Linker polypeptides of the phycobilisome from the cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus. I. Isolation and characterization of phycobiliprotein-linker-polypeptide complexes.

Phycobilisomes from the cyanobacterium Mastigocladus laminosus cultured in white and red light were isolated and compared with respect to the phycoerythrocyanin (PEC) and linker polypeptide contents. It was verified that the production of PEC is induced by low light intensities. A PEC complex, (alpha PEC beta PEC)6LR34.5,PEC, and a phycocyanin (PC) complex, (alpha PC beta PC)6LR34.5,PC, were isolated from phycobilisomes by Cellex-D anion exchange chromatography and sucrose density gradient centrifugation. The absorption and fluorescence emission maxima of the PEC complex are at 575 and 620 nm and those of the PC complex are at 631 and 647 nm, respectively. The extinction coefficients of the two complexes were determined. From different experiments it was concluded that PEC is present as a hexameric complex, (alpha PEC beta PEC)6LR34.5,PEC, in the phycobilisome. The two linker polypeptides LR34.5,PEC and LR34.5,PC were isolated from their phycobiliprotein complexes by gel filtration on Bio-Gel P-100 in 50% formic acid. A 5-kDa terminal segment of both linker polypeptides was found to influence the hexamer formation of the phycobiliproteins. The same segments have been described to be responsible for the hexamer-hexamer linkage (Yu, M.-H. & Glazer, A.N. (1982) J. Biol. Chem. 257, 3429-3433). A 8.9-kDa linker polypeptide, LR(C)8.9, was isolated from a PEC fraction of the Cellex-D column by Bio-Gel P-100 gel filtration in 50% formic acid. Localisation of this protein within the phycobilisome was attempted. Its most probable function is to terminate the phycobilisomal rods at the end distal to the allophycocyanin core.