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Production of ketocarotenoids in tobacco alters the photosynthetic efficiency by reducing photosystem II supercomplex and LHCII trimer stability

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Abstract

The consequences of ketocarotenoid production in transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants expressing a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii gene encoding a β-carotene ketolase were examined concerning the functionality of the photosynthetic apparatus. T1 plants produced less photosynthetic pigments per dry weight, but Chl a/Chl b ratios remained unchanged. Almost as much ketocarotenoids as accessory xanthophylls accumulated per Chl a molecule. These ketocarotenoids were found mainly in the thylakoid membranes, but were not functionally bound to light-harvesting complexes, although LHCII is known to be able to bind astaxanthin. On the contrary, high amounts of ketocarotenoids probably changed the properties of the lipid phase of the thylakoids, thereby reducing the stability of photosystem II supercomplexes and LHCII trimers and ultimately decreasing grana formation. In addition, photosystem II function in electron transport was impaired, and plants exhibited less non-photochemical quenching compared to wild-type plants. Thus, in order not to disturb vital functions of the plants, production of astaxanthin and other nutritionally valuable ketocarotenoids apparently requires ways to sequester the additional carotenoids to plastoglobuli.

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Abbreviations

Bkt:

β-carotene ketolase

BBY:

Grana membranes

Chl:

Chlorophyll

LHCII:

Light-harvesting complex II

PS:

Photosystem

NPQ:

Non-photochemical quenching

RbcS:

Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase, small subunit

WT:

Wild type

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Acknowledgments

We thank Prof. Feng Chen, Bejing University and Dr.Junchao Huang, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, China, for kindly providing the seeds of the transgenic tobacco plants. ChristophJedmowski and Prof. Wolfgang Brüggemann are acknowledged for providing O−J−I–P equipment and for help with the data analysis. The work is part of A.R.’s Ph. D thesis.

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Author notes

  1. Hagen Schlicke

    Present address: Wissenschaftlicher Gerätebau Knauer GmbH, Hegauer Weg 38, 14163, Berlin, Germany

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Molecular Bioscience, Goethe University, Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue-Str. 9, 60438, Frankfurt/M., Germany

    Anja Röding, Lars Dietzel, Gerhard Sandmann & Claudia Büchel

  2. Institute of Biology/Plant Physiology, Humboldt University, Philippstraße 13, 10115, Berlin, Germany

    Hagen Schlicke & Bernhard Grimm

Authors
  1. Anja Röding
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  2. Lars Dietzel
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  3. Hagen Schlicke
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Correspondence to Claudia Büchel.

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Röding, A., Dietzel, L., Schlicke, H. et al. Production of ketocarotenoids in tobacco alters the photosynthetic efficiency by reducing photosystem II supercomplex and LHCII trimer stability. Photosynth Res 123, 157–165 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-014-0055-z

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