Fluorescence Properties Indicate that Photosystem II Reaction Centers and Light-Harvesting Complex Are Modified by Low Temperature Growth in Winter Rye

Abstract

Thylakoids isolated from winter rye (Secale cereale L. cv Puma) grown at 20 degrees C (nonhardened rye, RNH) or 5 degrees C (cold-hardened rye, RH) were characterized using chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence. Low temperature fluorescence emission spectra of RH thylakoids contained emission bands at 680 and 695 nanometers not present in RNH thylakoids which were interpreted as changes in the association of light-harvesting Chl a/b proteins and photosystem II (PSII) reaction centers. RH thylakoids also exhibited a decrease in the emission ratio of 742/685 nanometers relative to RNH thylakoids.Room temperature fluorescence induction revealed that a larger proportion of Chl in RH thylakoids was inactive in transferring energy to PSII reaction centers when compared with RNH thylakoids. Fluorescence induction kinetics at 20 degrees C indicated that RNH and RH thylakoids contained the same proportions of fast (alpha) and slow (beta) components of the biphasic induction curve. In RH thylakoids, however, the rate constant for alpha components increased and the rate constant for beta components decreased relative to RNH thylakoids. Thus, energy was transferred more quickly within a PSII reaction center complex in RH thylakoids. In addition, PSII reaction centers in RH thylakoids were less connected, thus reducing energy transfers between reaction center complexes. We concluded that both PSII reaction centers and light-harvesting Chl a/b proteins had been modified during development of rye chloroplasts at 5 degrees C.