Intracellular coding sites of polypeptides associated with photosynthetic oxygen evolution of photosystem II.

Three hydrophilic polypeptides of approximately 34, 23, and 16 kd located on the inner thylakoid surface are associated with the water-splitting activity of photosystem II. Stable transcripts for the three proteins were found only in cytosolic (polyadenylated) RNA, suggesting that they are encoded in nuclear genes. The immunologically reacting products synthesized in a rabbit reticulocyte cell-free translation system are larger in size than the authentic mature proteins by about 6-10 kd. These larger precursors are imported post-translationally into isolated, intact chloroplasts, and are processed to their mature forms during or after translocation. The imported proteins can be extracted from thylakoids by procedures used to isolate the three native proteins of the water-splitting complex, suggesting that they have assembled properly into their final destination, the inner thylakoid surface.