Abstract
We identified four genes encoding proteins partially-similar to LHCPs in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, and examined changes in the mRNA levels after a transfer from low to high light conditions. The level of the three Lhc-like mRNAs increased transiently with maximum at 1 hour after the transfer. Amino-acid sequences of two of them are similar to those of ELIP and HLIP, which have been proposed to be involved in protection against light stress in higher plants. The other gene does not correspond to any known genes. Expression of this novel gene was much more sensitive to high light than that of the other genes tested. The expression was not induced by reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the high-light response was not affected by photosynthetic electron transport inhibitors, suggesting that ROS and redox of the electron transport may not the high-light signal for this gene.
