PSB33 protein sustains photosystem II in plant chloroplasts under UV-A light.

Plants can quickly and dynamically respond to spectral and intensity variations of the incident light. These responses include activation of developmental processes, morphological changes, and photosynthetic acclimation that ensure optimal energy conversion and minimal photoinhibition. Plant adaptation and acclimation to environmental changes have been extensively studied, but many details surrounding these processes remain elusive. The photosystem II (PSII)-associated protein PSB33 plays a fundamental role in sustaining PSII as well as in the regulation of the light antenna in fluctuating light. We investigated how PSB33 knock-out Arabidopsis plants perform under different light qualities. psb33 plants displayed a reduction of 88% of total fresh weight compared to wild type plants when cultivated at the boundary of UV-A and blue light. The sensitivity towards UV-A light was associated with a lower abundance of PSII proteins, which reduces psb33 plants' capacity for photosynthesis. The UV-A phenotype was found to be linked to altered phytohormone status and changed thylakoid ultrastructure. Our results collectively show that PSB33 is involved in a UV-A light-mediated mechanism to maintain a functional PSII pool in the chloroplast.

Higher order photoprotection mutants reveal the importance of ΔpH-dependent photosynthesis-control in preventing light induced damage to both photosystem II and photosystem I.

Although light is essential for photosynthesis, when in excess, it may damage the photosynthetic apparatus, leading to a phenomenon known as photoinhibition. Photoinhibition was thought as a light-induced damage to photosystem II; however, it is now clear that even photosystem I may become very vulnerable to light. One main characteristic of light induced damage to photosystem II (PSII) is the increased turnover of the reaction center protein, D1: when rate of degradation exceeds the rate of synthesis, loss of PSII activity is observed. With respect to photosystem I (PSI), an excess of electrons, instead of an excess of light, may be very dangerous. Plants possess a number of mechanisms able to prevent, or limit, such damages by safe thermal dissipation of light energy (non-photochemical quenching, NPQ), slowing-down of electron transfer through the intersystem transport chain (photosynthesis-control, PSC) in co-operation with the Proton Gradient Regulation (PGR) proteins, PGR5 and PGRL1, collectively called as short-term photoprotection mechanisms, and the redistribution of light between photosystems, called state transitions (responsible of fluorescence quenching at PSII, qT), is superimposed to these short term photoprotective mechanisms. In this manuscript we have generated a number of higher order mutants by crossing genotypes carrying defects in each of the short-term photoprotection mechanisms, with the final aim to obtain a direct comparison of their role and efficiency in photoprotection. We found that mutants carrying a defect in the ΔpH-dependent photosynthesis-control are characterized by photoinhibition of both photosystems, irrespectively of whether PSBS-dependent NPQ or state transitions defects were present or not in the same individual, demonstrating the primary role of PSC in photoprotection. Moreover, mutants with a limited capability to develop a strong PSBS-dependent NPQ, were characterized by a high turnover of the D1 protein and high values of Y(NO), which might reflect energy quenching processes occurring within the PSII reaction center.

Arabidopsis PsbP-Like Protein 1 Facilitates the Assembly of the Photosystem II Supercomplexes and Optimizes Plant Fitness under Fluctuating Light.

In green plants, photosystem II (PSII) forms multisubunit supercomplexes (SCs) containing a dimeric core and light-harvesting complexes (LHCs). In this study, we show that Arabidopsis thaliana PsbP-like protein 1 (PPL1) is involved in the assembly of the PSII SCs and is required for adaptation to changing light intensity. PPL1 is a homolog of PsbP protein that optimizes the water-oxidizing reaction of PSII in green plants and is required for the efficient repair of photodamaged PSII; however, its exact function has been unknown. PPL1 was enriched in stroma lamellae and grana margins and associated with PSII subcomplexes including PSII monomers and PSII dimers, and several LHCII assemblies, while PPL1 was not detected in PSII-LHCII SCs. In a PPL1 null mutant (ppl1-2), assembly of CP43, PsbR and PsbW was affected, resulting in a reduced accumulation of PSII SCs even under moderate light intensity. This caused the abnormal association of LHCII in ppl1-2, as indicated by lower maximal quantum efficiency of PSII (Fv/Fm) and accelerated State 1 to State 2 transitions. These differences would lower the capability of plants to adapt to changing light environments, thereby leading to reduced growth under natural fluctuating light environments. Phylogenetic and structural analyses suggest that PPL1 is closely related to its cyanobacterial homolog CyanoP, which functions as an assembly factor in the early stage of PSII biogenesis. Our results suggest that PPL1 has a similar function, but the data also indicate that it could aid the association of LHCII with PSII.

