Effects of Iron Deficiency on Thylakoid Membrane Structure and Composition in the Alga Dunaliella salina

Abstract

The unicellular green alga Dunaliella was previously proposed as a model photosynthetic organism for adaptation to iron deficiency. The purpose of this study was to find out how iron limitation affects the structure and composition of the photosynthetic system of Dunaliella salina. Iron deprivation did not retard proliferation of D. salina cells, but was associated with a decrease in cell volume and chlorophyll content, and with a four‐fold reduction in iron content and a two‐fold increase in Cu content. Electron microscopic analysis revealed shrinkage of the chloroplast and decrease in stacked thylakoid membranes. Measurements of chlorophyll fluorescence induction in the presence of DCMU and of 77 K chlorophyll fluorescence emission spectra indicated gross changes in the photosynthetic efficiency of reaction centers and in the organization of their associated light harvesting antenna. Differential analysis of protein composition led to the identification of a major thylakoid membrane protein (Tidi), that was specifically induced under iron deprivation. Partial sequencing suggests that Tidi is a novel type of a chlorophyll a/b binding protein. These results clearly show that iron limitation is associated with extensive reorganization of the photosynthetic system in Dunaliella.