Abstract
PsbL is one of subunits of PSII complex of which function is unknown. It consists of 37 amino acid residues and has one membrane penetrating -helix at C terminal region. In vitro reconstitution experiments have suggested that PsbL is involved in the pH dependent electron transfer in PSII, however, actual function of PsbL has not been clarified. In this work, we prepared transformants of tobacco plant with mutations at various positions in PsbL and investigated the effect of each mutation on the electron transfer activity of PSII by PAM. The introduction of mutation in the C terminal regions had no effect on the electron transfer behavior in PSII. In contrast, mutation in the N terminal region of PsbL resulted in the increase in F0 without any significant effect on Fm, suggesting a possible role of PsbL in the regulation of electron transfer at the acceptor side of PSII.
