不同年代推出的冬小麦品种叶片气体交换日变化的差异

选择 6 0年来北京地区广泛种植的 3个冬小麦 (TriticumaestivumL .)品种 ,在相同的环境条件下种植。为了研究它们的产量与单位叶面积的净光合速率 (Pn)的关系 ,测定了不同生育期Pn、蒸腾速率 (Tr)的日变化 ,并用Pn/Tr计算叶片瞬时的水分利用率 (WUE)。结果表明 :单位叶面积净光合速率与产量之间的关系随生育期不同而变化。在拔节期高产品种“京冬 8号”(九十年代推出 )的光合速率和蒸腾速率在一天中总是最高 ,一天中差异最大时 ,分别比低产品种“燕大 1817”(四十年代推出 )高 77%和 6 9%。而其水分利用率却小于低产品种。这种差异随小麦的生长发育而变化 ,一般上午 10 :0 0前“京冬 8号”的光合速率较高 ,而 10 :0 0后“燕大 1817”的光合速率较高。到腊熟期 ,低产品种“燕大 1817”的光合速率在一天中始终最高。蒸腾速率的变化规律与光合速率相似 ,然而“燕大1817”叶片的水分利用率一般最高。与现代推出的品种不同 ,老品种“燕大 1817”叶片的光合作用午休现象不明显 ,说明它可能具有一定的抗光氧化性。我们认为 ,在品种改良的过程中 ,叶片光合作用的潜力可能有所提高 ,但它的抗光氧化性可能减弱。     

根施甜菜碱对干旱胁迫下小麦幼苗类囊体膜组分和功能的影响

干旱胁迫造成两小麦品系类囊体膜上的单半乳糖脂甘油二酯(MGDG)、双半乳糖脂甘油二酯(DGDG)、磷脂酰胆碱(PG)以及叶绿素含量显著下降,甜菜碱预处理能缓解这些组分的下降.干旱胁迫下,抗旱型小麦品系HF9 70 3的硫代异鼠李糖甘油二酯(SQDG)、反式十六碳-烯酸[16:1(3t)]含量显著上升,MGDG中亚麻酸(18:3)相对含量显著下降;而干旱敏感型品系SN215953则表现为SQDG、16:1(3t)含量显著下降,MGDG中脂肪酸变化不明显,这可能是两个小麦品系抗旱性差异的重要原因之一;甜菜碱处理能显著减小干旱处理与对照之间的差异,且对SN215953的作用较HF9703大.另外,干旱胁迫引起类囊体膜上Ca2 -ATPase活性、Hill反应活性及叶片净光合速率下降,外源甜菜碱能缓解其下降趋势.     

Novel Evidence for a Reversible Dissociation of Light-harvesting Complex Ⅱ from Photosystem Ⅱ Reaction Center Complex Induced by Saturating Light Illumination in Soybean Leaves

After saturating light illumination for 3 h the potential photochemical efficiency of photosystem Ⅱ (PSⅡ) (Fv/Fm, the ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence) decreased markedly and recovered basically to the level before saturating light illumination after dark recovery for 3 h in both soybean and wheat leaves, indicating that the decline in Fv/Fm is a reversible down-regulation. Also, the saturating light illumination led to significant decreases in the low temperature (77 K) chlorophyll fluorescence parameters F685 (chlorophyll a fluorescence peaked at 685 nm ) and F685/F735 (F735, chlorophyll a fluorescence peaked at 735 nm) in soybean leaves but not in wheat leaves. Moreover,trypsin (a protease) treatment resulted in a remarkable decrease in the amounts of PsbS protein (a nuclear gene psbS-encoded 22 kDa protein) in the thylakoids from saturating light-illuminated (SI), but not in those from darkadapted (DT) and dark-recovered (DRT) soybean leaves. However, the treatment did not cause such a decrease in amounts of the PsbS protein in the thylakoids from saturating light-illuminated wheat leaves. These results support the conclusion that saturating light illumination induces a reversible dissociation of some light-harvesting complex Ⅱ (LHCⅡ) from PSⅡ reaction center complex in soybean leaf but not in wheat leaf.     

