Abstract
Photosynthetic organisms commonly develop the strategy to keep the reaction centre chlorophyll of photosystem I, P700, oxidised for preventing the generation of reactive oxygen species in excess light conditions. In photosynthesis of C4 plants, CO2 concentration is kept at higher levels around ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) by the cooperation of the mesophyll and bundle sheath cells, which enables them to assimilate CO2 at higher rates and to survive under drought stress. However, the regulatory mechanism of photosynthetic electron transport for P700 oxidation is still poorly understood in C4 plants. Here we assessed gas exchange, chlorophyll fluorescence, electrochromic shift, and near infrared absorbance in the intact leaves of NADP-malic enzyme subtype of C4 plants maize in a comparison with the C3 plant field mustard. Instead of the alternative electron sink due to photorespiration, photosynthetic linear electron flow was strongly limited between photosystems I and II dependent on the proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane (ΔpH) in response to the suppression of CO2 assimilation in maize. The increase of ΔpH for P700 oxidation was caused by the regulation of proton conductance of chloroplast ATP synthase but not by promoting cyclic electron flow, which was supported by linear relationships among CO2 assimilation rate, linear electron flow, P700 oxidation, ΔpH, and the oxidation rate of ferredoxin. At the scale of intact leaves, the ratio of PSI to PSII was estimated almost 1:1 in both C3 and C4 plants. Overall, the photosynthetic electron transport was regulated for P700 oxidation in maize through the same strategies as in C3 plants only except for the capacity of photorespiration despite the structural and metabolic differences in photosynthesis between C3 and C4 plants.
ATP Synthase Repression in Tobacco Restricts Photosynthetic Electron Transport, CO2 Assimilation, and Plant Growth by Overacidification of the Thylakoid Lumen
