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.     

Protein dynamics and lipid affinity of monomeric,zeaxanthin-binding LHCII in thylakoid membranes

The xanthophyll cycle in the antenna of photosynthetic organisms under light stress is one of the most well-known processes in photosynthesis, but its role is not well understood. In the xanthophyll cycle, violaxanthin (Vio) is reversibly transformed to zeaxanthin (Zea) that occupies Vio binding sites of light-harvesting antenna proteins. Higher monomer/trimer ratios of the most abundant light-harvesting protein, the light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), usually occur in Zea accumulating membranes and have been observed in plants after prolonged illumination and during high-light acclimation. We present a combined NMR and coarse-grained simulation study on monomeric LHCII from the npq2 mutant that constitutively binds Zea in the Vio binding pocket. LHCII was isolated from ¹³C-enriched npq2 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr) cells and reconstituted in thylakoid lipid membranes. NMR results reveal selective changes in the fold and dynamics of npq2 LHCII compared with the trimeric, wild-type and show that npq2 LHCII contains multiple mono- or digalactosyl diacylglycerol lipids (MGDG and DGDG) that are strongly protein bound. Coarse-grained simulations on npq2 LHCII embedded in a thylakoid lipid membrane agree with these observations. The simulations show that LHCII monomers have more extensive lipid contacts than LHCII trimers and that protein-lipid contacts are influenced by Zea. We propose that both monomerization and Zea binding could have a functional role in modulating membrane fluidity and influence the aggregation and conformational dynamics of LHCII with a likely impact on photoprotection ability.     

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 °C at an LHCIIb concentration comparable to or higher than the one in thylakoid grana, to 65 °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 °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.     

Effect of high-light on photosynthetic apparatus with different content of anionic lipids and organization of light-harvesting complex of photosystem II

The effect of the high-light at 4 °C on isolated thylakoid membranes with different organization of light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII) and lipid composition was investigated. Data revealed that the decreased amount of anionic lipids, which is correlated with the increase in the oligomeric form of LHCII stabilized the photosystem II complex against low temperature photoinhibition.     

The main thylakoid membrane lipid monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) promotes the de-epoxidation of violaxanthin associated with the light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII)

In higher plants, the major part of the xanthophyll cycle pigment violaxanthin (Vx) is non-covalently bound to the main light-harvesting complex of PSII (LHCII). Under saturating light conditions Vx has to be released from its binding site into the surrounding lipid phase, where it is converted to zeaxanthin (Zx) by the enzyme Vx de-epoxidase (VDE). In the present study we investigated the influence of thylakoid lipids on the de-epoxidation of Vx, which was still associated with the LHCII. We isolated LHCII with different concentrations of native, endogenous lipids and Vx by sucrose gradient centrifugation or successive cation precipitation. Analysis of the different LHCII preparations showed that the concentration of LHCII-associated Vx was correlated with the concentration of the main thylakoid lipid monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) associated with the complexes. Decreases in the MGDG content of the LHCII led to a diminished Vx concentration, indicating that a part of the total Vx pool was located in an MGDG phase surrounding the LHCII, whereas another part was bound to the LHCII apoproteins. We further studied the convertibility of LHCII-associated Vx in in-vitro enzyme assays by addition of isolated VDE. We observed an efficient and almost complete Vx conversion in the LHCII fractions containing high amounts of endogenous MGDG. LHCII preparations with low concentrations of MGDG exhibited a strongly reduced Vx de-epoxidation, which could be increased by addition of exogenous, pure MGDG. The de-epoxidation of LHCII-associated Vx was saturated at a much lower concentration of native, endogenous MGDG compared with the concentration of isolated, exogenous MGDG, which is needed for optimal VDE activity in in-vitro assays employing pure isolated Vx.     

Exchange of pigment-binding amino acids in light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein

