Comparison of state 1-state 2 transitions in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and in the red alga Rhodella violacea: effect of kinase and phosphatase inhibitors

Abstract

In the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, state transitions occur upon phosphorylation of the light-harvesting complex. The protein kinase inhibitor staurosporine, and the phosphoprotein phosphatase inhibitor NaF, suppress state 2 and state 1 transitions, respectively. By contrast, in the red alga Rhodella violacea none of these inhibitors has any effect, suggesting that, in red algae, the mechanisms of redistribution of excitation energy are independent of protein phosphorylation.