The unique photosynthetic apparatus of Pinaceae: analysis of photosynthetic complexes in Picea abies.

Pinaceae are the predominant photosynthetic species in boreal forests, but so far no detailed description of the protein components of the photosynthetic apparatus of these gymnosperms has been available. In this study we report a detailed characterization of the thylakoid photosynthetic machinery of Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst). We first customized a spruce thylakoid protein database from translated transcript sequences combined with existing protein sequences derived from gene models, which enabled reliable tandem mass spectrometry identification of P. abies thylakoid proteins from two-dimensional large pore blue-native/SDS-PAGE. This allowed a direct comparison of the two-dimensional protein map of thylakoid protein complexes from P. abies with the model angiosperm Arabidopsis thaliana. Although the subunit composition of P. abies core PSI and PSII complexes is largely similar to that of Arabidopsis, there was a high abundance of a smaller PSI subcomplex, closely resembling the assembly intermediate PSI* complex. In addition, the evolutionary distribution of light-harvesting complex (LHC) family members of Pinaceae was compared in silico with other land plants, revealing that P. abies and other Pinaceae (also Gnetaceae and Welwitschiaceae) have lost LHCB4, but retained LHCB8 (formerly called LHCB4.3). The findings reported here show the composition of the photosynthetic apparatus of P. abies and other Pinaceae members to be unique among land plants.

In vivo regulation of thylakoid proton motive force in immature leaves.

In chloroplast, proton motive force (pmf) is critical for ATP synthesis and photoprotection. To prevent photoinhibition of photosynthetic apparatus, proton gradient (ΔpH) across the thylakoid membranes needs to be built up to minimize the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in thylakoid membranes. However, the regulation of thylakoid pmf in immature leaves is little known. In this study, we compared photosynthetic electron sinks, P700 redox state, non-photochemical quenching (NPQ), and electrochromic shift (ECS) signal in immature and mature leaves of a cultivar of Camellia. The immature leaves displayed lower linear electron flow and cyclic electron flow, but higher levels of NPQ and P700 oxidation ratio under high light. Meanwhile, we found that pmf and ΔpH were higher in the immature leaves. Furthermore, the immature leaves showed significantly lower thylakoid proton conductivity than mature leaves. These results strongly indicated that immature leaves can build up enough ΔpH by modulating proton efflux from the lumenal side to the stromal side of thylakoid membranes, which is essential to prevent photoinhibition via thermal energy dissipation and photosynthetic control of electron transfer. This study highlights that the activity of chloroplast ATP synthase is a key safety valve for photoprotection in immature leaves.

PSB33 sustains photosystem II D1 protein under fluctuating light conditions.

On Earth, solar irradiance varies as the sun rises and sets over the horizon, and sunlight is thus in constant fluctuation, following a slow dark-low-high-low-dark curve. Optimal plant growth and development are dependent on the capacity of plants to acclimate and regulate photosynthesis in response to these changes of light. Little is known of regulative processes for photosynthesis during nocturnal events. The nucleus-encoded plant lineage-specific protein PSB33 has been described as stabilizing the photosystem II complex, especially under light stress conditions, and plants lacking PSB33 have a dysfunctional state transition. To clarify the localization and function of this protein, we used phenomic, biochemical and proteomics approaches in the model plant Arabidopsis. We report that PSB33 is predominantly located in non-appressed thylakoid regions and dynamically associates with a thylakoid protein complex in a light-dependent manner. Moreover, plants lacking PSB33 show an accelerated D1 protein degradation in nocturnal periods, and show severely stunted growth when challenged with fluctuating light. We further show that the function of PSB33 precedes the STN7 kinase to regulate or balance the excitation energy of photosystems I and II in fluctuating light conditions.

Flavodiiron proteins act as safety valve for electrons in Physcomitrella patens.

