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Targeted deletion of psaJ from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 indicates structural interactions between the PsaJ and PsaF subunits of photosystem I

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Abstract

Photosystem I catalyzes the light-driven oxidation of plastocyanin or cytochrome c 6 and the reduction of ferredoxin or flavodoxin. PsaJ is a 4.4 kDa hydrophobic subunit of photosystem I from cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. To investigate the function of PsaJ, we generated a mutant strain of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in which the psaJ gene is replaced by a gene for chloramphenicol resistance. Deletion of psaJ led to a reduction in the steady state RNA level from psaF which is located upstream from psaJ. Immunoquantification using an anti-PsaF antibody revealed a significant decrease in the amount of PsaF in membranes of the mutant strain. Trimeric photosystem I complexes isolated from the mutant strain using n-dodecyl β-D-maltoside lacked PsaJ, contained ca. 80% less PsaF, but maintained wild-type levels of other photosystem I subunits. In contrast, the photosystem I purified using Triton X-100 contained less than 2% PsaF when compared to the wild type, showing the more extractable nature of PsaF in PsaJ-less photosystem I in the presence of Triton X-100. PsaE was more accessible to removal by NaI in a mutant strain lacking PsaF and PsaJ than in the wild type. The presence of PsaF in photosystem I from the PsaJ-less strain did not alter the increased susceptibility of PsaE to removal by NaI. These results indicate an interaction between PsaJ and PsaF in the organization of the complex.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 66506-4901, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Qiang Xu, William R. Odom, James A. Guikema, Vaishali P. Chitnis & Parag R. Chitnis

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  1. Qiang Xu
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  2. William R. Odom
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  3. James A. Guikema
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  4. Vaishali P. Chitnis
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  5. Parag R. Chitnis
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Xu, Q., Odom, W.R., Guikema, J.A. et al. Targeted deletion of psaJ from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 indicates structural interactions between the PsaJ and PsaF subunits of photosystem I. Plant Mol Biol 26, 291–302 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039540

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00039540

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