The Effect of Short-Term Heating on Photosynthetic Activity, Pigment Content, and Pro-/Antioxidant Balance of A. thaliana Phytochrome Mutants

The effects of heating (40 °C, 1 and 2 h) in dark and light conditions on the photosynthetic activity (photosynthesis rate and photosystem II activity), content of photosynthetic pigments, activity of antioxidant enzymes, content of thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARs), and expression of a number of key genes of antioxidant enzymes and photosynthetic proteins were studied. It was shown that, in darkness, heating reduced CO(2) gas exchange, photosystem II activity, and the content of photosynthetic pigments to a greater extent in the phyB mutant than in the wild type (WT). The content of TBARs increased only in the phyB mutant, which is apparently associated with a sharp increase in the total peroxidase activity in WT and its decrease in the phyB mutant, which is consistent with a noticeable decrease in photosynthetic activity and the content of photosynthetic pigments in the mutant. No differences were indicated in all heated samples under light. It is assumed that the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus to a short-term elevated temperature depends on the content of PHYB active form and is probably determined by the effect of phytochrome on the content of low-molecular weight antioxidants and the activity of antioxidant enzymes.