Appearance and composition of chlorophyll-protein complexes I and II during chloroplast membrane biogenesis in Chlamydomonas reinhardi y-1.

The chlorophyll-protein complexes I and II have been isolated and anlyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis during greening and degreening of Chlamydomonas reinhardi y-1. At all stages of membrane formation, the complexes, when present, have a constant composition. Chlorophyll-protein complex I consists of a major polypeptide(s) of molecular weight 64,000 synthesized in the chloroplast, to which about 29 chlorophyll a molecules are bound. The complex is not detected when other polypeptides of chloroplastic origin, related to both Photosystem I and Photosystem II activities, are not synthesized. However, Photosystem I activity can develop in membranes in which chlorophyll-protein complex I is not detectable. Chlorophyll-protein complex II consists of two polypeptides of cytoplasmic origin, molecular weights 24,000 and 22,000, which bind 12 chlorophylls (a and b). The chlorophyll-protein complex II can be detected in membranes in which the development of photosystem II activity is prevented. Clipping of a Mr = 2000 fragment(s) from the Mr = 22,000 polypeptide following trypsin digestion of membranes, does not affect the complex. The detection of the complexes is possible only in membranes in which the simultaneous synthesis of both the chlorophyll and the corresponding polypeptides occurs. The 28,000 dalton polypeptide, reported to be present in the chlorophyll-protein complex II, comigrates with the complex but apparently is not part of the complex itself. The apparent molecular weight of the chlorophyll-protein complexes I and II are 88,000 and 28,000, respectively. The minimal true value for complex I is 89,000 or 154,000 and for complex II is 56,000.