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The roles of specific xanthophylls in light utilization

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Abstract

To evaluate the role of specific xanthophylls in light utilization, wild-type and xanthophyll mutant plants (npq1, npq2, lut2, lut2npq1 and lut2npq2) from Arabidopsis thaliana were grown under three different light regimes: 30 (low light, LL), 150 (medium light, ML) and 450 (high light, HL) μmol photons m−2 s−1. We studied the pigment content, growth rate, xanthophyll cycle activity, chlorophyll fluorescence parameters and the response to photoinhibition. All genotypes differed strongly in the growth rates and the resistance against photoinhibition. In particular, replacement of lutein (Lut) by violaxanthin (Vx) in the lut2npq1 mutant did not affect the growth at non-saturating light intensities (LL and ML), but led to a pronounced reduction of growth under HL conditions, indicating an important photoprotective role of Lut. This was further supported by a much higher sensitivity of all Lut-deficient plants to photoinhibition in comparison with the wild type. In contrast, replacement of Lut by zeaxanthin (Zx) in lut2npq2 led to a pronounced reduction of growth under all light regimes, most likely related to the permanent non-photochemical dissipation of excitation energy by Zx at Vx-binding sites and the destabilization of antenna proteins by binding of Zx to Lut-binding sites. The high susceptibility of lut2npq2 to photoinhibition in comparison with npq2 further indicated that the photoprotective function of Zx is abolished in the absence of Lut. Thus, it can be concluded from our work that neither Vx nor Zx is able to fulfil the essential photoprotective function at Lut-binding sites under in vivo conditions.

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Abbreviations

Ax:

Antheraxanthin

β-Car:

β-Carotene

Chl:

Chlorophyll

DEPS:

De-epoxidation state

FV/FM :

Maximum quantum yield of photosystem II

HL:

High light

LHC:

Light-harvesting complex

LL:

Low light

ML:

Medium light

NPQ:

Non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence

Lut:

Lutein

Nx:

Neoxanthin

PSI:

Photosystem I

PSII:

Photosystem II

PFD:

Photon flux density

qE:

Energy-dependent quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence

qI:

Photoinhibitory quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence

qP:

Photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence

vHL:

Very high light

Vx:

Violaxanthin

VxDE:

Violaxanthin deepoxidase

ZxE:

Zeaxanthin epoxidase

Zx:

Zeaxanthin

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Acknowledgment

The authors thank the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for financial support (grants no. Ja 665/3 and SFB 663, TP B2).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant Biochemistry, Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, Universitätsstraße 1, 40225, Dusseldorf, Germany

    Ljudmila Kalituho, Jennifer Rech & Peter Jahns

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  1. Ljudmila Kalituho
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  2. Jennifer Rech
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  3. Peter Jahns
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Correspondence to Peter Jahns.

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Kalituho, L., Rech, J. & Jahns, P. The roles of specific xanthophylls in light utilization. Planta 225, 423–439 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00425-006-0356-3

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