title: Repressible chloroplast gene expression in Chlamydomonas: a new tool for the study of the photosynthetic apparatus.
abstract: A repressible/inducible chloroplast gene expression system has been used to conditionally inhibit chloroplast protein synthesis in the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. This system allows one to follow the fate of photosystem II and photosystem I and their antennae upon cessation of chloroplast translation. The main results are that the levels of the PSI core proteins decrease at a slower rate than those of PSII. Amongst the light-harvesting complexes, the decrease of CP26 proceeds at the same rate as for the PSII core proteins whereas it is significantly slower for CP29, and for the antenna complexes of PSI this rate is comprised between that of CP26 and CP29. In marked contrast, the components of trimeric LHCII, the major PSII antenna, persist for several days upon inhibition of chloroplast translation. This system offers new possibilities for investigating the biosynthesis and turnover of individual photosynthetic complexes in the thylakoid membranes. This article is part of a special issue entitled: photosynthesis research for sustainability: keys to produce clean energy.
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Emine
authors: E
authors: Dinc
authors: Departments of Molecular Biology and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, 30, Quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland.
authors: Silvia
authors: S
authors: Ramundo
authors: Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors: Roberta
authors: R
authors: Croce
authors: Departments of Molecular Biology and Plant Biology, University of Geneva, 30, Quai Ernest Ansermet, 1211 Geneva, Switzerland. Electronic address: Jean-David.Rochaix@unige.ch.
authors: Jean-David
authors: JD
authors: Rochaix
mesh_terms: D002696:Chlamydomonas / Q000378:metabolism*; D061125:Genes, Chloroplast; D010788:Photosynthesis; D045331:Photosystem I Protein Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex / Q000378:metabolism; D020524:Thylakoids / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D045331:Photosystem I Protein Complex; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex
keywords: Chlamydomonas; Chloroplast; Gene expression; Photosystem degradation