Photosynthetica, 2015 (vol. 53), issue 3

Photosynthetica 2015, 53(3):369-377 | DOI: 10.1007/s11099-015-0129-y

Structural and functional changes in the photosynthetic apparatus of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during nitrogen deprivation and replenishment

É. Preininger1,*, A. Kósa1, Z. S. Lőrincz1, P. Nyitrai2, J. Simon1, B. Böddi1, Á. Keresztes1, I. Gyurján1
1 Department of Plant Anatomy, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
2 Department of Plant Physiology and Molecular Plant Biology, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary

Nitrogen is an essential factor for normal plant and algal development. As a component of nucleic acids, proteins, and chlorophyll (Chl) molecules, it has a crucial role in the organization of a functioning photosynthetic apparatus. Our aim was to study the effects of nitrogen starvation in cultures of the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, maintained on nitrogen-free, and then on nitrogen-containing medium. During the three-week-long degreening process, considerable changes were observed in the Chl content, the ratio of Chl-protein complexes, and photosynthetic activity of the cultures as well as in the ultrastructure of single chloroplasts. The regreening process was much faster then the degradation; total greening of the cells occurred within four days. The rate of regeneration depended on the nitrogen content. At least 50% of the normal nitrogen content of Tris-Acetate-Phosphate (TAP) medium was required in the medium for the complete regreening of the cells and regeneration of chloroplasts.

Keywords: electron microscopy; nitrogen starvation; O2 evolution; 77K fluorescence

Received: August 29, 2014; Accepted: January 22, 2015; Published: September 1, 2015Show citation

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Preininger, É., Kósa, A., Lőrincz, Z.S., Nyitrai, P., Simon, J., Böddi, B., Keresztes, Á., & Gyurján, I. (2015). Structural and functional changes in the photosynthetic apparatus of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii during nitrogen deprivation and replenishment. Photosynthetica, 53(3), 369-377. doi: 10.1007/s11099-015-0129-y.
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