Cation-mediated regulation of excitation energy distribution in chloroplasts lacking organized Photosystem II complexes

Despite the total loss of Photosystem II activity, thylakoids isolated from the green nuclear maize mutant hcf1-3 contain normal amounts of the light-harvesting chlorophyll $\text{a}\text{b}$ pigment-protein complex (LHC). We interpret the spectroscopic and ultrastructural characteristics of these thylakoids to indicate that the LHC present in these membranes is not associated with Photosystem II reaction centers and thus exists in a ‘free’ state within the thylakoid membrane. In contrast, the LHC found in wild-type maize thylakoids shows the usual functional association with Photosystem II reaction centers. Several lines of evidence suggest that the free LHC found in thylakoids isolated from hcf1-3 is able to mediate cation-dependent changes in both thylakoid appression and energy distribution between the photosystems: (1) Thylakoids isolated from hcf1-3 and wild-type seedlings exhibit a similar Mg²⁺-dependent increase in the short/long wavelength fluorescence emission peak ratio at 77 K. This Mg²⁺ effect is lost following incubation of thylakoids isolated from either source with low concentrations of trypsin. Such treatment results in the partial proteolysis of the LHC in both membrane types. (2) Thylakoids isolated from both hcf1-3 and wild-type seedlings show a similar Mg²⁺ dependence for the enhancement of the maximal yield of room temperature fluorescence and light scattering; both Mg²⁺ effects are abolished by brief incubation of the thylakoids with low concentrations of trypsin (3) Mg²⁺ acts to reduce the relative quantum efficiency of Photosystem I-dependent electron transport at limiting 650 nm light in thylakoids isolated from hcf1-3. (4) The pattern of digitonin fractionation of thylakoid membranes, which is dependent upon structural membrane interactions and upon LHC in the thylakoids, is similar in thylakoids isolated from both hcf1-3 and wild-type seedlings. We conclude that the surface-exposed segment of the LHC, but not the LHC-Photosystem II core association, is necessary for the cation-dependent changes in both thylakoid appression and energy distribution between the two photosystems, and that the LHC itself is able to transfer excitation energy directly to Photosystem I in a Mg²⁺-dependent fashion in the absence of Photosystem II reaction centers. The latter phenomenon is equivalent to a cation-induced change in the absorptive cross-section of Photosystem I.     

黄淮海地区不同冬春性小麦抗冻能力及冻害指标Ⅰ.隆冬期不同冬春性小麦抗冻能力比较

通过两年室外盆栽和室内人工控制试验,建立了不同冬春性小麦品种死苗率与低温的定量关系,确定了隆冬期不同冬春性小麦品种死苗率达10%、20%和50%的临界低温以及抗冻能力密度.结果表明： 强冬性小麦品种抗冻能力最强,半致死温度最低（燕大1817为-21.5 ℃,京411为-21.2 ℃）,其次是冬性品种（农大211为-21.1 ℃,农大5363为-20.3 ℃）和弱冬性品种（郑366为-18.5 ℃,平安8号为-18.4 ℃）,春性品种抗冻能力最弱（郑9023为-15.4 ℃,偃展4110为-14.7 ℃）.当温度降低到冬小麦冻害发生临界温度后,温度每降低1 ℃,弱冬性小麦（郑366和平安8号）死苗率增量最大,分别增加16.8%和25.8%,冬性小麦（农大211和农大5363）死苗率分别增加14.7%和18.9%,强冬性小麦（燕大1817和京411）死苗率分别增加15.4%和13.1%,春性小麦（郑9023和偃展4110）死苗率分别增加13.8%和15.1%,说明冻害发生后若持续降温,弱冬性品种遭受冻害风险更大.     

Arrangement of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complex in the thylakoid membrane

The transverse orientation of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complex of Photosystem II (LHC II) in the thylakoid membrane of pea was investigated using surface radioiodination with Iodo-Gen^TM. The labelling effects on LHC II of four different membrane preparations were compared. One preparation was oriented right-side-out (intact thylakoids); two of them had an inside-out orientation exposing the lumenal surface (inside-out vesicles; PS II particles) and one had both sides of the membrane exposed (mechanically damaged thylakoids). It was found that LHC II could be iodinated only in membrane preparations with an exposed lumenal surface. Isolated apoproteins were chemically cleaved. Fragments analysis revealed a tyrosine residue located eight amino acids from the C-terminus as the single iodination site. It is concluded that the C-terminus of LHC II points towards the lumental side of the thylakoid. Differences in the labelling behaviour of the LHC apoproteins could be assigned to a heterogeneity in the C-terminal region in which the tyrosine residue is replaced by phenylalanine.     

