Factors contributing to the high light tolerance of leaves in vivo - involvement of photo-protective energy dissipation and singlet oxygen scavenging.

Contributions of preventive and antioxidant (energy dissipating and singlet oxygen neutralizing) processes to tolerating high light stress (photoinhibition) were examined in green-house grown tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants acclimated to high or low light conditions and also in sun and shade leaves collected from a natural grown linden tree (Tilia platyphyllos). Tobacco leaves survived a short (1 h) exposure to photoinhibition by activating non-regulated non-photochemical quenching [Y(NO)] rather than relying on photo-protective, regulated non-photochemical quenching [Y(NPQ)]. Low light acclimated leaves had lower singlet oxygen scavenging ability and activated Y(NO) to a larger extent than high light acclimated ones. Low light grown leaves also suffered singlet oxygen mediated photo-damage, while no singlet oxygen was detected in high light acclimated leaves during photoinhibition. Natural grown linden leaves, however, coped with prolonged daily exposures to high light mainly by activating regulated non-photochemical quenching Y(NPQ), although they also featured very efficient singlet oxygen neutralizing. Our results suggest that high light tolerance is achieved by preventing photoinhibition of photosystem II via efficient photo-protective energy dissipation rather than relying on quenching of stress-induced pro-oxidative agents.