The inhibitor-evoked shortage of tocopherol and plastoquinol is compensated by other antioxidant mechanisms in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii exposed to toxic concentrations of cadmium and chromium ions.

One of the major mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity is the induction of oxidative stress. Redox-active heavy metals, like chromium, can induce it directly, whereas redox-inactive metals, like cadmium, play an indirect role in the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS). Living organisms defend themselves against oxidative stress taking advantage of low-molecular-weight antioxidants and ROS-detoxifying enzymes. Tocopherols and plastoquinol are important plastid prenyllipid antioxidants, playing a role during acclimation of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to heavy metal-induced stress. However, partial inhibition of synthesis of these prenyllipids by pyrazolate did not decrease the tolerance of C. reinhardtii to Cr- and Cd-induced stress, suggesting redundancy between antioxidant mechanisms. To verify this hypothesis we have performed comparative analyses of growth, photosynthetic pigments, low-molecular-weight antioxidants (tocopherols, plastoquinol, plastochromanol, ascorbate, soluble thiols, proline), activities of the ascorbate peroxidase (APX), catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and cumulative superoxide production in C. reinhardtii exposed to Cd2+ and Cr2O72- ions in the presence or absence of pyrazolate. The decreased α-tocopherol and plastoquinol content resulted in the increase in superoxide generation and APX activity in pyrazolate-treated algae. The application of heavy metal ions and pyrazolate had a pronounced impact on Asc and total thiol content, as well as SOD and APX activities (the latter only in Cd-exposed cultures), when compared with algae grown in the presence of heavy metal ions or pyrazolate alone. The superoxide production in cultures exposed to heavy metal ions and pyrazolate decreased when compared to the cultures exposed to either heavy metal ions or an inhibitor alone.

Chemical quenching of singlet oxygen by plastoquinols and their oxidation products in Arabidopsis.

Prenylquinols (tocochromanols and plastoquinols) serve as efficient physical and chemical quenchers of singlet oxygen (1 O2 ) formed during high light stress in higher plants. Although quenching of 1 O2 by prenylquinols has been previously studied, direct evidence for chemical quenching of 1 O2 by plastoquinols and their oxidation products is limited in vivo. In the present study, the role of plastoquinol-9 (PQH2 -9) in chemical quenching of 1 O2 was studied in Arabidopsis thaliana lines overexpressing the SOLANESYL DIPHOSPHATE SYNTHASE 1 gene (SPS1oex) involved in PQH2 -9 and plastochromanol-8 biosynthesis. In this work, direct evidence for chemical quenching of 1 O2 by plastoquinols and their oxidation products is presented, which is obtained by microscopic techniques in vivo. Chemical quenching of 1 O2 was associated with consumption of PQH2 -9 and formation of its various oxidized forms. Oxidation of PQH2 -9 by 1 O2 leads to plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9), which is subsequently oxidized to hydroxyplastoquinone-9 [PQ(OH)-9]. We provide here evidence that oxidation of PQ(OH)-9 by 1 O2 results in the formation of trihydroxyplastoquinone-9 [PQ(OH)3 -9]. It is concluded here that PQH2 -9 serves as an efficient 1 O2 chemical quencher in Arabidopsis, and PQ(OH)3 -9 can be considered as a natural product of 1 O2 reaction with PQ(OH)-9. The understanding of the mechanisms underlying 1 O2 chemical quenching provides information on the role of plastoquinols and their oxidation products in the response of plants to photooxidative stress.

RubisCO Early Oxygenase Activity: A Kinetic and Evolutionary Perspective.

RubisCO (D-ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase) is Earth's main enzyme responsible for CO2 fixation via carboxylation of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate (RuBP) into organic matter. Besides the carboxylation reaction, RubisCO also catalyzes the oxygenation of RuBP by O2 , which is probably as old as its carboxylation properties. Based on molecular phylogeny, the occurrence of the reactive oxygen species (ROS)-removing system and kinetic properties of different RubisCO forms, we postulated that RubisCO oxygenase activity appeared in local microoxic areas, yet before the appearance of oxygenic photosynthesis. Here, in reviewing the literature, we present a novel hypothesis: the RubisCO early oxygenase activity hypothesis. This hypothesis may be compared with the exaptation hypothesis, according to which latent RubisCO oxygenase properties emerged later during the oxygenation of the Earth's atmosphere. The reconstruction of ancestral RubisCO forms using ancestral sequence reconstruction (ASR) techniques, as a promising way for testing of RubisCO early oxygenase activity hypothesis, is presented.