Diatom fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding protein (FCP) and land plant light-harvesting proteins use a similar pathway for thylakoid membrane Insertion

The light-harvesting proteins in plastids of different lineages including algae and land plants represent a superfamily of chlorophyll-binding proteins that seem to be phylogenetically related, although some of the light-harvesting complex (LHC) proteins bind different carotenoids. LHCs can be divided into chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins found in green algae, euglenoids, and higher plants and into chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins of various algal taxa. LHC proteins from diatoms are named fucoxanthin-chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins (FCP). In contrast to chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins, there is no information so far about the way FCPs integrate into thylakoid membranes. The diatom FCP preproteins have a bipartite presequence that is necessary to enable transport into the four membrane-bound diatom plastids, but similar to chlorophyll a/b-binding proteins there is apparently no presequence present for targeting to the thylakoid membrane. By establishing an in vitro import assay for diatom thylakoids, we demonstrated that thylakoid integration of diatom FCP depends on the presence of stromal factors and GTP. This indicates that a pathway involving signal recognition particles (SRP) is involved in membrane integration just as shown for LHCs in higher plants. We also demonstrate integration of diatom FCP into thylakoids of higher plants and vice versa SRP-dependent targeting of LHCs from pea and Arabidopsis into diatom thylakoids. The similar SRP-dependent modes of thylakoid integration of land plant LHCs and FCPs support recent analyses indicating a common origin of chlorophyll a/b- and a/c-binding proteins.     

Overexpression of sweet pepper glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase gene enhanced thermotolerance of photosynthetic apparatus in transgenic tobacco

In order to investigate the relationship between the lipid composition in thylakoid membrane and thermostability of pho-tosynthetic apparatus, tobacco transformed with sweet pepper sense glycerol-3-phosphate acyltransferase (GPA T) gene were used to analyze the lipid composition in thylakoid membrane, the net photosynthetic rate and chlorophyll fluorescence parameters under high temperature stress. The results showed that the saturated extent of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), suifoquinovosyldiacylglycerol, digalactosyldiacylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol in thylakoid membrane of transgenic tobacco T1 lines increased generally. Particularly, the saturated extent in MGDG increased obviously by 16.2% and 12.0% in T1-2 and T1-1, respectively. With stress temperature elevating, the maximum efficiency of photosystem Ⅱ the two lines and wild type tobacco plants decreased gradually, but those parameters decreased much less in transgenic plants. Even though the recovery process appeared differently in the donor and acceptor side of PSII in transgenic tobacco compared with wild-type plants, the entire capability of PSII recovered faster in transgenic tobacco, which was shown in Increase in saturated extent of thylakoid membrane Iipids in transgenic plants enhanced the stability of photosynthetic apparatus under high temperature stress.     

Influence of Calcium on Alleviating NaCl-Induced Injury Effects in Wheat Seedlings

Wheat seedlings (Tritium aestivum "No. 1 Yuyuan") with 3 leaves were transplanted to 1/2 strangth Hoagland nutrient solution containing 100 mmol/L NaCl and supplemented with different concentrations of CaCI2, which were mode isosmotic by adding polyethylene glycol (PEG) and aerated by pump. Results showed that the Na+ content of shoots and roots, relative leaf expansion rate, plasma membrane permeability, the levels of membrane lipid superoxidation and the molar percentage of monogalacrosyl diglyceride(MGDG), digalactosyl diglyceride(DGDG) phosphatidyl choline(PC) and phosphatidyl ethanolamine(PE) in membrane lipids of roots increased, the plant dry weight, K+ content, SOD activity and the molar percentage of phosphatidic acid(PA), phospatidyl inositol (PI), phosphatidyl glycerol(PG) and polyphosphoglyceric acid(PPG) decreased in roots. There was no change in sulfolipid(SL). However, the above mentioned salt injury effects were all alleviated by the different Na+/Ca2+ ratios. The maximum alleviation of salt injury effect was at Na+/Ca2+ ratio of I0. As three kinds of free radical scavengers were used to pretreat wheat seedlings prior to NaC1 treatment the malondialdehyde(MDA) content decreased unanimously, but increased with SOD inhibitor sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC) pretreatment to wheat seedlings. Obviously, the salt injury effects induced by NaC1 was relatied to the extent of superoxidation of membrane [ipids and also to the composkion of membrane of Ca2+ on lipids including their fatty acids as well. On the other hand, the alleviating effect of Ca2+ on NaC1 induced injury in wheat seedlings was also in relation to them.     

