Biogenesis, assembly and turnover of photosystem II units

Photosystem II (PSII) reaction center protein D1 is synthesized as a precursor (pD1) with a short C-terminal extension. The pD1 is processed to mature D1 by carboxyl-terminal peptidase A to remove the C-terminal extension and form active protein. Here we report functional characterization of the Arabidopsis gene encoding D1 C-terminal processing enzyme (AtCtpA) in the chloroplast thylakoid lumen. Recombinant AtCtpA converted pD1 to mature D1 and a mutant lacking AtCtpA retained all D1 in precursor form, confirming that AtCtpA is solely responsible for processing. As with cyanobacterial ctpa, a knockout Arabidopsis atctpa mutant was lethal under normal growth conditions but was viable with sucrose under low-light conditions. Viable plants, however, showed deficiencies in PSII and thylakoid stacking. Surprisingly, unlike its cyanobacterial counterpart, the Arabidopsis mutant retained both monomer and dimer forms of the PSII complexes that, although nonfunctional, contained both the core and extrinsic subunits. This mutant was also essentially devoid of PSII supercomplexes, providing an unexpected link between D1 maturation and supercomplex assembly. A knock-down mutant expressing about 2% wild-type level of AtCtpA showed normal growth under low light but was stunted and accumulated pD1 under high light, indicative of delayed C-terminal processing. Although demonstrating the functional significance of C-terminal D1 processing in PSII biogenesis, our study reveals an unsuspected link between D1 maturation and PSII supercomplex assembly in land plants, opening an avenue for exploring the mechanism for the association of light-harvesting complexes with the PSII core complexes.photosynthesis | photoinhibition P hotosystem II (PSII) consists of more than 20 subunits. Assembly of this photosystem is a multistep process that functions in a highly coordinated fashion (1-3). The process starts with PSII initiation complexes (D2, PsbE, PsbF, and PsbI), and then D1 and CP47 are sequentially recruited to form CP47-RC complexes, followed by addition of PsbH, PsbM, PsbTc, and PsbR subunits. Next, CP43 and other subunits are added to generate PSII monomers, which develop into PSII dimers. Finally, lightharvesting complex (LHC) II is attached to form PSII supercomplexes. The D1 protein of PSII is prone to photodamage under excessive light conditions (4). To sustain photosynthesis, damaged D1 protein is degraded and replaced with a newly synthesized copy via PSII repair-a highly complex and critical process whose mechanism remains unclear (3, 4).In most oxygen-evolving photosynthetic organisms, D1 protein is synthesized as a precursor (pD1) with a C-terminal tail. The pD1 protein is integrated into the thylakoid membrane and forms the initial PSII reaction center combined with other PSII

Section: D1 C-terminal Processing Is Required For the Assembly Of Psiimentioning

confidence: 55%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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C-terminal processing of reaction center protein D1 is essential for the function and assembly of photosystem II inArabidopsis

Che

Hou³

et al. 2013

“…The results suggest that D1 and D2 were degraded to a greater extent in high light in the absence of CYP38 possibly because of a defect in the assembly of the PSII SC. Therefore, they emerge as targets highly susceptible to photodamage as in earlier studies (24,25).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A chloroplast cyclophilin functions in the assembly and maintenance of photosystem II in Arabidopsis thaliana

