title: Non-photochemical quenching and xanthophyll cycle activities in six green algal species suggest mechanistic differences in the process of excess energy dissipation.
abstract: In the present study the non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) of four biofilm-forming and two planktonic green algae was investigated by fluorescence measurements, determinations of the light-driven proton gradient and determination of the violaxanthin cycle activity by pigment analysis. It was observed that, despite the common need for efficient photoprotection, the structural basis of NPQ was heterogeneous in the different species. Three species, namely Chlorella saccharophila, Chlorella vulgaris and Bracteacoccus minor, exhibited a zeaxanthin-dependent NPQ, while in the three other species, Tetracystis aeria, Pedinomonas minor and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii violaxanthin de-epoxidation was absent or unrelated to the establishment of NPQ. Acclimation of the algae to high light conditions induced an increase of the NPQ activity, suggesting that a significant part of the overall NPQ was rather inducible than constitutively present in the green algae. Comparing the differences in the NPQ mechanisms with the phylogenetic position of the six algal species led to the conclusion that the NPQ heterogeneity observed in the present study was not related to the phylogeny of the algae but to the environmental selection pressure. Finally, the difference in the NPQ mechanisms in the different species is discussed within the frame of the current NPQ models.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 23, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Theresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quaas
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Berteotti
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ballottari
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 23, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Flieger
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Verona, Strada le Grazie 15, 37134 Verona, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bassi
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 23, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Deutscher Platz 5e, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wilhelm
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Physiology, University of Leipzig, Johannisallee 23, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany. Electronic address: rgoss@rz.uni-leipzig.de.
authors.forename: Reimund
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Goss
mesh_terms: D000064:Acclimatization; D002734:Chlorophyll / Q000502:physiology*; D000077194:Chlorophyll A; D000460:Chlorophyta / Q000502:physiology*; D005453:Fluorescence; D008027:Light; D010788:Photosynthesis; D013045:Species Specificity; D024341:Xanthophylls / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D024341:Xanthophylls; D002734:Chlorophyll; D000077194:Chlorophyll A
keywords: Green algae; Non-photochemical quenching; Photoprotection; Xanthophyll cycle; Zeaxanthin