Abstract
Chloroplast NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH) complex, a multiple-subunit complex in the thylakoid membranes mediating cyclic electron transport, is one of the most important alternative electron transport pathways. It was identified to be essential for plant growth and development during stress periods in recent years. The NDH-mediated cyclic electron transport can restore the over-reduction in stroma, maintaining the balance of the redox system in the electron transfer chain and providing the extra ATP needed for the other biochemical reactions. In this review, we discuss the research history and the subunit composition of NDH. Specifically, the formation and significance of NDH-mediated cyclic electron transport are discussed from the perspective of plant evolution and physiological functionality of NDH facilitating plants’ adaptation to environmental stress. A better understanding of the NDH-mediated cyclic electron transport during photosynthesis may offer new approaches to improving crop yield.
Highlights
Regulation of photosynthetic electron transport in the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts is fundamental for the maximum photosynthetic yield and plant growth
The type I NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-1) is a multisubunit complex located in the thylakoid membrane (Ohkawa et al, 2000), which is widely found in bacteria, cyanobacteria, higher plants, and animals (Friedrich et al, 1995; Yagi et al, 1998; Friedrich and Scheide, 2000; Brandt et al, 2003; Miller et al, 2021)
Nowaczyk et al (2011) found two new subunits: NdhP and NdhQ of NAD(P)H dehydrogenase (NDH)-1L in thermophilic cyanobacteria by mass spectrometry, which are located on the membrane arm and play a major role in the stability of NDH-1L (Wulfhorst et al, 2014; Zhao et al, 2015), in which NdhP subunits are unique to NDH-1L
Summary
Regulation of photosynthetic electron transport in the thylakoid membrane of chloroplasts is fundamental for the maximum photosynthetic yield and plant growth. The cyclic electron transport (CET) around PSI includes two distinct and partially redundant pathways in plant chloroplasts. There were 11 genes (NdhA∼NdhK) in their chloroplast genome that were highly homologous to the genes encoding the human mitochondrial respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase complex (Matsubayashi et al, 1987). The type I NADH dehydrogenase (NDH-1) is a multisubunit complex located in the thylakoid membrane (Ohkawa et al, 2000), which is widely found in bacteria, cyanobacteria, higher plants, and animals (Friedrich et al, 1995; Yagi et al, 1998; Friedrich and Scheide, 2000; Brandt et al, 2003; Miller et al, 2021). Nowaczyk et al (2011) found two new subunits: NdhP and NdhQ of NDH-1L in thermophilic cyanobacteria by mass spectrometry, which are located on the membrane arm and play a major role in the stability of NDH-1L (Wulfhorst et al, 2014; Zhao et al, 2015), in which NdhP subunits are unique to NDH-1L
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