Influence of thylakoid membrane lipids on the structure of aggregated light‐harvesting complexes of the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana and the green alga Mantoniella squamata

The study investigated the effect of the thylakoid membrane lipids monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG), digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG), sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) on the structure of two algal light‐harvesting complexes (LHCs). In contrast to higher plants whose thylakoid membranes are characterized by an enrichment of the neutral galactolipids MGDG and DGDG, both the green alga Mantoniella squamata and the centric diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana contain membranes with a high content of the negatively charged lipids SQDG and PG. The algal thylakoids do not show the typical grana–stroma differentiation of higher plants but a regular arrangement. To analyze the effect of the membrane lipids, the fucoxanthin chlorophyll protein (FCP) complex of T. pseudonana and the LHC of M. squamata (MLHC) were prepared by successive cation precipitation using Triton X‐100 as detergent. With this method, it is possible to isolate LHCs with a reduced amount of associated lipids in an aggregated state. The results from 77 K fluorescence and photon correlation spectroscopy show that neither the neutral galactolipids nor the negatively charged lipids are able to significantly alter the aggregation state of the FCP or the MLHC. This is in contrast to higher plants where SQDG and PG lead to a strong disaggregation of the LHCII whereas MGDG and DGDG induce the formation of large macroaggregates. The results indicate that LHCs which are integrated into thylakoid membranes with a high amount of negatively charged lipids and a regular arrangement are less sensitive to lipid‐induced structural alterations than their counterparts in membranes enriched in neutral lipids with a grana–stroma differentiation.     

Effects of frost hardening on the composition of galactolipids and phospholipids occurring during isolation of chloroplast thylakoids from needles of scots pine

Frost hardening of seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) at a non-freezing temperature of 4°C resulted in a 2-fold increase of the acyl lipids of the needles. This was because of increases in phospholipids and triglycerides. The galactolipid content of the needles was almost the same in unhardened and frost-hardened seedlings. In unhardened seedlings the mol ratio of monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG) to digalactosyl diacylglycerol (DGDG) was 1.7 ± 0.3 and 0.9 ± 0.2 in needles and isolated thylakoids, respectively. Corresponding ratios for frost-hardened seedlings were 1.5 ± 0.2 and 0.3 ± 0.03. The lower ratios found in isolated thylakoids, particularly in thylakoids from frost-hardened seedlings, are suggested to depend on the enzyme galactolipid: galactolipid galactosyltransferase being active during the isolation procedure. This is deduced from the result that the content of MGDG decreased and that of DGDG and 1.2 diglycerides increased. Needles of Scots pine also contain phospholipidase D. This enzyme was active during thylakoid preparation, particularly after frost hardening, as judged from the large amount of phosphatidic acid found the in thylakoid fraction isolated from frost-hardening needles. The fatty acid composition of the acyl lipids showed no major changes due to hardening at non-freezing temperature.     

假根羽藻主要捕光叶绿素a/b-蛋白复合体的特性

应用阴离子交换和凝胶过滤层析技术,从假根羽藻(Bryopsis corticulans Setch.)类囊体膜中直接分离、纯化获得了主要叶绿素a/b-蛋白复合体(LHCⅡ).经蔗糖密度梯度超速离心获得了该色素蛋白复合体的单体和三聚体.反相液相色谱的色素分析结果显示,假根羽藻LHCⅡ的色素组成含有叶绿素a、叶绿素b、新黄质、紫黄质和管藻素等.其单体的电子跃迁能谱与三聚体的相似.园二色光谱分析显示,在LHCⅡ脱辅基蛋白质上分别存在着很强的叶绿素a偶极子之间和叶绿素b偶极子之间的分子内相互作用,然而这些偶极子之间的分子间的相互作用在三聚体中得到明显增强.在能量传递方面,LHCⅡ单体有着与三聚体相似的从叶绿素b到叶绿素a以及从管藻素到叶绿素a的高效传能能力.实验结果表明,假根羽藻中LHCⅡ单体具有像三聚体那样可以高效发挥吸能和传能生理功能的色素组成形式.因此,这些单体可能是假根羽藻类囊体膜上具有功能作用的LHCⅡ的结构形式.     

