Differential regulation of psbA and psbD gene expression, and the role of the different D1 protein copies in the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1

In Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1, which is the preferred organism in recent structural studies of PSII, three psbA and two psbD genes code for three D1 and one D2 protein isoforms, respectively. The regulation and function of these genes and protein products is largely unknown. Therefore, we used quantitative RT-PCR to follow changes in the mRNA level of the respective genes, in combination with biophysical measurements to detect changes in...