MGDG, PG and SQDG regulate the activity of light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase.

Light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR) is a plant enzyme involved in the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway. POR reduces one of the double bonds of the protochlorophyllide (Pchlide) using NADPH and light. In the present study, we found out that phosphatidylglycerol and sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol are allosteric regulators of the nucleotide binding, which increase the affinity towards NADPH a 100-fold. Moreover, we showed for the first time that NADH can, like NADPH, form active complexes with Pchlide and POR, however, at much higher concentrations. Additionally, monogalactosyldiacylglycerol (MGDG) was shown to be the main factor responsible for the red shift of the fluorescence emission maximum of Pchlide:POR:NADPH complexes. Importantly, the emission maximum at 654 nm was obtained only for the reaction mixtures supplemented with MGDG and at least one of the negatively charged plant lipids. Moreover, the site-directed mutagenesis allowed us to identify amino acid residues that may be responsible for lipid binding and Pchlide coordination. Our experiments allowed us to identify six different Pchlide:POR complexes that differ in the fluorescence emission maxima of the pigment. The results presented here reveal the contribution of thylakoid lipids in the regulation of the chlorophyll biosynthesis pathway; however, the molecular mechanisms of this process are to be clarified.

[Genetic engineering as a method for the improvement of photosynthesis]. / Perspektywy wykorzystania inzynierii genetycznej do zwiekszenia wydajnosci fotosyntezy

The significant increase in crop productivity occurred in the second half o the 20th century. However, it is thought that nowadays yield of main crop species reached its maximum. As we expect that the demand for plant products is going to increase during next century, it is necessary to develop new methods for yield improvement, other than traditional breeding. The redesign of photosynthesis using genetic engineering is one of the approaches postulated. The present article covers the main directions of research aimed to increase photosynthetic efficiency. The research covered by this review are: improvement of light capture, improvement of Rubisco and the regeneration phase of Calvin cycle, introducing carbon concentrating mechanisms to main crop species and reducing loss caused by photorespiration.

Effect of Chlamydomonas plastid terminal oxidase 1 expressed in tobacco on photosynthetic electron transfer.

The plastid terminal oxidase PTOX is a plastohydroquinone:oxygen oxidoreductase that is important for carotenoid biosynthesis and plastid development. Its role in photosynthesis is controversially discussed. Under a number of abiotic stress conditions, the protein level of PTOX increases. PTOX is thought to act as a safety valve under high light protecting the photosynthetic apparatus against photodamage. However, transformants with high PTOX level were reported to suffer from photoinhibition. To analyze the effect of PTOX on the photosynthetic electron transport, tobacco expressing PTOX-1 from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii (Cr-PTOX1) was studied by chlorophyll fluorescence, thermoluminescence, P700 absorption kinetics and CO2 assimilation. Cr-PTOX1 was shown to compete very efficiently with the photosynthetic electron transport for PQH2 . High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis confirmed that the PQ pool was highly oxidized in the transformant. Immunoblots showed that, in the wild-type, PTOX was associated with the thylakoid membrane only at a relatively alkaline pH value while it was detached from the membrane at neutral pH. We present a model proposing that PTOX associates with the membrane and oxidizes PQH2 only when the oxidation of PQH2 by the cytochrome b6 f complex is limiting forward electron transport due to a high proton gradient across the thylakoid membrane.

Insight into the oligomeric structure of PORA from A. thaliana.

Light-dependent protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase (POR, E.C. 1.3.1.33) is a plant enzyme that directly needs light to conduct a biochemical reaction. In the present paper we confirmed that POR forms large oligomers in solution before binding of substrates. We carried out the research using different techniques: cross-linking, native gel electrophoresis and FRET measurements. Mass spectrometry analysis of the cross-link products provided the first structural data about the organisation of the oligomer of POR. The results indicated that the catalytic motifs of the adjacent subunits become close to each other upon binding of substrates. Moreover, we identified two mutations of POR that disturbed its oligomerisation properties: Δ85-88 and Δ240-270. Additionally, a complete loss of the catalytic activity was observed for the following mutations: Δ189-194, Δ240-270, Δ318-331 and Δ392-393.

