Partial characterization of the biosynthesis and integration of the Photosystem II reaction centers in the thylakoid membrane of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

Pulse-labeling of wild-type and a Photosystem II mutant strain of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was carried out in the presence or absence of inhibitors of either cytoplasmic or chloroplast ribosomes, and their thylakoid membrane polypeptides were analyzed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. A pulse-chase study was also done on the wild-type strain in the presence of anisomycin, an inhibitor of protein synthesis on cytoplasmic ribosomes. The following results were obtained: the Photosystem II reaction center is mainly composed of integral membrane proteins synthesized within the chloroplast. Several of the proteins of the Photosystem II reaction center are post-translationally modified, after they have been inserted in the thylakoid membrane.