title: Temperature-dependent changes in Photosystem II heterogeneity of attached leaves under high light.
abstract: Attached leaves of pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Jattiläismeloni) were exposed to high light intensity at room temperature (ca 23°C) and at 1°C. Fluorescence parameters and electron transport activities measured from isolated thylakoids indicated faster photoinhibition of PSII at low temperature. Separation of the α and β components of the complementary area above the fluorescence induction curve of dichlorophenyl-dimethylurea-poisoned thylakoids revealed that at low temperature only the α-centers declined during exposure to high light intensity while the content of functional β-centers remained constant. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy showed no decrease in the density of particles on the appressed exoplasmic fracture face, indicating that the photoinhibited α-centers remained in the appressed membranes at 1°C. Because of the function of the repair and protective mechanisms of PSII, strong light induced less photoinhibition at room temperature, but more complicated changes occurred in the α/β-heterogeneity of PSII. During the first 30 min at high light intensity the decrease in α-centers was almost as large as at 1°C, but in contrast to the situation at low temperature the decrease in α-centers was compensated for by a significant increase in PSIIβ-centers. Changes in the density and size of freeze-fracture particles suggest that this increase in β-centers was due to migration of phosphorylated light-harvesting complex from appressed to non-appressed thylakoid membranes while the PSII core remained in the appressed membranes. This situation, however, was only transient and was followed by a rapid decrease in the functionalβ-centers.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Biology, Lab. of Plant Physiology, Univ. of Turku, SF-20500 Turku, Finland; Dept of General Botany, Univ. of Helsinki, Viikki, SF-00170 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Aro
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tyystjärvi
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nurmi