Non-photochemical chlorophyll fluorescence quenching and structural rearrangements induced by low pH in intact cells of Chlorella fusca (Chlorophyceae) and Mantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae)

We have used circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy and chlorophyll fluorescence induction measurements in order to examine low-pH-induced changes in the chiral macro-organization of the chromophores and in the efficiency of non-photochemical quenching of the chlorophyll a fluorescence (NPQ) in intact, dark-adapted cells of Chlorella fusca (Chlorophyceae) and Mantoniella squamata (Prasinophyceae). We found that: (i) high proton concentrations enhanced the formation of chiral macrodomains of the complexes, i.e. the formation of large aggregates with long-range chiral order of pigment dipoles; this was largely independent of the low-pH-induced accumulation of de-epoxidized xanthophylls; (ii) lowering the pH led to NPQ; however, efficient energy dissipation, in the absence of excess light, could only be achieved if a substantial part of violaxanthin was converted to zeaxanthin and antheraxanthin in Chlorella and Mantoniella, respectively; (iii) the low-pH-induced changes in the chiral macro-organization of pigments were fully reversed by titrating the cells to neutral pH; (iv) at neutral pH, the presence of antheraxanthin or zeaxanthin did not bring about a sizeable NPQ. Hence, low-pH-induced NPQ in dark adapted algal cells appears to be associated both with the presence of de-epoxidized xanthophylls and structural changes in the chiral macrodomains. It is proposed that the macrodomains, by providing a suitable structure for long-distance migration of the excitation energy, in the presence of quenchers associated with de-epoxidized xanthophylls, facilitate significantly the dissipation of unused excitation energy.