Photosynthetic organisms support cell metabolism by harvesting sunlight to fuel the photosynthetic electron transport. The flow of excitation energy and electrons in the photosynthetic apparatus needs to be continuously modulated to respond to dynamics of environmental conditions, and Flavodiiron (FLV) proteins are seminal components of this regulatory machinery in cyanobacteria. FLVs were lost during evolution by flowering plants, but are still present in nonvascular plants such as Physcomitrella patens We generated P. patens mutants depleted in FLV proteins, showing their function as an electron sink downstream of photosystem I for the first seconds after a change in light intensity. flv knock-out plants showed impaired growth and photosystem I photoinhibition when exposed to fluctuating light, demonstrating FLV's biological role as a safety valve from excess electrons on illumination changes. The lack of FLVs was partially compensated for by an increased cyclic electron transport, suggesting that in flowering plants, the FLV's role was taken by other alternative electron routes.

The Low Molecular Weight Protein PsaI Stabilizes the Light-Harvesting Complex II Docking Site of Photosystem I.

PsaI represents one of three low molecular weight peptides of PSI. Targeted inactivation of the plastid PsaI gene in Nicotiana tabacum has no measurable effect on photosynthetic electron transport around PSI or on accumulation of proteins involved in photosynthesis. Instead, the lack of PsaI destabilizes the association of PsaL and PsaH to PSI, both forming the light-harvesting complex (LHC)II docking site of PSI. These alterations at the LHCII binding site surprisingly did not prevent state transition but led to an increased incidence of PSI-LHCII complexes, coinciding with an elevated phosphorylation level of the LHCII under normal growth light conditions. Remarkably, LHCII was rapidly phosphorylated in ΔpsaI in darkness even after illumination with far-red light. We found that this dark phosphorylation also occurs in previously described mutants impaired in PSI function or state transition. A prompt shift of the plastoquinone (PQ) pool into a more reduced redox state in the dark caused an enhanced LHCII phosphorylation in ΔpsaI Since the redox status of the PQ pool is functionally connected to a series of physiological, biochemical, and gene expression reactions, we propose that the shift of mutant plants into state 2 in darkness represents a compensatory and/or protective metabolic mechanism. This involves an increased reduction and/or reduced oxidation of the PQ pool, presumably to sustain a balanced excitation of both photosystems upon the onset of light.

Photodamage of iron-sulphur clusters in photosystem I induces non-photochemical energy dissipation.

Photosystem I (PSI) uses light energy and electrons supplied by photosystem II (PSII) to reduce NADP(+) to NADPH. PSI is very tolerant of excess light but extremely sensitive to excess electrons from PSII. It has been assumed that PSI is protected from photoinhibition by strict control of the intersystem electron transfer chain (ETC). Here we demonstrate that the iron-sulphur (FeS) clusters of PSI are more sensitive to high light stress than previously anticipated, but PSI with damaged FeS clusters still functions as a non-photochemical photoprotective energy quencher (PSI-NPQ). Upon photoinhibition of PSI, the highly reduced ETC further triggers thylakoid phosphorylation-based mechanisms that increase energy flow towards PSI. It is concluded that the sensitivity of FeS clusters provides an additional photoprotective mechanism that is able to downregulate PSII, based on PSI quenching and protein phosphorylation.

Serine and threonine residues of plant STN7 kinase are differentially phosphorylated upon changing light conditions and specifically influence the activity and stability of the kinase.

STN7 kinase catalyzes the phosphorylation of the globally most common membrane proteins, the light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) in plant chloroplasts. STN7 itself possesses one serine (Ser) and two threonine (Thr) phosphosites. We show that phosphorylation of the Thr residues protects STN7 against degradation in darkness, low light and red light, whereas increasing light intensity and far red illumination decrease phosphorylation and induce STN7 degradation. Ser phosphorylation, in turn, occurs under red and low intensity white light, coinciding with the client protein (LHCII) phosphorylation. Through analysis of the counteracting LHCII phosphatase mutant tap38/pph1, we show that Ser phosphorylation and activation of the STN7 kinase for subsequent LHCII phosphorylation are heavily affected by pre-illumination conditions. Transitions between the three activity states of the STN7 kinase (deactivated in darkness and far red light, activated in low and red light, inhibited in high light) are shown to modulate the phosphorylation of the STN7 Ser and Thr residues independently of each other. Such dynamic regulation of STN7 kinase phosphorylation is crucial for plant growth and environmental acclimation.

Thylakoid-Bound FtsH Proteins Facilitate Proper Biosynthesis of Photosystem I.