Four amino acids in the major light-harvesting chlorophyll (Chl) a/b complex (LHCII) that are thought to coordinate Chl molecules have been exchanged with amino acids that presumably cannot bind Chl. Amino acids H68, Q131, Q197, and H212 are positioned in helixes B, C, A, and D, respectively, and, according to the LHCII crystal structure [Kühlbrandt, W., et al. (1994) Nature 367, 614-621], coordinate the Chl molecules named a(5), b(6), a(3), and b(3). Moreover, a double mutant was analyzed carrying exchanges at positions E65 and H68, presumably affecting Chls a(4) and a(5). All mutant proteins could be reconstituted in vitro with pigments, although the thermal stability of the resulting mutant versions of recombinant LHCII varied significantly. All complexes reconstituted with the mutant proteins contained fewer chlorophyll molecules per two lutein molecules than complexes reconstituted with the wild-type protein. However, the chlorophyll-binding amino acids could not be unambiguously assigned to binding either chlorophyll a or b, as in most cases more than one chlorophyll molecule was lost due to the mutation. The changes in Chl stoichiometries suggest that in LHCII some chlorophyll positions can be filled with either Chl a or b. Only some of the point mutations in LHCII affected the ability of the apoprotein to assemble into trimeric LHCII upon insertion into isolated thylakoid membranes. Among these were exchanges of H68 with either F or L, suggesting that the stability of the LHCII trimer significantly depends on this amino acid or the Chl molecule named a(5) that is attached to it and is located close to the center of the trimeric complex. The ion pair bridge between E65 and R185 in LHCII does not appear to be essential for the proper folding of the protein.     

Light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein inserted into isolated thylakoids binds pigments and is assembled into trimeric light-harvesting complex.

The light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding protein (LHCP) is largely protected against protease (except for about 1 kD on the N terminus) in the thylakoid membrane; this protease resistance is often used to assay successful insertion of LHCP into isolated thylakoids in vitro. In this paper we show that this protease resistance is exhibited by trimeric light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII) but not by monomeric LHCII in which about 5 kD on the N terminus of LHCP are cleaved off by protease. When a mutant version of LHCP that is unable to trimerize in an in vitro reconstitution assay is inserted into isolated thylakoids, it gives rise to only the shorter protease digestion product indicative of monomeric LHCII. We conclude that more of the N-terminal domain of LHCP is shielded in trimeric than in monomeric LHCII and that this difference in protease sensitivity can be used to distinguish between LHCP assembled in LHCII monomers or trimers. The data presented prove that upon insertion of LHCP into isolated thylakoids at least part of the protein spontaneously binds pigments to form LHCII, which then is assembled in trimers. The dependence of the protease sensitivity of thylakoid-inserted LHCP on the oligomerization state of the newly formed LHCII justifies caution when using a protease assay to verify successful insertion of LHCP into the membrane.     

LIGHT-HARVESTING COMPLEX AF'OPROTEINS IN CYTOPLASMIC VACUOLES IN CHLAMYDOMONAS REINHARDTII (CHLOROPHYTA)1

Cells of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dangeard strain cw15arg7A contain electron-opaque material, often in the form of large granules, within cytoplasmic vacuoles. Immunoelectron microscopy with antibodies to polypeptide 11, a component of the major light-harvesting chlorophyll (Chl) a/b-protein complex (LHCII,) of thylakoid membranes, revealed the presence of LHCII Polypeptides within the chloroplast and in vacuolar material in cells grown in the light. Vacuolar material was also heavily immunodecorated in dark-grown cells that did not synthesize Chl. Accumulation of LHCII polypeptides was further studied in greening and light-grown cells of a pale green mutant, deficient in LHCII, that was derived from cu15arg7A by insertional mutagenesis. Light-grown cells of this mutant strain contained relatively few thylakoid membranes and synthesized LHCII polypeptides at a low rate. However, cytoplasmic vacuoles were immunoreactive. Appearance of mature-sized LHCII polypeptides in vacuoles suggested that these proteins were partially translocated across the envelope but not retained by the chloroplast without assembly of LHCII.     

Effect of phosphorylation on the thermal and light stability of the thylakoid membranes

Higher plant thylakoid membranes contain a protein kinase that phosphorylates certain threonine residues of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), the main light-harvesting antenna complexes of photosystem II (PSII) and some other phosphoproteins (Allen, Biochim Biophys Acta 1098:275, 1992). While it has been established that phosphorylation induces a conformational change of LHCII and also brings about changes in the lateral organization of the thylakoid membrane, it is not clear how phosphorylation affects the dynamic architecture of the thylakoid membranes. In order to contribute to the elucidation of this complex question, we have investigated the effect of duroquinol-induced phosphorylation on the membrane ultrastructure and the thermal and light stability of the chiral macrodomains and of the trimeric organization of LHCII. As shown by small angle neutron scattering on thylakoid membranes, duroquinol treatment induced a moderate (~10%) increase in the repeat distance of stroma membranes, and phosphorylation caused an additional loss of the scattering intensity, which is probably associated with the partial unstacking of the granum membranes. Circular dichroism (CD) measurements also revealed only minor changes in the chiral macro-organization of the complexes and in the oligomerization state of LHCII. However, temperature dependences of characteristic CD bands showed that phosphorylation significantly decreased the thermal stability of the chiral macrodomains in phosphorylated compared to the non-phosphorylated samples (in leaves and isolated thylakoid membranes, from 48.3°C to 42.6°C and from 47.5°C to 44.3°C, respectively). As shown by non-denaturing PAGE of thylakoid membranes and CD spectroscopy on EDTA washed membranes, phosphorylation decreased by about 5°C, the trimer-to-monomer transition temperature of LHCII. It also enhanced the light-induced disassembly of the chiral macrodomains and the monomerization of the LHCII trimers at 25°C. These data strongly suggest that phosphorylation of the membranes considerably facilitates the heat- and light-inducible reorganizations in the thylakoid membranes and thus enhances the structural flexibility of the membrane architecture.     

