The Arabidopsis thylakoid chloride channel ClCe regulates ATP availability for light-harvesting complex II protein phosphorylation
: Dukic Emilija, Gollan Peter J., Grebe Steffen, Paakkarinen Virpi, Herdean Andrei, Aro Eva-Mari, Spetea Cornelia
Publisher: FRONTIERS MEDIA SA
: 2022
: Frontiers in Plant Science
: FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
: FRONT PLANT SCI
: 1050355
: 13
: 14
: 1664-462X
: 1664-462X
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.1050355
: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2022.1050355/full
: https://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/177446204
Coping with changes in light intensity is challenging for plants, but well-designed mechanisms allow them to acclimate to most unpredicted situations. The thylakoid K+/H+ antiporter KEA3 and the voltage-dependent Cl- channel VCCN1 play important roles in light acclimation by fine-tuning electron transport and photoprotection. Good evidence exists that the thylakoid Cl- channel ClCe is involved in the regulation of photosynthesis and state transitions in conditions of low light. However, a detailed mechanistic understanding of this effect is lacking. Here we report that the ClCe loss-of-function in Arabidopsis thaliana results in lower levels of phosphorylated light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) proteins as well as lower levels of the photosystem I-LHCII complexes relative to wild type (WT) in low light conditions. The phosphorylation of the photosystem II core D1/D2 proteins was less affected either in low or high light conditions. In low light conditions, the steady-state levels of ATP synthase conductivity and of the total proton flux available for ATP synthesis were lower in ClCe loss-of-function mutants, but comparable to WT at standard and high light intensity. As a long-term acclimation strategy, expression of the ClCe gene was upregulated in WT plants grown in light-limiting conditions, but not in WT plants grown in standard light even when exposed for up to 8 h to low light. Taken together, these results suggest a role of ClCe in the regulation of the ATP synthase activity which under low light conditions impacts LHCII protein phosphorylation and state transitions.