Assembly of the chlorophyll-protein complexes

Abstract

The biogenesis of photosynthetic complexes in plants and algae is a multi-step process that involves intricate coordination of steps in two intracellular compartments, the chloroplast and the cytoplasm. The process initiates with the transcription and translation of the various polypeptide subunits. The nuclear-encoded Chl-binding proteins are translated on cytoplasmic ribosomes as precursors that have a transit (leader) sequence at their amino-terminus. The precursors are post-translationally imported into the chloroplasts, proteolytically processed into their mature forms, inserted into the thylationally imported into the chloroplasts, proteolytically processed into their mature forms, inserted into the thylakoid membrane, and bound to their co-factors (and pigments) and with other subunits to form an active complex. The order and mechanisms by which these events occur, are currently being discovered. Electrostatic interactions, the 'positive inside rule', interhelix interactions, interactions with lipids and chaperone proteins affect the insertion and stabilization of the Chl-proteins in the thylakoids. This review describes the events occurring during the integration and organization of the Chl-proteins.