Rice NON-YELLOW COLORING1 is involved in light-harvesting complex II and grana degradation during leaf senescence

Chlorophyll degradation is an aspect of leaf senescence, which is an active process to salvage nutrients from old tissues. non-yellow coloring1 (nyc1) is a rice (Oryza sativa) stay-green mutant in which chlorophyll degradation during senescence is impaired. Pigment analysis revealed that degradation of not only chlorophylls but also light-harvesting complex II (LHCII)-bound carotenoids was repressed in nyc1, in which most LHCII isoforms were selectively retained during senescence. Ultrastructural analysis of nyc1 chloroplasts revealed that large and thick grana were present even in the late stage of senescence, suggesting that degradation of LHCII is required for the proper degeneration of thylakoid membranes. Map-based cloning of NYC1 revealed that it encodes a chloroplast-localized short-chain dehydrogenase/reductase (SDR) with three transmembrane domains. The predicted structure of the NYC1 protein and the phenotype of the nyc1 mutant suggest the possibility that NYC1 is a chlorophyll b reductase. Although we were unable to detect the chlorophyll b reductase activity of NYC1, NOL (for NYC1-like), a protein closely related to NYC1 in rice, showed chlorophyll b reductase activity in vitro. We suggest that NYC1 and NOL encode chlorophyll b reductases with divergent functions. Our data collectively suggest that the identified SDR protein NYC1 plays essential roles in the regulation of LHCII and thylakoid membrane degradation during senescence.     

Characterization of early events leading to the formation of chlorophyll-proteins of PSII in Euglena gracilis

Development of chlorophyll-proteins in photosystem II was studied with Euglena gracilis Z. during dark-light transition. Upon illumination of the dark-grown cells, protochlorophyllide was photoconverted to chlorophyll(ide) a with a low efficiency (14%). After a lag time of 1-2 h, chlorophylls, apoproteins of antenna chlorophyll-protein complex CP 43/47 and of light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex (LHCII) accumulated in the thylakoid membrane in a coordinated fashion. There was, however, a significant difference in the stability between the newly formed LHCII and CP 43/47 judging from non-denaturing lithium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The possibility that efficiencies of incorporation and stabilization of chlorophylls in the apoproteins differ among the chlorophyll-proteins in the early stage of greening of Euglena is discussed.     

Redox signalling and the structural basis of regulation of photosynthesis by protein phosphorylation

In photosynthesis in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria, redox control of thylakoid protein phosphorylation regulates distribution of absorbed excitation energy between the two photosystems. When electron transfer through chloroplast photosystem II (PSII) proceeds at a rate higher than that through photosystem I (PSI), chemical reduction of a redox sensor activates a thylakoid protein kinase that catalyses phosphorylation of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII). Phosphorylation of LHCII increases its affinity for PSI and thus redistributes light-harvesting chlorophyll to PSI at the expense of PSII. This short-term redox signalling pathway acts by means of reversible, post-translational modification of pre-existing proteins. A long-term equalisation of the rates of light utilisation by PSI and PSII also occurs: by means of adjustment of the stoichiometry of PSI and PSII. It is likely that the same redox sensor controls both state transitions and photosystem stoichiometry. A specific mechanism for integration of these short- and long-term adaptations is proposed. Recent evidence shows that phosphorylation of LHCII causes a change in its 3-D structure, which implies that the mechanism of state transitions in chloroplasts involves control of recognition of PSI and PSII by LHCII. The distribution of LHCII between PSII and PSI is therefore determined by the higher relative affinity of phospho-LHCII for PSI, with lateral movement of the two forms of the LHCII being simply a result of their diffusion within the membrane plane. Phosphorylation-induced dissociation of LHCII trimers may induce lateral movement of monomeric phospho-LHCII, which binds preferentially to PSI. After dephosphorylation, monomeric, unphosphorylated LHCII may trimerize at the periphery of PSII.     

