Isolation and characteristics of the PSI-LHCI-LHCII supercomplex under high light

We developed a novel method for the isolation of the PSI-LHCI-LHCII complex from spinach leaves. The supercomplex was resolved into a core complex (CPI), LHCII trimers, LHCI dimers and LHCII monomers using green gel electrophoresis. We then investigate changes in the fluorescence and absorption spectra of PSI-LHCI-LHCII under high light. In addition, we compared light-induced denaturation of the core protein subunits in both PSI-LHCI and PSI-LHCI-LHCII. Differences in denaturation and photochemical activity indicated that binding of LHCII increased the photosensitivity of the PSI core. Increased energy delivered to the PSI core during illumination accelerated damage to the core complex.