Role of the NAD(P)H quinone oxidoreductase NQR and the cytochrome b AIR12 in controlling superoxide generation at the plasma membrane.

MAIN CONCLUSION: The quinone reductase NQR and the b-type cytochrome AIR12 of the plasma membrane are important for the control of reactive oxygen species in the apoplast. AIR12 and NQR are two proteins attached to the plant plasma membrane which may be important for generating and controlling levels of reactive oxygen species in the apoplast. AIR12 (Auxin Induced in Root culture) is a single gene of Arabidopsis that codes for a mono-heme cytochrome b. The NADPH quinone oxidoreductase NQR is a two-electron-transferring flavoenzyme that contributes to the generation of O 2•- in isolated plasma membranes. A. thaliana double knockout plants of both NQR and AIR12 generated more O 2•- and germinated faster than the single mutant affected in AIR12. To test whether NQR and AIR12 are able to interact functionally, recombinant purified proteins were added to plasma membranes isolated from soybean hypocotyls. In vitro NADH-dependent O 2•- production at the plasma membrane in the presence of NQR was reduced upon addition of AIR12. Electron donation from semi-reduced menadione to AIR12 was shown to take place. Biochemical analysis showed that purified plasma membrane from soybean hypocotyls or roots contained phylloquinone and menaquinone-4 as redox carriers. This is the first report on the occurrence of menaquinone-4 in eukaryotic photosynthetic organisms. We propose that NQR and AIR12 interact via the quinone, allowing an electron transfer from cytosolic NAD(P)H to apoplastic monodehydroascorbate and control thereby the level of reactive oxygen production and the redox state of the apoplast.

Natural variation in tocochromanols content in Arabidopsis thaliana accessions - the effect of temperature and light intensity.

In this study, 25 accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana originating from a variety of climate conditions were grown under controlled circumstances of different light intensity and temperature. The accessions were analyzed for prenyllipids content and composition, as well as expression of the genes involved in tocochromanol biosynthesis (vte1-5). It was found that the applied conditions did not strongly affect total tocochromanols content and there was no apparent correlation of the tocochromanol content with the origin of the accessions. However, the presented results indicate that the temperature, more than the light intensity, affects the expression of the vte1-5 genes and the content of some prenyllipids. An interesting observation was that under low growth temperature, the hydroxy-plastochromanol (PC-OH) to plastochromanol (PC) ratio was considerably increased regardless of the light intensity in most of the accessions. PC-OH is known to be formed as a result of singlet oxygen stress, therefore this observation indicates that the singlet oxygen production is enhanced under low temperature. Unexpectedly, the highest increase in the PC-OH/PC ratio was found for accessions originating from cold climate (Shigu, Krazo-1 and Lov-5), even though such plants could be expected to be more resistant to low temperature stress.

Physiological characterization of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii acclimated to chronic stress induced by Ag, Cd, Cr, Cu and Hg ions.

Acclimation to heavy metal-induced stress is a complex phenomenon. Among the mechanisms of heavy metal toxicity, an important one is the ability to induce oxidative stress, so that the antioxidant response is crucial for providing tolerance to heavy metal ions. The effect of chronic stress induced by ions of five heavy metals, Ag, Cu, Cr (redox-active metals) Cd, Hg (nonredox-active metals) on the green microalga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was examined at two levels - the biochemical (content of photosynthetic pigments and prenyllipid antioxidants, lipid peroxidation) and the physiological (growth rate, photosynthesis and respiration rates, induction of nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence). The expression of the genes which encode the enzymes participating in the detoxification of reactive oxygen species (APX1, CAT1, FSD1, MSD1) was measured. The other gene measured was one required for plastoquinone and α-tocopherol biosynthesis (VTE3). The application of heavy metal ions partly inhibited growth and biosynthesis of chlorophyll. The growth inhibition was accompanied by enhanced lipid peroxidation. An increase in the content of prenyllipid antioxidants was observed in cultures exposed to Cr2O7(2-), Cd(2+) (α- and γ-tocopherol and plastoquinone) and Cu(2+) (only tocopherols). The induction of nonphotochemical quenching was enhanced in cultures exposed to Cu(2+), Cr2O7(2-) and Cd(2+), as compared to the control. Chronic heavy metal-induced stress led to changes in gene expression dependent on the type and concentration of heavy metal ions. The up-regulation of antioxidant enzymes was usually accompanied by the up-regulation of the VTE3 gene.

