Regulation of cyclic and linear electron flow in higher plants

Cyclic electron flow is increasingly recognized as being essential in plant growth, generating a pH gradient across thylakoid membrane (ΔpH) that contributes to ATP synthesis and triggers the protective process of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) under stress conditions. Here, we report experiments demonstrating the importance of that ΔpH in protecting plants from stress and relating to the regulation of cyclic relative to linear flow. In leaves infiltrated with low concentrations of nigericin, which dissipates the ΔpH without significantly affecting the potential gradient, thereby maintaining ATP synthesis, the extent of NPQ was markedly lower, reflecting the lower ΔpH. At the same time, the photosystem (PS) I primary donor P700 was largely reduced in the light, in contrast to control conditions where increasing light progressively oxidized P700, due to down-regulation of the cytochrome bf complex. Illumination of nigericin-infiltrated leaves resulted in photoinhibition of PSII but also, more markedly, of PSI. Plants lacking ferredoxin (Fd) NADP oxidoreductase (FNR) or the polypeptide proton gradient regulation 5 (PGR5) also show reduction of P700 in the light and increased sensitivity to PSI photoinhibition, demonstrating that the regulation of the cytochrome bf complex (cyt bf) is essential for protection of PSI from light stress. The formation of a ΔpH is concluded to be essential to that regulation, with cyclic electron flow playing a vital, previously poorly appreciated role in this protective process. Examination of cyclic electron flow in plants with a reduced content of FNR shows that these antisense plants are less able to maintain a steady rate of this pathway. This reduction is suggested to reflect a change in the distribution of FNR from cyclic to linear flow, likely reflecting the formation or disassembly of FNR-cytochrome bf complex.