title: Effect of ultraviolet-B radiation on intact cells of the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis: characterization of the alterations in the thylakoid membranes.
abstract: Intact trichomes of Spirulina platensis are exposed to ultraviolet- B (UV-B) radiation (270-320 nm; 1.9 mW m(-2)) for 9 h. This UV-B exposure results in alterations in the pigment-protein complexes and in the fluorescence emission profile of the chlorophyll-protein complexes of the thylakoids as compared with thylakoids isolated from control dark-adapted Spirulina cells. The UV-B exposure causes a significant decrease in photosystem II activity, but no loss in photosystem I activity. Although there is no change in the photosystem I activity in thylakoids from UV-B-exposed cells, the chlorophyll a emission at room temperature and at 77 K indicates alterations associated with photosystem I. Additionally, the results clearly demonstrate that the photosystem II core antennae of chlorophyll proteins CP47 and CP43 are affected by UV-B exposure, as revealed by Western blot analysis. Furthermore, a prominent 94 kDa protein band appears in the sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) profile of UV-B-exposed cell thylakoids, which is absent from the control thylakoids. This 94 kDa protein appears not to be newly induced by UV-B exposure, but could possibly have originated from the UV-B-induced cross-linking of the thylakoid proteins. The exposure of isolated Spirulina thylakoids to the same intensity of UV-B radiation for 1-3 h induces losses in the CP47 and CP43 levels, but does not induce the appearance of the 94 kDa protein band in SDS-PAGE. These results clearly demonstrate that prolonged exposure of Spirulina cells to moderate levels of UV-B affects the chlorophyll a-protein complexes and alters the fluorescence emission spectral profile of the pigment-protein complexes of the thylakoid membranes. Thus, it is clear that chlorophyll a antennae of Spirulina platensis are significantly altered by UV-B radiation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Sri Venkateswara University, Tirupati, India.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajagopal
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Murthy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mohanty
mesh_terms: D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000378:metabolism; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D007700:Kinetics; D008565:Membrane Proteins / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000528:radiation effects; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism / Q000528:radiation effects; D020524:Thylakoids / Q000528:radiation effects* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D014466:Ultraviolet Rays
chemical_list: D008565:Membrane Proteins; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D002734:Chlorophyll