Heat shock increases thermotolerance of photosynthetic electron transport and the content of chloroplast membranes and lipids in wheat leaves

Preliminary heating of 15-16-day-old wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) plants for 3 h at 37–38°C (heat shock, HS) increased the tolerance of photosynthetic electron transport (determined as the reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenol indophenol by isolated chloroplasts) toward heating of leaves at 42–48°C in high light (100 klx). At the same time, HS did not affect the activity of the xanthophyll cycle reactions in the 30–48°C temperature range. HS exposure induced an increase in the thylakoid length, the number of grana, and the average number of thylakoids per granum. The volume of the thylakoid system increased 1.4-fold. Such indices as the total content of chlorophylls (a + b), the chlorophyll a/b ratio, as well as the contents of individual carotenoids, chloroplast membrane proteins, and the soluble leaf proteins remained unchanged. The de novo photosynthetic membrane formation was accompanied by the 1.5-fold increase in major chloroplast lipids. It was concluded that, in mature wheat chloroplasts, HS induced the formation of thylakoids characterized by a changed molecular structure and by increased lipid/protein and lipid/chlorophyll ratios.     

Dual character of lipid composition of the envelope membrane of spinach chloroplasts

The envelope membrane was isolated from intact spinach chloroplastsby gentle osmotic treatment in a medium containing appropriateamounts of cations to prevent dissociation and fragmentationof the thylakoids. This treatment allowed us to separate effectivelythe envelope membranes from the thylakoids with one-step (0.6M/0.9 M) sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The envelope membrane contained both glyceroglycolipids andglycerophospholipids, as does the thylakoid membrane. Therewere, however, notable differences in the relative amounts oflipid components between these two membranes. The major glyceroglycolipidin the envelope membrane was digalactosyl diglyceride, whereasmonogalactosyl diglyceride was the major one in the thylakoid.The envelope membrane was characterized by a high content ofglycerophospholipids, as much as three-fold that in the thylakoidmembrane. Phosphatidyl choline, which is known to be minor inthe thylakoids and abundant in the microsomal and mitochondrialmembranes, was a major component, accounting for 50% of thetotal glycerophospholipids. The dual character of lipid compositionof the envelope membrane is discussed in terms of its chemicaland structural connection to the other intracellular membranesystems. (Received May 26, 1975; )     

Transmembrane orientation of α-helices in the thylakoid membrane and in the light-harvesting complex. A polarized infrared spectroscopy study

The structure and orientation of the major protein constituent of photosynthetic membranes in green plants, the chlorophyll $\text{a}\text{b}$ light-harvesting complex (LHC) have been investigated by ultraviolet circular dichroism (CD) and polarized infrared spectroscopies. The isolated purified LHC has been reconstituted into phosphatidylcholine vesicles and has been compared to the pea thylakoid membrane. The native orientation of the pigments in the LHC reconstituted in vesicles was characterized by monitoring the low-temperature polarized absorption and fluorescence spectra of reconstituted membranes. Conformational analysis of thylakoid and LHC indicate that a large proportion of the thylakoid protein is in the α-helical structure (56 ± 4%), while the LHC is for 44 ± 7% α-helical. By measuring the infrared dichroism of the amide absorption bands of air-dried oriented multilayers of thylakoids and LHC reconstituted in vesicles, we have estimated the degree of orientation of the α-helical chains with respect to the membrane normal. Infrared dichroism data demonstrate that transmembrane α-helices are present in both thylakoid and LHC with the α-helix axes tilted at less than 30° in LHC and 40° in thylakoid with respect to the membrane normal. In thylakoids, an orientation of the polar C=O ester groups of the lipids parallel to the membrane plane is detected. Our results are consistent with the existence of 3–5 transmembrane α-helical segments in the LHC molecules.     

