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Isolation and characterization of PSI–LHCI super-complex and their sub-complexes from a red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae

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Abstract

Photosystem I (PSI)–light-harvesting complex I (LHCI) super-complex and its sub-complexes PSI core and LHCI, were purified from a unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae and characterized. PSI–LHCI of C. merolae existed as a monomer with a molecular mass of 580 kDa. Mass spectrometry analysis identified 11 subunits (PsaA, B, C, D, E, F, I, J, K, L, O) in the core complex and three LHCI subunits, CMQ142C, CMN234C, and CMN235C in LHCI, indicating that at least three Lhcr subunits associate with the red algal PSI core. PsaG was not found in the red algae PSI–LHCI, and we suggest that the position corresponding to Lhca1 in higher plant PSI–LHCI is empty in the red algal PSI–LHCI. The PSI–LHCI complex was separated into two bands on native PAGE, suggesting that two different complexes may be present with slightly different protein compositions probably with respective to the numbers of Lhcr subunits. Based on the results obtained, a structural model was proposed for the red algal PSI–LHCI. Furthermore, pigment analysis revealed that the C. merolae PSI–LHCI contained a large amount of zeaxanthin, which is mainly associated with the LHCI complex whereas little zeaxanthin was found in the PSI core. This indicates a unique feature of the carotenoid composition of the Lhcr proteins and may suggest an important role of Zea in the light-harvesting and photoprotection of the red algal PSI–LHCI complex.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Dr. Yasuhiro Kashino for sharing the strain of C. merolae. This work was supported by a Strategic Priority Research Program of CAS (XDB17030100), China State Key Basic Research Program Grants (2015CB150100 and 2013CB911203), a CAS Key Research Project for Frontier Science (QYZDY-SSW-SMC003), and National Natural Science Foundation of China Grants 31622007, 31670237.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 20, Nanxincun, Xiangshan, Beijing, 100093, China

    Lirong Tian, Liangliang Shen, Jinghua Chen, Lijing Chang, Songhao Zhao, Guangye Han, Wenda Wang, Tingyun Kuang, Xiaochun Qin & Jian-Ren Shen

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yuquan Rd, Shijingshan District, Beijing, 100049, China

    Lirong Tian, Liangliang Shen, Jinghua Chen, Lijing Chang & Songhao Zhao

  3. Key Laboratory of Separation Sciences for Analytical Chemistry, Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Zhongshan Road 457, Dalian, 116023, China

    Zheyi Liu & Fangjun Wang

  4. School of Biological Science and Technology, University of Jinan, No.336, Nanxinzhuang West Road, Jinan, 250022, China

    Xiaochun Qin

  5. Research Institute of Interdisciplinary Science, Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Tsushima Naka 3-1-1, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan

    Jian-Ren Shen

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  1. Lirong Tian
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Tian, L., Liu, Z., Wang, F. et al. Isolation and characterization of PSI–LHCI super-complex and their sub-complexes from a red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae . Photosynth Res 133, 201–214 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-017-0384-9

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