Multiple sites of retardation of electron transfer in Photosystem II after hydrolysis of phosphatidylglycerol

Abstract

Phosphatidylglycerol (PG), containing the unique fatty acid Delta3, trans-16:1-hexadecenoic acid, is a minor but ubiquitous lipid component of thylakoid membranes of chloroplasts and cyanobacteria. We investigated its role in electron transfers and structural organization of Photosystem II (PSII) by treating Arabidopsis thaliana thylakoids with phospholipase A(2) to decrease the PG content. Phospholipase A(2) treatment of thylakoids (a) inhibited electron transfer from the primary quinone acceptor Q(A) to the secondary quinone acceptor Q(B), (b) retarded electron transfer from the manganese cluster to the redox-active tyrosine Z, (c) decreased the extent of flash-induced oxidation of tyrosine Z and dark-stable tyrosine D in parallel, and (d) inhibited PSII reaction centres such that electron flow to silicomolybdate in continuous light was inhibited. In addition, phospholipase A(2) treatment of thylakoids caused the partial dissociation of (a) PSII supercomplexes into PSII dimers that do not have the complete light-harvesting complex of PSII (LHCII); (b) PSII dimers into monomers; and (c) trimers of LHCII into monomers. Thus, removal of PG by phospholipase A(2) brings about profound structural changes in PSII, leading to inhibition/retardation of electron transfer on the donor side, in the reaction centre, and on the acceptor side. Our results broaden the simple view of the predominant effect being on the Q(B)-binding site.