Evidence for two-step processing of nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins during membrane assembly.

C. P. Chia, C. J. Arntzen

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

14 Scopus citations

Abstract

A plastome (chloroplast genome) mutant of tobacco, lutescens-1, displays abnormal degradation of the chloroplast-encoded polypeptides which form the core complex of photosystem II (PSII). Two nuclear-encoded proteins (present in polymorphic forms), which normally function in the water oxidation process of PSII, accumulate as larger size-class polypeptides in mutant thylakoid membranes. These accumulated proteins are intermediate in size between the full-length primary protein synthesized in the cytoplasm and the proteolytically processed mature polypeptides. Trypsin treatment of unstacked mutant thylakoids and of inside-out vesicle (PSII-enriched) preparations indicated that the intermediate size forms were correctly localized on the inner surface of the thylakoid membrane, but not surface-exposed in the same way as the mature proteins. Only one of the intermediate size-class proteins could be extracted by salt washes. We interpret these data to be consistent with the idea that the two imported proteins that function in the water oxidation step of photosynthesis and are localized in the loculus (the space within the thylakoid vesicles) undergo two-step processing. The second step in proteolytic processing may be related to transport through a second membrane (the first transport step through the chloroplast envelope having been completed); this step may be arrested in the mutant due to the absence of the PSII core complex.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)725-731
Number of pages7
JournalThe Journal of cell biology
Volume103
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1986
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Evidence for two-step processing of nuclear-encoded chloroplast proteins during membrane assembly.'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this