Abstract
Nannochloropsis is an eukaryotic alga of the phylum Heterokonta, originating from a secondary endosymbiotic event. In this work, we investigated how the photosynthetic apparatus responds to growth in different light regimes in Nannochloropsis gaditana. We found that intense illumination induces the decrease of both photosystem I and II contents and their respective antenna sizes. Cells grown in high light showed a larger capacity for electron transport, with enhanced cyclic electron transport around photosystem I, contributing to photoprotection from excess illumination. Even when exposed to excess light intensities for several days, N. gaditana cells did not activate constitutive responses such as nonphotochemical quenching and the xanthophyll cycle. These photoprotection mechanisms in N. gaditana thus play a role in acclimation to fast changes in illumination within a time range of minutes, while regulation of the electron flow capacity represents a long-term response to prolonged exposure to excess light.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the ERC (European Research Council) starting Grant BIOLEAP nr 309485. GF acknowledges CNRS Défi (ENRS 2013), the CEA Bioénergies program, and the Human Frontier Science Program nr HFSP0052. The authors would like to thank Vasil D’Ambrosio for the assistance with HPLC and Western blot analyses.
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Meneghesso, A., Simionato, D., Gerotto, C. et al. Photoacclimation of photosynthesis in the Eustigmatophycean Nannochloropsis gaditana . Photosynth Res 129, 291–305 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-016-0297-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-016-0297-z