Age dependent changes in phospholipids and galactolipids in primary bean leaves (Phaseolus vulgaris)

Primary leaves of Phaseolus vulgaris show concomitant changes in phospholipid, galactolipid, chlorophyll and fresh weight during leaf development from 3 to 32 days after planting. Phosphatidyl choline, phosphatidyl ethanolamine, and phosphatidyl inositol show only small changes on a mole per cent lipid phosphate basis during leaf development. The chloroplast lipids, phosphatidyl glycerol, monogalactosyl diglyceride (MGDG) and digalactosyl diglyceride (DGDG) all show marked increases and decreases which are coincident with chloroplast development. The decline in the leaf content of chloroplast polar lipids and chlorophyll become evident upon reaching maximal leaf size. The molar ratio of galactolipids (MGDG/DGDG), reaches a maximum value of 2.3 in expanding leaves, but steadily declines during senescence to a minimum value of 1.5 at abscission. The declining ratio is caused by a preferential loss of MGDG in the senescing leaves.     

Polar lipid composition of chloroplast thylakoids isolated from leaves grown under different lighting conditions

The polar acyl lipid composition was determined for samples of chloroplast thylakoids isolated from Pisum sativum plants grown at light intensities of 50 and 300 E·m^-2·s^-1 and from Aesculus hippocastanum leaves taken from shade or sun environments. Lighting conditions had no major effect on lipid class composition except for a small increase in the amount of monogalactosyldiacylglycerol relative to other lipids in low compared with high light and shade compared with sun conditions. The thylakoids from low light and shade environments also had, relative to those from high light and sun conditions, a substantial decrease in the level of trans-hexadecenoic acid in phosphatidyglycerol. In parallel with this there were lower lipid to chlorophyll ratios, higher overall fatty acid unsaturation, lower chlorophyll a to b ratios and increased relative levels of light harvesting chlorophyll a/b polypeptides as expected for an increase in the degree of thylakoid appression. With this in mind, our results on lipid class composition and content of trans-hexadecenoic acid are discussed in the context of the lateral distribution of lipids within the plane of membrane.Abbreviations DGDG digalactosyldiacylglycerol - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - HEPES N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulfonic acid - LHC light harvesting chlorophyll a/b - MGDG monogalactosyldiacylglycerol - MPL minor phospholipids - PS1 photosystem one - PS2 photosystem two - SDS sodium dodecyl sulphate - SL sulphoquinovosyldiacylglycerol     

Light-Harvesting Chlorophyll a/b Protein : Membrane Insertion, Proteolytic Processing, Assembly into LHC II, and Localization to Appressed Membranes Occurs in Chloroplast Lysates

The apoprotein of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein (LHCP) is a major integral thylakoid membrane protein that is normally complexed with chlorophyll and xanthophylls and serves as the antenna complex of photosystem II. LHCP is encoded in the nucleus and synthesized in the cytosol as a higher molecular weight precursor that is subsequently imported into chloroplasts and assembled into thylakoids. In a previous study it was established that the LHCP precursor can integrate into isolated thylakoid membranes. The present study demonstrates that under conditions designed to preserve thylakoid structure, the inserted LHCP precursor is processed to mature size, assembled into the LHC II chlorophyll-protein complex, and localized to the appressed thylakoid membranes. Under these conditions, light can partially replace exogenous ATP in the membrane integration process.     

Thermal stability of trimeric light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex (LHCIIb) in liposomes of thylakoid lipids

The major light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex (LHCIIb) of photosystem (PS) II functions by harvesting light energy and by limiting and balancing the energy flow directed towards the PSI and PSII reaction centers. The complex is predominantly trimeric; however, the monomeric form may play a role in one or several of the regulatory functions of LHCIIb. In this work the dissociation temperature was measured of trimeric LHCIIb isolated from Pisum thylakoids and inserted into liposomes made of various combinations of thylakoid lipids at various protein densities. Dissociation was measured by monitoring a trimer-specific circular dichroism signal in the visible range. The LHCIIb density in the membrane significantly affected the trimer dissociation temperature ranging from 70 degrees C at an LHCIIb concentration comparable to or higher than the one in thylakoid grana, to 65 degrees C at the density estimated in stromal lamellae. Omitting one thylakoid lipid from the liposomes had virtually no effect on the thermal trimer stability in most cases except when digalactosyl diacylglycerol (DGDG) was omitted which caused a drop in the apparent dissociation temperature by 2 degrees C. In liposomes containing only one lipid species, DGDG and, even more so, monogalactosyl diacylglycerol (MGDG) increased the thermal stability of LHCIIb trimers whereas phosphatidyl diacylglycerol (PG) significantly decreased it. The lateral pressure exerted by the non-bilayer lipid MGDG did not significantly influence LHCII trimer stability.