The PsbP-Domain Protein 1 Functions in the Assembly of Lumenal Domains in Photosystem I [Plant Biology]
July 9th, 2014 by Roose, J. L., Frankel, L. K., Bricker, T. M.
Photosystem I (PS I) is a multisubunit membrane protein complex that functions as a light-driven plastocyanin-ferredoxin oxidoreductase. The PsbP-domain Protein 1 (PPD1, At4g15510) is located in the thylakoid lumen of plant chloroplasts and is essential for photoautotrophy, functioning as a PS I assembly factor. In this work, RNAi was used to suppress PPD1 expression, yielding mutants displaying a range of phenotypes with respect to PS I accumulation and function. These PPD1 RNAi mutants showed a loss of assembled PS I which was correlated with loss of the PPD1 protein. In the most severely affected PPD1 RNAi lines, the accumulated PS I complexes exhibited defects in electron transfer from plastocyanin to the oxidized reaction center P700+. The defects in PS I assembly in the PPD1 RNAi mutants also had secondary effects with respect to the association of light-harvesting antenna complexes to PS I. Due to the imbalance in photosystem function in the PPD1 RNAi mutants, light-harvesting complex II (LHC II) associated with and acted as an antenna for the PS I complexes. These results provide new evidence for the role of PPD1 in PS I biogenesis, particularly as a factor essential for proper assembly of the lumenal portion of the complex.