[Chlorophyll-protein complexes from green algae and higher plants. Identification of chlorophyll-containing bands in gel, using Chlamydomonas reinhardii mutants].

Three types of mutants (pigment, non-photosynthesizing and pigment non-photosynthesizing ones) were used to identify the chlorophyll-containing bands in gel slices. The pigment mutants with an impaired light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex possess photochemically active reaction centers of photosystems and are capable of phototrophic growth. Using these mutants, the heterogeneity of the chlorophyll-containing bands, LH2 and LH3, in gel slices and the dependence of LH2 on chlorophyll a-protein and that of LH3 on chlorophyll b-protein in the light-harvesting complex were established. The non-photosynthesizing mutants with an inactive photosystem I (or II) are devoid of antennae forms of chlorophyll a and are not capable of phototrophic growth. Using these mutants, it was demonstrated that in gel slices the chlorophyll-containing band, CPI, corresponds to the chlorophyll a-protein complex of photosystem I, while CPII to the chlorophyll a-protein complex of photosystem II. It was also found that the presence of the chlorophyll-containing band, LH0 (CPIa) in gel slices correlates with the preservation of the light-harvesting complex and is independent of photosystem I. The spectral properties of chlorophyll complexes in gel slices are not identical to those of native chlorophyll. It was assumed that chloroplasts contain at least 4 types of chlorophyll proteins that are controlled by independent genes.