Auxiliary photosynthetic functions of Arabidopsis thaliana--studies in vitro and in vivo.

An improved cultivation system for Arabidopsis thaliana was developed, allowing advanced biochemical studies in vitro and in vivo of this important model plant. Highly functional Arabidopsis thylakoids were isolated and used to study both basic and regulatory photosynthetic functions with the aim to create a platform for the characterization of mutants deficient in auxiliary proteins. Light-induced proteolytic degradation of the D1 protein could be followed and shown to be a subsequent event to photoinactivation of electron transport. The phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of thylakoid proteins resembled that seen in spinach leaves although phospho-CP43 revealed an unusual regulatory behavior.