New prenyllipid metabolites identified in Arabidopsis during photo-oxidative stress.

In the present study, we have identified new prenyllipid metabolites formed during high light stress in Arabidopsis thaliana, whose origin and function remained unknown so far. It was found that plastoquinone-C accumulates mainly in the reduced form under high light conditions, as well as during short-term excess light illumination both in the wild-type and tocopherol biosynthetic vte1 mutant, suggesting that plastoquinone-C, a singlet oxygen-derived prenyllipid, is reduced in chloroplasts by photosystem II or enzymatically, outside thylakoids. Plastoquinone-B, a fatty acid ester of plastoquinone-C, was identified for the first time in Arabidopsis in high light grown wild-type plants and during short-time, excess light illumination of the wild-type plants and the vte1 mutant. The gene expression analysis showed that vte2 gene is most pronouncedly up-regulated among the prenyllipid biosynthetic genes under high light and induction of its expression is mainly caused by an increased level of singlet oxygen, as was demonstrated in experiments with D2 O-treated plants under excess light conditions.

Enhanced chloroplastic generation of H2O2 in stress-resistant Thellungiella salsuginea in comparison to Arabidopsis thaliana.

In order to find some basis of salinity resistance in the chloroplastic metabolism, a halophytic Thellungiella salsuginea was compared with glycophytic Arabidopsis thaliana. In control T.s. plants the increased ratios of chlorophyll a/b and of fluorescence emission at 77 K (F730 /F685 ) were documented, in comparison to A.t.. This was accompanied by a higher YII and lower NPQ (non-photochemical quenching) values, and by a more active PSI (photosystem I). Another prominent feature of the photosynthetic electron transport (PET) in T.s. was the intensive production of H2 O2 from PQ (plastoquinone) pool. Salinity treatment (0.15 and 0.30 M NaCl for A.t. and T.s., respectively) led to a decrease in ratios of chl a/b and F730 /F685 . In A.t., a salinity-driven enhancement of YII and NPQ was found, in association with the stimulation of H2 O2 production from PQ pool. In contrast, in salinity-treated T.s., these variables were similar as in controls. The intensive H2 O2 generation was accompanied by a high activity of PTOX (plastid terminal oxidase), whilst inhibition of this enzyme led to an increased H2 O2 formation. It is hypothesized, that the intensive H2 O2 generation from PQ pool might be an important element of stress preparedness in Thellungiella plants. In control T.s. plants, a higher activation state of carboxylase ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco, EC 4.1.1.39) was also documented in concert with the attachment of Rubisco activase (RCA) to the thylakoid membranes. It is supposed, that a closer contact of RCA with PSI in T.s. enables a more efficient Rubisco activation than in A.t.

Physiological and antioxidant responses of two accessions of Arabidopsis thaliana in different light and temperature conditions.

During their lifetime, plants need to adapt to a changing environment, including light and temperature. To understand how these factors influence plant growth, we investigated the physiological and antioxidant responses of two Arabidopsis accessions, Shahdara (Sha) from the Shahdara valley (Tajikistan, Central Asia) in a mountainous area and Lovvik-5 (Lov-5) from northern Sweden to different light and temperature conditions. These accessions originate from different latitudes and have different life strategies, both of which are known to be influenced by light and temperature. We showed that both accessions grew better in high-light and at a lower temperature (16°C) than in low light and at 23°C. Interestingly, Sha had a lower chlorophyll content but more efficient non-photochemical quenching than Lov-5. Sha, also showed a higher expression of vitamin E biosynthetic genes. We did not observe any difference in the antioxidant prenyllipid level under these conditions. Our results suggest that the mechanisms that keep the plastoquinone (PQ)-pool in more oxidized state could play a role in the adaptation of these accessions to their local climatic conditions.

[Arabidopsis thaliana accessions - a tool for biochemical and phylogentical studies]. / Ekotypy Arabidopsis thaliana - nowe narzedzie w badaniach biochemicznych i filogenetycznych.

