Multimeric and monomeric photosystem II supercomplexes represent structural adaptations to low- and high-light conditions

Abstract

An intriguing molecular architecture called the "semi-crystalline photosystem II (PSII) array" has been observed in the thylakoid membranes in vascular plants. It is an array of PSII-light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) supercomplexes that only appears in low light, but its functional role has not been clarified. Here, we identified PSII-LHCII supercomplexes in their monomeric and multimeric forms in low light-acclimated spinach leaves and prepared them using sucrose-density gradient ultracentrifugation in the presence of amphipol A8-35. When the leaves were acclimated to high light, only the monomeric forms were present, suggesting that the multimeric forms represent a structural adaptation to low light and that disaggregation of the PSII-LHCII supercomplex represents an adaptation to high light. Single-particle EM revealed that the multimeric PSII-LHCII supercomplexes are composed of two ("megacomplex") or three ("arraycomplex") units of PSII-LHCII supercomplexes, which likely constitute a fraction of the semi-crystalline PSII array. Further characterization with fluorescence analysis revealed that multimeric forms have a higher light-harvesting capability but a lower thermal dissipation capability than the monomeric form. These findings suggest that the configurational conversion of PSII-LHCII supercomplexes may serve as a structural basis for acclimation of plants to environmental light.