Dithiol oxidant and disulfide reductant dynamically regulate the phosphorylation of light-harvesting complex II proteins in thylakoid membranes

Light-induced phosphorylation of light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b complex II (LHCII) proteins in plant thylakoid membranes requires an activation of the LHCII kinase via binding of plastoquinol to cytochrome b(6)f complex. However, a gradual down-regulation of LHCII protein phosphorylation occurs in higher plant leaves in vivo with increasing light intensity. This inhibition is likely to be mediated by increasing concentration of thiol reductants in the chloroplast. Here, we have determined the components involved in thiol redox regulation of the LHCII kinase by studying the restoration of LHCII protein phosphorylation in thylakoid membranes isolated from high-light-illuminated leaves of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo), spinach (Spinacia oleracea), and Arabidopsis. We demonstrate an experimental separation of two dynamic activities associated with isolated thylakoid membranes and involved in thiol regulation of the LHCII kinase. First, a thioredoxin-like compound, responsible for inhibition of the LHCII kinase, became tightly associated and/or activated within thylakoid membranes upon illumination of leaves at high light intensities. This reducing activity was completely missing from membranes isolated from leaves with active LHCII protein phosphorylation, such as dark-treated and low-light-illuminated leaves. Second, hydrogen peroxide was shown to serve as an oxidant that restored the catalytic activity of the LHCII kinase in thylakoids isolated from leaves with inhibited LHCII kinase. We propose a dynamic mechanism by which counteracting oxidizing and reducing activities exert a stimulatory and inhibitory effect, respectively, on the phosphorylation of LHCII proteins in vivo via a novel membrane-bound thiol component, which itself is controlled by the thiol redox potential in chloroplast stroma.     

Regulation of LHCII aggregation by different thylakoid membrane lipids

In the present study the influence of the lipid environment on the organization of the main light-harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII) was investigated by 77K fluorescence spectroscopy. Measurements were carried out with a lipid-depleted and highly aggregated LHCII which was supplemented with the different thylakoid membrane lipids. The results show that the thylakoid lipids are able to modulate the spectroscopic properties of the LHCII aggregates and that the extent of the lipid effect depends on both the lipid species and the lipid concentration. Addition of the neutral galactolipids monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) and digalactosyldiacylglycerol (DGDG) seems to induce a modification of the disorganized structures of the lipid-depleted LHCII and to support the aggregated state of the complex. In contrast, we found that the anionic lipids sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) exert a strong disaggregating effect on the isolated LHCII. LHCII disaggregation was partly suppressed under a high proton concentration and in the presence of cations. The strongest suppression was visible at the lowest pH value (pH 5) and the highest Mg(2+) concentration (40 mM) used in the present study. This suggests that the negative charge of the anionic lipids in conjunction with negatively charged domains of the LHCII proteins is responsible for the disaggregation. Additional measurements by photon correlation spectroscopy and sucrose gradient centrifugation, which were used to gain information about the size and molecular mass of the LHCII aggregates, confirmed the results of the fluorescence spectroscopy. LHCII treated with MGDG and DGDG formed an increased number of aggregates with large particle sizes in the micromm-range, whereas the incubation with anionic lipids led to much smaller LHCII particles (around 40 nm in the case of PG) with a homogeneous distribution.     

Time-Resolved fluorescence studies on the internal motion of chlorophyll a of light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex in lipid membranes

By analyzing the steady state and time-resolved fluorescence anisotropy, the internal motions of chlorophyll a of light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex (LHCII) were characterized in a dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine (DMPC) liposome. Corresponding to the thermotropic phase of the membrane, chlorophyll a showed an unique internal motion in LHCII. At the gel phase, two motional components, one fast and the other slow, were observed, which would originate in the heterogeneity of the mutual orientation and the binding site of the chlorophyll a in LHCII. Interestingly, the faster motion was suppressed and only the slower segmental rotation with the larger motional amplitude was allowed on the phase transition to a liquid crystalline phase.     

Higher plant photosystem II light-harvesting antenna, not the reaction center, determines the excited-state lifetime-both the maximum and the nonphotochemically quenched