Cho

et al. 2007

154

144

Photosynthetic light reactions rely on the proper function of large protein complexes (including photosystems I and II) that reside in the thylakoid membrane. Although their composition, structure, and function are known, the repertoire of assembly and maintenance factors is still being determined. Here we show that an immunophilin of the cyclophilin type, CYP38, plays a critical role in the assembly and maintenance of photosystem II (PSII) supercomplexes (SCs) in Arabidopsis. Mutant plants with the CYP38 gene interrupted by T-DNA insertion showed stunted growth and were hypersensitive to high light. Leaf chlorophyll fluorescence analysis and thylakoid membrane composition indicated that cyp38 mutant plants had defects in PSII SCs. Sucrose supplementation enabled the rescue of the mutant phenotype under low-light conditions, but failed to mitigate hypersensitivity to high-light stress. Protein radiolabeling assays showed that, although individual thylakoid proteins were synthesized equally in mutant and wild type, the assembly of the PSII SC was impaired in the mutant. In addition, the D1 and D2 components of the mutant PSII had a short half-life under high-light stress. The results provide evidence that CYP38 is necessary for the assembly and stabilization of PSII.thylakoid lumen ͉ immunophilin ͉ photosynthesis ͉ protein folding ͉ chaperone T he light reactions and attendant evolution of oxygen in photosynthesis are carried out by four multisubunit protein complexes residing in the chloroplast thylakoid membranes: photosystems I (PSI) and II (PSII), cytochrome b 6 f complex, and CF O -CF 1 complex (1-3). For a complete understanding of the photosynthetic process, it is essential to understand the biogenesis and maintenance of the participating complexes. Earlier studies on thylakoid protein supercomplex (SC) assembly, especially PSII, concentrated on the role of stromal factors, such as the translation and import machinery (4), because only a limited number of proteins were known to reside in the thylakoid lumen. However, recent proteomic findings suggest a population of 80-100 proteins in that compartment (5-7). The immunophilin family is one of the predominant groups identified.Immunophilins were originally discovered in their capacity as cellular receptors for immunosuppressive drugs: cyclosporin A and FK506 (8, 9). The receptors for cyclosporin A and FK506, named cyclophilins (CYPs) and FK506-binding proteins (FKBPs), respectively, were collectively designated as immunophilins. A common feature of most immunophilins is the associated peptidyl-prolyl cis-trans isomerase activity that catalyzes the cis-trans conversion of X-Pro peptide bonds, a rate-limiting step in protein folding (8). These proteins are now known to occur widely in organisms ranging from bacteria and fungi to animals and plants. Studies in animal and plant systems have uncovered diverse functions of immunophilins, such as protein foldases, chaperones, and scaffolding facilitators. They also possibly have unknown catalytic capabilities (10, ...

“…The operation of the PSII repair cycle involves coordinated regulation of degradation and synthesis of D1 protein (10). When the supply of newly synthesized D1 protein is insufficient, such as under high light and͞or low temperature, the degradation process also slows down (11,12), resulting in the accumulation of nonfunctional PSII reaction centers in stacked grana domains of the thylakoid membranes of higher plants (13).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Populations of photoinactivated photosystem II reaction centers characterized by chlorophyllafluorescence lifetimein vivo

Matsubara

Chow

2004

125

111

O xygenic photosynthetic organisms grow under an everchanging sunlight environment. Fluctuations of solar energy input can be accommodated by a tradeoff between energy utilization in photosynthetic carbon assimilation and energy dissipation by various photoprotective mechanisms that modulate absorption and dissipation of excess light energy (1-3). Despite the complex suite of strategies for photoprotection, however, photooxidative damage inevitably occurs to photosystem (PS) II, in which P680 ϩ (a special Chl in the PSII reaction center), the strongest biological oxidant, is generated to split water to molecular oxygen, protons, and electrons (4). The consequent loss of PSII photochemical efficiency measured under low light, termed photoinhibition or photoinactivation (5), depends inter alia on the number of absorbed photons during the light exposure (6-8). That is, PSII photoinactivation can occur with a light-dosage-dependent probability under any light environment in nature, ranging from limiting to saturating irradiances. Over a sunny day, the entire population of PSII in a leaf may undergo photoinactivation.Yet, effects of photoinactivation on PSII efficiency are not always obvious; they are noticeable only when the rate of inactivation exceeds the capacity for rapid and efficient repair of nonfunctional PSII reaction centers by de novo synthesis of D1 protein (psbA gene product in PSII reaction center) (9). The operation of the PSII repair cycle involves coordinated regulation of degradation and synthesis of D1 protein (10). When the supply of newly synthesized D1 protein is insufficient, such as under high light and͞or low temperature, the degradation process also slows down (11,12), resulting in the accumulation of nonfunctional PSII reaction centers in stacked grana domains of the thylakoid membranes of higher plants (13). These nonfunctional PSII centers, capable of light absorption but not of photosynthetic electron transfer, reduce the PSII quantum efficiency of leaves or leaf segments.An important implication of PSII photoinactivation is that nonfunctional PSII centers, still embracing pigment molecules, can exacerbate photooxidative damage to the thylakoid membranes unless light energy absorbed by the pigments is dissipated safely. Thus, it has been hypothesized that photoinactivated PSII complexes are able to efficiently dissipate excitation energy harmlessly (14), and further, may contribute to photoprotection of their functional neighbors by acting as sinks for excitation energy (13,15).Experimental results consistent with this hypothesis have emerged from recent studies using leaves of Capsicum annuum L (16, 17). In leaves of C. annuum in the presence of lincomycin (an inhibitor of chloroplast-encoded protein synthesis), the functional fraction of PSII ( f ), determined from the oxygen yield per single-turnover flash or from chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence, decreased monoexponentially from 1.0 (ϭ the original level) to Ϸ0.3 under illumination (16). However, the decrease in f thereafter proceed...