The Size of the Light-Harvesting Antenna of Higher Plant Photosystem II Is Regulated by Illumination Intensity through Transcription of Antenna Protein Genes

---

M. M. Borisova-Mubarakshina^*, D. V. Vetoshkina, N. N. Rudenko, G. N. Shirshikova, T. P. Fedorchuk, I. A. Naydov, and B. N. Ivanov

Institute of Basic Biological Problems, Russian Academy of Sciences, 142290 Pushchino, Moscow Region, Russia; E-mail: mubarakshinamm@gmail.com; ivboni@rambler.ru

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed.

Received December 4, 2013; Revision received January 9, 2014

---

In arabidopsis plants, with an increase in illumination intensity during growth the extent of reduction of the plastoquinone pool in the photosynthetic electron transport chain increased, whereas the effective quantum yield of photosynthesis decreased. After 5 days of growth under high illumination intensity, these parameters in high light returned to values observed in “shade-adapted” plants in low light. During the same period, the size of the antenna decreased, correlating with a decrease in the amounts of proteins of peripheral pigment–protein complexes. It was found that the decrease in the amounts of these proteins occurred due to suppression of transcription of their genes.

---

KEY WORDS: photosynthesis, adaptation to illumination intensity, plastoquinone pool, light harvesting antenna, gene expression

DOI: 10.1134/S0006297914060042

---