Identification of parallel pH- and zeaxanthin-dependent quenching of excess energy in LHCSR3 in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Under high light conditions, oxygenic photosynthetic organisms avoid photodamage by thermally dissipating excess absorbed energy, which is called non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). In green algae, a chlorophyll and carotenoid-binding protein, light-harvesting complex stress-related (LHCSR3), detects excess energy via pH and serves as a quenching site. However, the mechanisms by which LHCSR3 functions have not been determined. Using a combined in vivo and in vitro approach, we identify two parallel yet distinct quenching processes, individually controlled by pH and carotenoid composition, and their likely molecular origin within LHCSR3 from . The pH-controlled quenching is removed within a mutant LHCSR3 that lacks the protonable residues responsible for sensing pH. Constitutive quenching in zeaxanthin-enriched systems demonstrates zeaxanthin-controlled quenching, which may be shared with other light-harvesting complexes. We show that both quenching processes prevent the formation of damaging reactive oxygen species, and thus provide distinct timescales and mechanisms of protection in a changing environment.