Thylakoid membrane-bound FtsH proteases have a well-characterized role in degradation of the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center protein D1 upon repair of photodamaged PSII. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) var1 and var2 mutants, devoid of the FtsH5 and FtsH2 proteins, respectively, are capable of normal D1 protein turnover under moderate growth light intensity. Instead, they both demonstrate a significant scarcity of PSI complexes. It is further shown that the reduced level of PSI does not result from accelerated photodamage of the PSI centers in var1 or var2 under moderate growth light intensity. On the contrary, radiolabeling experiments revealed impaired synthesis of the PsaA/B reaction center proteins of PSI, which was accompanied by the accumulation of PSI-specific assembly factors. psaA/B transcript accumulation and translation initiation, however, occurred in var1 and var2 mutants as in wild-type Arabidopsis, suggesting problems in later stages of PsaA/B protein expression in the two var mutants. Presumably, the thylakoid membrane-bound FtsH5 and FtsH2 have dual functions in the maintenance of photosynthetic complexes. In addition to their function as a protease in the degradation of the photodamaged D1 protein, they also are required, either directly or indirectly, for early assembly of the PSI complexes.

Photosystem II Repair and Plant Immunity: Lessons Learned from Arabidopsis Mutant Lacking the THYLAKOID LUMEN PROTEIN 18.3.

Chloroplasts play an important role in the cellular sensing of abiotic and biotic stress. Signals originating from photosynthetic light reactions, in the form of redox and pH changes, accumulation of reactive oxygen and electrophile species or stromal metabolites are of key importance in chloroplast retrograde signaling. These signals initiate plant acclimation responses to both abiotic and biotic stresses. To reveal the molecular responses activated by rapid fluctuations in growth light intensity, gene expression analysis was performed with Arabidopsis thaliana wild type and the tlp18.3 mutant plants, the latter showing a stunted growth phenotype under fluctuating light conditions (Biochem. J, 406, 415-425). Expression pattern of genes encoding components of the photosynthetic electron transfer chain did not differ between fluctuating and constant light conditions, neither in wild type nor in tlp18.3 plants, and the composition of the thylakoid membrane protein complexes likewise remained unchanged. Nevertheless, the fluctuating light conditions repressed in wild-type plants a broad spectrum of genes involved in immune responses, which likely resulted from shade-avoidance responses and their intermixing with hormonal signaling. On the contrary, in the tlp18.3 mutant plants there was an imperfect repression of defense-related transcripts upon growth under fluctuating light, possibly by signals originating from minor malfunction of the photosystem II (PSII) repair cycle, which directly or indirectly modulated the transcript abundances of genes related to light perception via phytochromes. Consequently, a strong allocation of resources to defense reactions in the tlp18.3 mutant plants presumably results in the stunted growth phenotype under fluctuating light.

Light acclimation in the lycophyte Selaginella martensii depends on changes in the amount of photosystems and on the flexibility of the light-harvesting complex II antenna association with both photosystems.

Vascular plants have evolved a long-term light acclimation strategy primarily relying on the regulation of the relative amounts of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) and of the two photosystems, photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). We investigated whether such a model is also valid in Selaginella martensii, a species belonging to the early diverging group of lycophytes. Selaginella martensii plants were acclimated to three natural light regimes (extremely low light (L), medium light (M) and full sunlight (H)) and thylakoid organization was characterized combining ultrastructural, biochemical and functional methods. From L to H plants, thylakoid architecture was rearranged from (pseudo)lamellar to predominantly granal, the PSII : PSI ratio changed in favour of PSI, and the photochemical capacity increased. However, regulation of light harvesting did not occur through variations in the amount of free LHCII, but rather resulted from the flexibility of the association of free LHCII with PSII and PSI. In lycophytes, the free interspersed LHCII serves a fixed proportion of reaction centres, either PSII or PSI, and the regulation of PSI-LHCII(-PSII) megacomplexes is an integral part of long-term acclimation. Free LHCII ensures photoprotection of PSII, allows regulated use of PSI as an energy quencher, and can also quench endangered PSI.

Photosynthesis Control: An underrated short-term regulatory mechanism essential for plant viability.

