A′ upon transfer from darkness to light. The WT develops the complete photosynthetic apparatus in darkness, whereas C-2A′ exhibits a light-dependent formation of Chls and functional chloroplasts. Accumulation kinetics of Chls and LHC apoproteins were paralleled in green (WT) and greening (C-2A′) cells. Illumination induced a steady increase in these compounds which was only moderate in the WT but pronounced in C-2A′. Accumulation of Lhc mRNAs, however, was strongly enhanced by light in both WT and C-2A′ cells and showed a transient time course with a maximum after 4 h illumination. Amounts of Lhc mRNAs and LHC approproteins were correlated only during the initial 4 h of greening of C-2A′. In green cells (WT and later stages of greening of C-2A′), amounts of Lhc mRNAs and LHC apoproteins diverged markedly. These findings and results provided by in-vitro translation of polysomal RNA lead to the following conclusion: the light-regulation of Lhc-gene expression in Scenedesmus takes place mainly at the transcriptional level in greening cells and at the post-translational level in green cells.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

LHC:

light-harvesting complex

Lhc genes:

genes encoding the Chl a/b-binding proteins of the light-harvesting complexes

Lhc mRNA:

messenger RNA transcribed from the Lhc genes

PCV:

packed cell volume

PSI, II:

photosystem I, II

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Fachbereich Biologie/Botanik, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Lahnberge, D-35032, Marburg, Germany

    Dieter Hermsmeier, Rüdiger Schulz & Horst Senger

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  1. Dieter Hermsmeier
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  2. Rüdiger Schulz
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  3. Horst Senger
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Additional information

We thank Prof. Klaus Apel (Institut für Pflanzenwissenschaften, Pflanzengenetik, ETH Zentrum, Zürich, Switzerland) for the gift of the CP II antiserum, Dr. Udo Johanningmeier (Fakultät für Biologie, Ruhr Universität, Bochum, Germany) for making the Chlamydomonas Lhcb2-gene probe available and Prof. Norman I. Bishop (Department of Chemistry, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Ore., USA) for providing the mutant C-2A′. We also wish to thank Brigitte Böhm and Jutta Gade for technical assistance. Support of the project by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Sonderforschungsbereich 305, Project B1) is gratefully acknowledged.

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Hermsmeier, D., Schulz, R. & Senger, H. Formation of light-harvesting complexes of photosystem II in Scenedesmus . Planta 193, 406–412 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00201820

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