Low pH-induced regulation of excitation energy between the two photosystems

Earlier studies have proposed that low pH causes state transitions in spinach thylakoid membranes. Several Arabidopsis mutants (stn7 incapable in phosphorylation of LHC II, stn8 incapable in phosphorylation of PSII core proteins, stn7 stn8 double mutant and npq4 lacking PsbS and hence qE) were used to investigate the mechanisms involved in low pH induced changes in the thylakoid membrane. We propose that protonation of PsbS at low pH is involved in enhancing energy spillover to PS I.