The maximum chlorophyll fluorescence lifetime in isolated photosystem II (PSII) light-harvesting complex (LHCII) antenna is 4 ns; however, it is quenched to 2 ns in intact thylakoid membranes when PSII reaction centers (RCIIs) are closed (Fm). It has been proposed that the closed state of RCIIs is responsible for the quenching. We investigated this proposal using a new, to our knowledge, model system in which the concentration of RCIIs was highly reduced within the thylakoid membrane. The system was developed in Arabidopsis thaliana plants under long-term treatment with lincomycin, a chloroplast protein synthesis inhibitor. The treatment led to 1), a decreased concentration of RCIIs to 10% of the control level and, interestingly, an increased antenna component; 2), an average reduction in the yield of photochemistry to 0.2; and 3), an increased nonphotochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching (NPQ). Despite these changes, the average fluorescence lifetimes measured in Fm and Fm' (with NPQ) states were nearly identical to those obtained from the control. A 77 K fluorescence spectrum analysis of treated PSII membranes showed the typical features of preaggregation of LHCII, indicating that the state of LHCII antenna in the dark-adapted photosynthetic membrane is sufficient to determine the 2 ns Fm lifetime. Therefore, we conclude that the closed RCs do not cause quenching of excitation in the PSII antenna, and play no role in the formation of NPQ.     

Characteristics of Photosystem I Complexes in the End Membranes of Pea Granal Thylakoids

Two fractions of the light fragments enriched in the photosystem I (PSI) complexes were obtained from pea (Pisum sativum L.) thylakoids by digitonin treatment and subsequent differential centrifugation. The ratio of chlorophyll a to chlorophyll b, chlorophyll/P700 spectra of low-temperature fluorescence, and excitation spectra of long-wave fluorescence were measured. These characteristics were shown to be different due to variation in the size and composition of the light-harvesting antenna of PSI complexes present in the particles obtained. The larger antenna size of one of the fractions was related to the incorporation of the pool of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII). A comparison with the data available allowed us to identify these particles as fragments of intergranal thylakoids and end membranes of granal thylakoids. The suggestion that an increase in the PSI light-harvesting antenna in intergranal thylakoids is related to the attachment of phosphorylated LHCII is discussed.     

Transbilayer organization of the main chlorophyll a/b-protein of photosystem II of thylakoid membranes

To probe the location of the carboxyl-terminus of the 28 kDa apoprotein of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex of PS II (LHCII), an antibody was generated against a synthetic octapeptide corresponding to the C-terminal region of LHCII. The high specificity of the octapeptide antiserum was deonstrated by immunoblots and immunogold labelling. The octapeptide antiserum agglutinated destacked thylakoid membranes, but no significant agglutination occurred with inside-out vesicles suggesting that the COOH-terminus is located at the outer, stroma-exposed surface where the NH₂-terminus is also located [(1983) J. Biol. Chem. 258, 9941-9948]. Our results support a model for LHCII with four transmembrane-spanning domains.     

The transit peptide of a chloroplast thylakoid membrane protein is functionally equivalent to a stromal-targeting sequence.

The role of transit peptides in intraorganellar targeting has been studied for a chlorophyll a/b binding (CAB) polypeptide of photosystem II (PSII) and the small subunit of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RBCS) from Pisum sativum (pea). These studies have involved in vitro import of fusion proteins into isolated pea chloroplasts. Fusion of the CAB transit peptide to RBCS mediates import to the stroma, as evidenced by assembly of RBCS with chloroplast-synthesized large subunit (RBCL) to form holoenzyme. Similarly, fusion of the RBCS transit peptide to the mature CAB polypeptide mediates import and results in integration of the processed CAB protein into the thylakoid membrane. Correct integration was indicated by association with PSII and assembly with chlorophyll to form the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b protein complex (LHCII). We interpret these results as evidence that the CAB transit peptide is functionally equivalent to a stromal-targeting sequence and that intraorganellar sorting of the CAB protein must be determined by sequences residing within the mature protein. Our results and those of others suggest that import and integration of CAB polypeptides into the thylakoid proceeds via the stroma.     

Defects in a proteolytic step of light-harvesting complex II in an<Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> stay-green mutant,<Emphasis Type="Italic">ore10</Emphasis>, during dark-induced leaf senescence

During dark-induced leaf senescence (DIS), the non-functional stay-green mutantore10 showed delayed chlorophyll (Chl) degradation and increased stability in its light-harvesting complex II (LHCII). These phenomena were closely related to the formation of aggregates that mainly consisted of terminal-truncated LHCII (Oh et al., 2003). Theore10 mutant apparently lacks the protease needed to degrade the truncated LHCII. In wild-type (WT) plants, protease was found in the thylakoid fraction, but not the soluble fraction. A similar experiment using dansylated LHCII revealed that the protease degraded both WT andore10 LHCII, indicating that its stability inore10 perhaps did not result from a defect in the LHCII polypeptides themselves. Although protease activity was not present in non-senesced WT leaves, it was induced during DIS. It also was possible to diminish the high level of protease present in the thylakoids through high-salt washing, suggesting that this enzyme is extrinsically bound to the outer surface of the stroma-exposed thylakoid regions.