title: The PsbK subunit is required for the stable assembly and stability of other small subunits in the PSII complex in the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1.
abstract: PsbK is a small membrane protein of the PSII core complex and is highly conserved from cyanobacteria to plants. Here, we studied its role in the thermophilic cyanobacterium, Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1, by focusing on a psbK disruptant with hexahistidine-tagged CP47. The psbK disruptant showed photoautotrophic growth comparable with that of the wild type under a wide range of light conditions. The mutant PSII complex retained the oxygen-evolving activity with a unique modification of the acceptor Q(B) site. N-terminal sequencing revealed that Ycf12 and PsbZ proteins were lost in the PSII complex prepared from the mutant. Immunoblotting detected reduced accumulation of PsbZ in the mutant thylakoid. These results suggest that PsbK is required not only for association of PsbZ and Ycf12 with the isolated PSII complex but also for the stabilization of PsbZ in the thylakoid membrane.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Biological Science, Faculty of Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Science, Yamazaki 2641, Noda, Chiba, 278-8510 Japan. masakoi@brandeis.edu
authors.forename: Masako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Iwai
authors.forename: Takehiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kamiyama
authors.forename: Isamu
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Sakurai
authors.forename: Naoshi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dohmae
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ikeuchi
mesh_terms: D001426:Bacterial Proteins / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D004591:Electrophoresis, Polyacrylamide Gel; D010788:Photosynthesis / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D017433:Protein Structure, Secondary; D021122:Protein Subunits / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*; D020524:Thylakoids / Q000235:genetics / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D001426:Bacterial Proteins; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D021122:Protein Subunits; C061381:psbK protein, cyanobacteria