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Photoinhibition of PSI and PSII in Nature and in the Laboratory: Ecological Approaches

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Progress in Botany Vol. 84

Part of the book series: Progress in Botany ((BOTANY,volume 84))

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Abstract

Light is indispensable for plants to photosynthesize organic matters. Almost all the organisms including animals on our planet eventually rely on this plant function for their energy as well as the materials forming their bodies. Paradoxically, light often damages the photosynthetic apparatus. This phenomenon is called photoinhibition and has been attracting attention of many photosynthesis researchers. Although the term photoinhibition had been used almost synonymously to refer to photoinhibition of photosystem II (PSII), it was recently shown that PSI is susceptible to fluctuating light. First, we compare two PSII photoinhibition hypotheses: the Mn/(Two-step) hypothesis and Excess-Y(NO) hypothesis. The former claims that the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) is primarily damaged, while the latter claims excess excitation energy in PSII directly damages D1 function. Both can be induced in the laboratory and may parallelly occur in the same leaf. Because OEC is damaged by ultraviolet (UV) or blue light, UV screening substances in the leaf epidermis plays a crucial role. It is also indicated that the rate of PSII repair in PSII damaged by the Mn/(Two-step) mechanism is much slower than that by the Excess-Y(NO) mechanism. It appears then plants should avoid PSII photoinhibition by the Mn/(Two-step) hypothesis. Photoinhibition of photosystem I (PSI) in cucumber, a model chilling sensitive plant, and that in the mutant of PROTON GRADIENT 5 are compared. The effects of fluctuating light, which naturally occurs in the field, on PSI photoinhibition are also discussed. The PSI photoinhibition in these three cases can be explained by similar scenarios. When reduced P700 donates electrons to O2, oxidative damage is induced. The mechanisms that protect PSI from photoinhibition all contribute to oxidation of P700 to P700+, a safe quencher. When a leaf is suddenly exposed to strong light, spillover of excitation energy from PSII to PSI protects both PSII and PSI from photoinhibition. In all these situations, far-red (FR) light plays essential roles in PSI protection. As FR light not only protects PSI but also enhances photosynthesis, especially in low light phases in the fluctuating light, the roles of FR light in photosynthesis should be fully examined. Other ecologically important problems that should be solved in the future are also pointed out.

Communicated by Ulrich Lüttge

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Abbreviations

APX:

Ascorbate peroxidase

CBB :

Calvin-Benson-Bassham (cycle)

CF0 :

Membrane-embedded part of the thylakoid H+-ATPase

CF1:

Catalytic component of the thylakoid H+-ATPase

Cyt b6/f:

Cytochrome b6/f complex

Cyt f :

Cytochrome f

DCIP:

Dichloro-indophenol

DCMU:

Dichlorophenyl dimethylurea

DPC:

Diphenylcarbazide

EPR:

Electron spin resonance

FA :

Iron-sulfur cluster A in PSI

FB :

Iron-sulfur cluster B in PSI

FL:

Fluctuating light

FR:

Far-red (light)

FX:

Iron-sulfur cluster X in PSI

Kpi:

Rate constant of PSI photoinhibition

kpi:

Rate constant of PSII photoinhibition

krec:

Rate constant of PSII repair

LHCII :

Light-harvesting chlorophyll-protein complex of PSII

MAP:

Mehler ascorbate peroxidase (pathway)

MTSF:

Multiple turnover saturating flash

MV:

Methyl viologen

NDH :

NADH DEHYDROGENASE-LIKE complex

NPQ:

Non-photochemical quenching

OEC:

Oxygen-evolving complex

OJIP :

Analysis based on the fluorescence increasing pattern upon strong actinic light illumination

PAM:

Pulse-amplitude modulated (fluorometry)

PFD:

Photon flux density (mol m−2 s−1)

pgr5:

A mutant of PROTON GRADIENT 5/PROTON GRADIENT LIKE 1 cyclic electron transport system around PSI

PPFD :

Photosynthetically active photon flux density (400–700 nm, mol m−2 s−1)

PR:

Photorespiration (pathway)

PSI-CEF:

Cyclic electron transport around PSI

QA :

Quinone electron acceptor A

QB:

Quinone electron acceptor B

Y (NPQ):

Quantum yield of regulated thermal dissipation in PSII

RISE:

PQ reduction-induced suppression of electron flow

SChl*:

Excited chlorophyll in the singlet state

STSF:

Single turnover saturating flash

TChl*:

Excited chlorophyll in the triplet state

TyrZ:

A Tyr residue involving in electron transport in D1

UV-A :

Ultraviolet A, ranging from 315 or 320 nm to 400 nm

WWC:

Water to water cycle

Y(I):

Quantum yield of PSI photochemistry

Y(II) :

Quantum yield of PSII photochemistry

Y(NA):

Quantum yield of non-photochemical energy dissipation due to limitation of electron acceptors from PSI

Y(ND):

Quantum yield of non-photochemical energy dissipation due to limitation of electron donors to PSI

Y(NO):

Quantum yield of non-regulated energy dissipation in PSII

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Acknowledgments

Professor Barry Osmond recommended us as potential authors of a Progress in Botany article to Professor Ulrich Lüttge, who then kindly invited us to write this review and closely edit our drafts. We are grateful to both. We thank two reviewers Professors W.S. Chow and E. Tyystjärvi for critical reviews and useful suggestions. We incorporate their useful suggestions to this review, acknowledging their contributions. We also thank many colleagues for collaborations, discussions, and encouragements. Our photoinhibition studies have been only sporadically supported by the grants from the Japan Society for Promotion of Science (JSPS) and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, and Technology (MEXT). Thus, two recent grants from MEXT (17H05718 and 19H04718) are appreciated. More importantly, we highly appreciate Continuous Ordinary Operating/Management Expenses Grants from our universities. Without these ordinary grants, our studies might have been interrupted or severely delayed. It is regrettable that the amount of such ordinary operating grants is gradually decreasing in Japan. This is due to the governmental policy to concentrate research grants to selected scientists, which obviously suppresses ordinary operations of ordinary scientists like us.

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Correspondence to Masaru Kono or Ichiro Terashima .

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Kono, M., Oguchi, R., Terashima, I. (2022). Photoinhibition of PSI and PSII in Nature and in the Laboratory: Ecological Approaches. In: Lüttge, U., Cánovas, F.M., Risueño, MC., Leuschner, C., Pretzsch, H. (eds) Progress in Botany Vol. 84. Progress in Botany, vol 84. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/124_2022_67

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