Arabidopsis thaliana since a few decades is used as a model for biological and plant genetic research. Natural variation of this species is related to its geographical range which covers different climate zones and habitats. The ability to occupy such a wide area by Arabidopsis is possible due to its stress tolerance and adaptability. Arabidopsis accessions exhibit phenotypic and genotypic variation, which is a result of adaptation to local environmental conditions. During development, plants are subjected to various stress factors. Plants show a spectrum of reactions, processes and phenomena that determine their survival in these adverse conditions. The response of plants to stress involves signal detection and transmission. These reactions are different and depend on the stressor, its intensity, plant species and life strategy. It is assumed that the populations of the same species from different geographical regions acclimated to the stress conditions develop a set of alleles, which allow them to grow and reproduce. Therefore, the study of natural variation in response to abiotic stress among Arabidopsis thaliana accessions allows to find key genes or alleles, and thus the mechanisms by which plants cope with adverse physical and chemical conditions. This paper presents an overview of recent findings, tools and research directions used in the study of natural variation in Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. Additionally, we explain why accessions can be used in the phylogenetic analyses and to study demography and migration of Arabidopsis thaliana.

Coregulated genes link sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase and arsenic metabolism in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803.

Although the biogeochemistry of the two environmentally hazardous compounds arsenic and sulfide has been extensively investigated, the biological interference of these two toxic but potentially energy-rich compounds has only been hypothesized and indirectly proven. Here we provide direct evidence for the first time that in the photosynthetic model organism Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 the two metabolic pathways are linked by coregulated genes that are involved in arsenic transport, sulfide oxidation, and probably in sulfide-based alternative photosynthesis. Although Synechocystis sp. strain PCC6803 is an obligate photoautotrophic cyanobacterium that grows via oxygenic photosynthesis, we discovered that specific genes are activated in the presence of sulfide or arsenite to exploit the energy potentials of these chemicals. These genes form an operon that we termed suoRSCT, located on a transposable element of type IS4 on the plasmid pSYSM of the cyanobacterium. suoS (sll5036) encodes a light-dependent, type I sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase. The suoR (sll5035) gene downstream of suoS encodes a regulatory protein that belongs to the ArsR-type repressors that are normally involved in arsenic resistance. We found that this repressor has dual specificity, resulting in 200-fold induction of the operon upon either arsenite or sulfide exposure. The suoT gene encodes a transmembrane protein similar to chromate transporters but in fact functioning as an arsenite importer at permissive concentrations. We propose that the proteins encoded by the suoRSCT operon might have played an important role under anaerobic, reducing conditions on primordial Earth and that the operon was acquired by the cyanobacterium via horizontal gene transfer.

Function of plastochromanol and other biological prenyllipids in the inhibition of lipid peroxidation-A comparative study in model systems.

Lipid peroxidation is an oxidation reaction leading to the generation of lipid hydroperoxides. Here we present comparative data on the inhibition of lipid peroxidation by a variety of biological prenyllipids in liposomes prepared from natural lipid membranes. Lipid peroxidation was initiated by hydrophilic and hydrophobic azo initiators, as well as by singlet oxygen generated via photosensitized reaction of hydrophobic zinc tetraphenylporphine. When lipid peroxidation was initiated in the water phase, tocopherols and plastochromanol-8 were more effective than prenylquinols, such as plastoquinol-9, ubiquinol-10 or α-tocopherolquinol. However, if the peroxidation was initiated within the hydrophobic interior of liposome membranes, long-chain prenyllipids, such as plastoquinol-9 and plastochromanol-8, were considerably more active than tocopherols in the inhibition of the reaction. In the latter system, tocopherols showed even prooxidant activity. The prooxidant activity of α-tocopherol was prevented by plastoquinol, suggesting the reduction of α-tocopheroxyl radical by the quinol. All the investigated prenyllipids were able to inhibit singlet oxygen-mediated lipid peroxidation but the most active were prenylquinols in this respect. Among all the prenyllipids investigated, plastochromanol-8 was the most versatile antioxidant in the inhibition of lipid peroxidation initiated by the three different methods.

Protochlorophyllide and protochlorophyll in model membranes - an influence of hydrophobic side chain moiety.

