Abstract
Absorption of excess-light energy causes generation of reactive oxygen species that leads to irreversible damages of photosynthetic apparatus. Thus, the effective elimination of excess-light energy is essential for the prosperity of land plants. Excess-light situation does not simply occur in parallel with the intensity of light but is enhanced by environmental conditions such as low temperature and water deficit under low light. Plants possess multiple mechanisms against excess-light and the method is varied for the stress conditions. In evergreen conifer, Taxus cuspidata, the nuclear-encoded thylakoid membrane protein early light-induced proteins (Elip) are drastically induced in response to low temperature. It is recently reported that one-helix thylakoid membrane protein (Ohp) and two-helix proteins (Sep) in Arabidopsis were accumulated in response to excess-light. In this study, we will report that the accumulation levels of Ohp and Sep in the needles of Taxus cuspidata in relation to seasonal changes.
