The minor antennae of photosystem II contribute to qH-energy dissipation in Arabidopsis

Photosynthesis is a biological process that converts light energy into chemical energy. Excessive light can damage the photosynthetic machinery, so plants have evolved photoprotective mechanisms such as non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). Among the NPQ mechanisms, qH is a form of sustained quenching, dependent on LIPOCALIN IN THE PLASTID (LCNP) and repressed by SUPPRESSOR OF QUENCHING 1 (SOQ1), protecting against abiotic stress. Recently, we showed in Arabidopsis thaliana that qH can occur in the major light-harvesting complexes (Lhcb1, Lhcb2, Lhcb3) but independently of any specific major antenna. Interestingly, in mutants with little or no accumulation of major antennae (koLHCII, lhcb1, cpsrp43), qH can still be induced. Here, we show that the minor antennae can be quenched by qH and remain quenched once isolated. To investigate the role of minor antennae in qH, we combined the soq1 mutant, which displays high qH, with mutations in each minor antenna type (Lhcb4, Lhcb5, or Lhcb6), or with a mutant lacking all minor antennae. None are strictly required for qH to occur. Still, the absence of Lhcb6 decreases qH induction likely due to an indirect effect from the slower electron transport rate and/or a different macro-organization of photosynthetic complexes in the thylakoids. Overall, this work demonstrates that the minor antennae are a secondary target for qH and could serve as an additional safety valve for photoprotective energy dissipation during prolonged stress.