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Long-term drought stress induces structural and functional reorganization of photosystem II

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Abstract

Long-term drought stress on photosystem II (PSII) was studied in pea (Pisum sativum L.) seedlings. Drought stress (reduction of water content by 35–80%) led to a considerable depletion of the PSII core, and the remaining PSII complex appeared to be functional and reorganized, with a unit size (LHCP/PSII core) twofold greater than that of well-irrigated plants. By immunoblotting analysis of the PSII proteins from grana and stroma lamellae, the enhanced degradation of CP43 and D1 proteins was observed in water-stressed plants. Also, water stress caused increased phosphorylation of the PSII core and increased D1 protein synthesis. Water-stress-mediated increase in D1 synthesis did not occur when plants were exposed to photoinhibitory light. The depletion of the PSII core was essentially reversed when water-stressed plants grown at low visible irradiance were watered. We suggest that the syndrome caused by the effect of long-term water stress on photosynthesis is a combination of at least two events: a reduction in the number of active PSII centres caused by a physical destabilization of the PSII core and a PSII reorganization with enhanced D1 turnover to counteract the core depletion.

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Abbreviations

Chl:

chlorophyll

CP43 and CP47:

β-carotene-Chla-proteins of PSII core

DCPIP:

2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol

DPC:

diphenylcarbazide

Fv/Fm:

the ratio of yield of variable fluorescence to yield of maximal fluorescence when all reaction centres are closed

LHC(P):

light-harvesting complex (proteins)

Wc:

water content

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Author information

Author notes

  1. T. Kučera

    Present address: Department of Biology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic

  2. J. Masojídek

    Present address: Institute of Microbiology, 37981, Třeboň, Czech Republic

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Italian National Council of Research (BEV-CNR), Area della Ricerca di Roma, Via Salaria km 29.3, I-00016, Monterotondo Scalo, Italy

    M. T. Giardi, A. Cona, B. Geiken, T. Kučera & J. Masojídek

  2. Plant Molecular Biology Laboratory, U.S. Department of Agriculture, BARC, 20705, Beltsville, MD, USA

    A. K. Mattoo

Authors
  1. M. T. Giardi
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  2. A. Cona
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  3. B. Geiken
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  4. T. Kučera
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  5. J. Masojídek
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  6. A. K. Mattoo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. T. Giardi.

Additional information

This work was supported by the Italian National Council of Research special grant RAISA, subproject 2 (paper No. 2179) on water stress B. Geiken was supported by the European program “Human Capital and Mobility”. We thank Dr. Roberto Barbato (Department of Biology, University of Padua, Italy) for generous gifts of various PSII antibodies.

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Giardi, M.T., Cona, A., Geiken, B. et al. Long-term drought stress induces structural and functional reorganization of photosystem II. Planta 199, 118–125 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196888

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00196888

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