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The xanthophyll cycle, its regulation and components

Eskling, Marie ; Arvidsson, Per-Ola and Åkerlund, Hans-Erik LU (1997) In Physiologia Plantarum 100(4). p.806-816
Abstract
During the last few years much interest has been focused on the photoprotective role of zeaxanthin. In excessive light zeaxanthin is rapidly formed in the xanthophyll cycle from violaxanthin, via the intermediate antheraxanthin, a reaction reversed in the dark. The role of zeaxanthin and the xanthophyll cycle in photoprotection, is based on fluorescence quenching measurements, and in many studies a good correlation to the amount of zeaxanthin (and antheraxanthin) has been found. Other suggested roles for the xanthophylls involve, protection against oxidative stress of lipids, participation in the blue light response, modulation of the membrane fluidity and regulation of abscisic acid synthesis. The enzyme violaxanthin de-epoxidase has... (More)
During the last few years much interest has been focused on the photoprotective role of zeaxanthin. In excessive light zeaxanthin is rapidly formed in the xanthophyll cycle from violaxanthin, via the intermediate antheraxanthin, a reaction reversed in the dark. The role of zeaxanthin and the xanthophyll cycle in photoprotection, is based on fluorescence quenching measurements, and in many studies a good correlation to the amount of zeaxanthin (and antheraxanthin) has been found. Other suggested roles for the xanthophylls involve, protection against oxidative stress of lipids, participation in the blue light response, modulation of the membrane fluidity and regulation of abscisic acid synthesis. The enzyme violaxanthin de-epoxidase has recently been purified from spinach and lettuce as a 43-kDa protein. It was found as 1 molecule per 20-100 electron-transport chains. The gene has been cloned and sequenced from Lactuca sativa, Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana. The transit peptide was characteristic of nuclear-encoded and lumen-localized proteins. The activity of violaxanthin de-epoxidase is controlled by the lumen pH. Thus, below pH 6.6 the enzyme binds to the thylakoid membrane. In addition ascorbate becomes protonated to ascorbic acid (pKa= 4.2) the true substrate (Km= 0.1 mM) for the violaxanthin de-epoxidase. We present arguments for an ascorbate transporter in the thylakoid membrane. The enzyme zeaxanthin epoxidase requires FAD as a cofactor and appears to use ferredoxin rather than NADPH as a reductant. The zeaxanthin epoxidase has not been isolated but the gene has been sequenced and a functional protein of 72.5 kDa has been expressed. The xanthophyll cycle pigments are almost evenly distributed in the thylakoid membrane and at least part of the pigments appears to be free in the lipid matrix where we conclude that the conversion by violaxanthin de-epoxidase occurs. (Less)
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author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Physiologia Plantarum
volume
100
issue
4
pages
806 - 816
publisher
John Wiley & Sons Inc.
external identifiers
  • scopus:0030774584
ISSN
0031-9317
DOI
10.1034/j.1399-3054.1997.1000407.x
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
9099f34f-e470-4b10-a130-bf78fbf49fe1 (old id 1494396)
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 16:52:14
date last changed
2022-03-07 08:58:14
@article{9099f34f-e470-4b10-a130-bf78fbf49fe1,
  abstract     = {{During the last few years much interest has been focused on the photoprotective role of zeaxanthin. In excessive light zeaxanthin is rapidly formed in the xanthophyll cycle from violaxanthin, via the intermediate antheraxanthin, a reaction reversed in the dark. The role of zeaxanthin and the xanthophyll cycle in photoprotection, is based on fluorescence quenching measurements, and in many studies a good correlation to the amount of zeaxanthin (and antheraxanthin) has been found. Other suggested roles for the xanthophylls involve, protection against oxidative stress of lipids, participation in the blue light response, modulation of the membrane fluidity and regulation of abscisic acid synthesis. The enzyme violaxanthin de-epoxidase has recently been purified from spinach and lettuce as a 43-kDa protein. It was found as 1 molecule per 20-100 electron-transport chains. The gene has been cloned and sequenced from Lactuca sativa, Nicotiana tabacum and Arabidopsis thaliana. The transit peptide was characteristic of nuclear-encoded and lumen-localized proteins. The activity of violaxanthin de-epoxidase is controlled by the lumen pH. Thus, below pH 6.6 the enzyme binds to the thylakoid membrane. In addition ascorbate becomes protonated to ascorbic acid (pKa= 4.2) the true substrate (Km= 0.1 mM) for the violaxanthin de-epoxidase. We present arguments for an ascorbate transporter in the thylakoid membrane. The enzyme zeaxanthin epoxidase requires FAD as a cofactor and appears to use ferredoxin rather than NADPH as a reductant. The zeaxanthin epoxidase has not been isolated but the gene has been sequenced and a functional protein of 72.5 kDa has been expressed. The xanthophyll cycle pigments are almost evenly distributed in the thylakoid membrane and at least part of the pigments appears to be free in the lipid matrix where we conclude that the conversion by violaxanthin de-epoxidase occurs.}},
  author       = {{Eskling, Marie and Arvidsson, Per-Ola and Åkerlund, Hans-Erik}},
  issn         = {{0031-9317}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{4}},
  pages        = {{806--816}},
  publisher    = {{John Wiley & Sons Inc.}},
  series       = {{Physiologia Plantarum}},
  title        = {{The xanthophyll cycle, its regulation and components}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1034/j.1399-3054.1997.1000407.x}},
  doi          = {{10.1034/j.1399-3054.1997.1000407.x}},
  volume       = {{100}},
  year         = {{1997}},
}