Regulation of photosynthetic electron transport provides efficient performance of oxygenic photosynthesis in plants. During the last 15 years, the molecular bases of various photosynthesis short-term regulatory processes have been elucidated, however the wild type-like phenotypes of mutants lacking of State Transitions, Non Photochemical Quenching, or Cyclic Electron Transport, when grown under constant light conditions, have also raised doubts about the acclimatory significance of these short-regulatory mechanisms on plant performance. Interestingly, recent studies performed by growing wild type and mutant plants under field conditions revealed a prominent role of State Transitions and Non Photochemical Quenching on plant fitness, with almost no effect on vegetative plant growth. Conversely, the analysis of plants lacking the regulation of electron transport by the cytochrome b6f complex, also known as Photosynthesis Control, revealed the fundamental role of this regulatory mechanism in the survival of young, developing seedlings under fluctuating light conditions.

Downregulation of TAP38/PPH1 enables LHCII hyperphosphorylation in Arabidopsis mutant lacking LHCII docking site in PSI.

Redox-regulated reversible phosphorylation of the light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) controls the excitation energy distribution between photosystem (PS) II and PSI. The PsaL and PsaH subunits of PSI enable the association of pLHCII to PSI. Here, we show that the failure of the psal mutant to dock pLHCII to PSI induces excessive phosphorylation of LHCII, primarily due to a marked downregulation of the TAP38/PPH1 phosphatase occurring at post-transcriptional level. TAP38/PPH1 is shown to be associated with megacomplex that contains both photosystems in a light- and LHCII-PSII core-phosphorylation-dependent manner. It is suggested that proper megacomplex-related association of TAP38/PPH1 protects it against degradation.

PGR5-PGRL1-Dependent Cyclic Electron Transport Modulates Linear Electron Transport Rate in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Plants need tight regulation of photosynthetic electron transport for survival and growth under environmental and metabolic conditions. For this purpose, the linear electron transport (LET) pathway is supplemented by a number of alternative electron transfer pathways and valves. In Arabidopsis, cyclic electron transport (CET) around photosystem I (PSI), which recycles electrons from ferrodoxin to plastoquinone, is the most investigated alternative route. However, the interdependence of LET and CET and the relative importance of CET remain unclear, largely due to the difficulties in precise assessment of the contribution of CET in the presence of LET, which dominates electron flow under physiological conditions. We therefore generated Arabidopsis mutants with a minimal water-splitting activity, and thus a low rate of LET, by combining knockout mutations in PsbO1, PsbP2, PsbQ1, PsbQ2, and PsbR loci. The resulting Δ5 mutant is viable, although mature leaves contain only ∼ 20% of wild-type naturally less abundant PsbO2 protein. Δ5 plants compensate for the reduction in LET by increasing the rate of CET, and inducing a strong non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) response during dark-to-light transitions. To identify the molecular origin of such a high-capacity CET, we constructed three sextuple mutants lacking the qE component of NPQ (Δ5 npq4-1), NDH-mediated CET (Δ5 crr4-3), or PGR5-PGRL1-mediated CET (Δ5 pgr5). Their analysis revealed that PGR5-PGRL1-mediated CET plays a major role in ΔpH formation and induction of NPQ in C3 plants. Moreover, while pgr5 dies at the seedling stage under fluctuating light conditions, Δ5 pgr5 plants are able to survive, which underlines the importance of PGR5 in modulating the intersystem electron transfer.

Cyclic electron flow provides acclimatory plasticity for the photosynthetic machinery under various environmental conditions and developmental stages.

Photosynthetic electron flow operates in two modes, linear and cyclic. In cyclic electron flow (CEF), electrons are recycled around photosystem I. As a result, a transthylakoid proton gradient (ΔpH) is generated, leading to the production of ATP without concomitant production of NADPH, thus increasing the ATP/NADPH ratio within the chloroplast. At least two routes for CEF exist: a PROTON GRADIENT REGULATION5-PGRL1-and a chloroplast NDH-like complex mediated pathway. This review focuses on recent findings concerning the characteristics of both CEF routes in higher plants, with special emphasis paid on the crucial role of CEF in under challenging environmental conditions and developmental stages.

Light acclimation involves dynamic re-organization of the pigment-protein megacomplexes in non-appressed thylakoid domains.

