Role of chloroplast protein kinase Stt7 in LHCII phosphorylation and state transition in Chlamydomonas

Photosynthetic organisms adapt to changes in light quality by redistributing light excitation energy between two photosystems through state transition. This reorganization of antenna systems leads to an enhanced photosynthetic yield. Using a genetic approach in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to dissect the signal transduction pathway of state transition, we identified a chloroplast thylakoid–associated serine-threonine protein kinase, Stt7, that has homologs in land plants. Stt7 is required for the phosphorylation of the major light-harvesting protein (LHCII) and for state transition.