In the present work, a comparative study of protochlorophyllide- and protochlorophyll-lipid interaction was performed on liposomes prepared from phospholipids and galactolipids, which had a pigment content varying from 0.1 to 4mol%. The incorporation of pigment molecules into the lipid bilayer and pigment-pigment interactions were investigated. Protochlorophyllide entered the lipid bilayer spontaneously and showed fluorescence spectra characteristic of its monomers. Similar spectra were observed for protochlorophyll where its concentration was low. However, the fluorescence maxima of protochlorophyll monomers were blue-shifted compared to those of protochlorophyllide by about 5nm. Protochlorophyll at high concentrations formed transient aggregates that showed an additional fluorescence band with a maximum at around 685nm, especially in liposomes prepared from phospholipids. For both compounds, the Stern-Volmer constant for KI quenching was much lower in liposomes than in solution, which confirmed the incorporation of these compounds into the lipid bilayer. Two populations of protochlorophyll that differed in their accessibility to quenching by KI were determined, and the proportions between them for different lipids are discussed. Protochlorophyllide showed such heterogeneity only in DPPC membranes. Quenching with 5- and 16-SASL revealed a localization of the porphyrin ring of both Pchl and Pchlide in the polar headgroup area of the lipid bilayer. The side chain of protochlorophyll forced these molecules to localize deeper in the bilayer in the case of DPPC in gel phase.

Hydroxy-plastochromanol and plastoquinone-C as singlet oxygen products during photo-oxidative stress in Arabidopsis.

In the present study, we have shown that hydroxy-plastochromanol and plastoquinone-C, the hydroxy derivatives of plastochromanol and plastoquinone-9, respectively, are specifically formed from the parent compounds upon action of singlet oxygen and can be regarded as stable, specific, natural products of singlet oxygen action during photo-oxidative stress in vivo. The presented data indicate that plastoquinone-C formation dominates mainly during relatively short periods of high light stress where efficient production of singlet oxygen takes place, whereas hydroxy-plastochromanol is rather formed under conditions of long-term, less pronounced generation of singlet oxygen. An interesting observation was that hydroxy-plastochromanol is formed even at very low light conditions (5-10 µmol photons m(-2) s(-1)), indicating that singlet oxygen is generated not only during high light stress but also its formation by photosystem II is inseparably connected with the functioning of this photosystem even at the lowest light intensities.

Singlet oxygen scavenging activity of tocopherol and plastochromanol in Arabidopsis thaliana: relevance to photooxidative stress.

In the present study, singlet oxygen (¹O2) scavenging activity of tocopherol and plastochromanol was examined in tocopherol cyclase-deficient mutant (vte1) of Arabidopsis thaliana lacking both tocopherol and plastochromanol. It is demonstrated here that suppression of tocopherol and plastochromanol synthesis in chloroplasts isolated from vte1 Arabidopsis plants enhanced ¹O2 formation under high light illumination as monitored by electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping spectroscopy. The exposure of vte1 Arabidopsis plants to high light resulted in the formation of secondary lipid peroxidation product malondialdehyde as determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography. Furthermore, it is shown here that the imaging of ultra-weak photon emission known to reflect oxidation of lipids was unambiguously higher in vte1 Arabidopsis plants. Our results indicate that tocopherol and plastochromanol act as efficient ¹O2 scavengers and protect effectively lipids against photooxidative damage in Arabidopsis plants.

The interaction between titanium dioxide nanoparticles and light can have dualistic effects on the physiological responses of plants.

The model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was exposed to combined stress factors, i.e., titanium dioxide nanoparticles (TiNPs) and high light. The concentrations of TiNPs used for irrigation were 250, 500, and 1000 µg/mL. This study shows that TiNPs alter the morphology and nanomechanical properties of chloroplasts in A. thaliana, which leads to a decrease in membrane elasticity. We found that TiNPs contributed to a delay in the thermal response of A. thaliana under dynamic light conditions, as revealed by non-invasive thermal imaging. The thermal time constants of TiNP-treated plants under excessive light are determined, showing a shortening in comparison to control plants. The results indicate that TiNPs may contribute to an alleviation of temperature stress experienced by plants under exposure to high light. In this research, we observed a decline in photosystem II photochemical efficiency accompanied by an increase in energy dissipation upon exposure to TiNPs. Interestingly, concentrations exceeding 250 µg/mL TiNPs appeared to mitigate the effects of high light, as shown by reduced differences in the values of specific OJIP parameters (FV/FM, ABS/RC, DI0/RC, and Pi_Abs) before and after light exposure.