Thylakoid energy metabolism is crucial for plant growth, development and acclimation. Non-appressed thylakoids harbor several high molecular mass pigment-protein megacomplexes that have flexible compositions depending upon the environmental cues. This composition is important for dynamic energy balancing in photosystems (PS) I and II. We analysed the megacomplexes of Arabidopsis wild type (WT) plants and of several thylakoid regulatory mutants. The stn7 mutant, which is defective in phosphorylation of the light-harvesting complex (LHC) II, possessed a megacomplex composition that was strikingly different from that of the WT. Of the nine megacomplexes in total for the non-appressed thylakoids, the largest megacomplex in particular was less abundant in the stn7 mutant under standard growth conditions. This megacomplex contains both PSI and PSII and was recently shown to allow energy spillover between PSII and PSI (Nat. Commun., 6, 2015, 6675). The dynamics of the megacomplex composition was addressed by exposing plants to different light conditions prior to thylakoid isolation. The megacomplex pattern in the WT was highly dynamic. Under darkness or far red light it showed low levels of LHCII phosphorylation and resembled the stn7 pattern; under low light, which triggers LHCII phosphorylation, it resembled that of the tap38/pph1 phosphatase mutant. In contrast, solubilization of the entire thylakoid network with dodecyl maltoside, which efficiently solubilizes pigment-protein complexes from all thylakoid compartments, revealed that the pigment-protein composition remained stable despite the changing light conditions or mutations that affected LHCII (de)phosphorylation. We conclude that the composition of pigment-protein megacomplexes specifically in non-appressed thylakoids undergoes redox-dependent changes, thus facilitating maintenance of the excitation balance between the two photosystems upon changes in light conditions.

Light-harvesting II antenna trimers connect energetically the entire photosynthetic machinery - including both photosystems II and I.

In plant chloroplasts, the two photosystems (PSII and PSI) are enriched in different thylakoid domains and, according to the established view, are regarded as energetically segregated from each other. A specific fraction of the light harvesting complex II (LHCII) has been postulated to get phosphorylated by the STN7 kinase and subsequently to migrate from PSII to PSI as part of a process called 'state transition'. Nevertheless, the thylakoid membrane incorporates a large excess of LHCII not present in the isolatable PSII-LHCII and PSI-LHCII complexes. Moreover, LHCII phosphorylation is not limited to a specific LHCII pool and "state 2" condition, but is found in all thylakoid domains in any constant light condition. Here, using a targeted solubilization of pigment-protein complexes from different thylakoid domains, we demonstrate that even a minor detachment of LHCII leads to markedly increased fluorescence emission from LHCII and PSII both in grana core and non-appressed thylakoid membranes and the effect of the detergent to detach LHCII is enhanced in the absence of LHCII phosphorylation. These findings provide evidence that PSII and PSI are energy traps embedded in the same energetically connected LHCII lake. In the lake, PSI and LHCII are energetically connected even in the absence of LHCII phosphorylation, yet the phosphorylation enhances the interaction required for efficient energy transfer to PSI in the grana margin regions.

Plants Actively Avoid State Transitions upon Changes in Light Intensity: Role of Light-Harvesting Complex II Protein Dephosphorylation in High Light.

Photosystem II (PSII) core and light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) proteins in plant chloroplasts undergo reversible phosphorylation upon changes in light intensity (being under control of redox-regulated STN7 and STN8 kinases and TAP38/PPH1 and PSII core phosphatases). Shift of plants from growth light to high light results in an increase of PSII core phosphorylation, whereas LHCII phosphorylation concomitantly decreases. Exactly the opposite takes place when plants are shifted to lower light intensity. Despite distinct changes occurring in thylakoid protein phosphorylation upon light intensity changes, the excitation balance between PSII and photosystem I remains unchanged. This differs drastically from the canonical-state transition model induced by artificial states 1 and 2 lights that concomitantly either dephosphorylate or phosphorylate, respectively, both the PSII core and LHCII phosphoproteins. Analysis of the kinase and phosphatase mutants revealed that TAP38/PPH1 phosphatase is crucial in preventing state transition upon increase in light intensity. Indeed, tap38/pph1 mutant revealed strong concomitant phosphorylation of both the PSII core and LHCII proteins upon transfer to high light, thus resembling the wild type under state 2 light. Coordinated function of thylakoid protein kinases and phosphatases is shown to secure balanced excitation energy for both photosystems by preventing state transitions upon changes in light intensity. Moreover, proton gradient regulation5 (PGR5) is required for proper regulation of thylakoid protein kinases and phosphatases, and the pgr5 mutant mimics phenotypes of tap38/pph1. This shows that there is a close cooperation between the redox- and proton gradient-dependent regulatory mechanisms for proper function of the photosynthetic machinery.