Distribution and functional role of carbonic anhydrase Cah3 associated with thylakoid membranes in the chloroplast and pyrenoid of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Localization of lumenal carbonic anhydrase Cah3 in thylakoid membranes of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii was studied using wild-type algae and photosynthetic mutants with different composition of chlorophyll-protein complexes in the photosystems. In addition, the photosynthetic characteristics of wild-type C. reinhardtii and cia3 mutants lacking the activity of carbonic anhydrase Cah3 were examined. Western blot analysis revealed the lack of cross reaction with antibodies to Cah3 in the mutant lacking the photosystem II (PSII) reaction center, in contrast to the mutant deficient in light-harvesting complex of PSII. These data show that the lumenal Cah3 is associated with polypeptides on the donor side of PSII reaction center. Using immunoelectron microscopy and antibodies to Cah3 from C. reinhardtii , we showed for the first time that the major part of thylakoid Cah3 is localized in the pyrenoid where the bulk of Rubisco is located. The rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution and PSII photochemical efficiency were lower in C. reinhardtii cia3 mutant than in the wild type, especially in the cells grown at limiting CO 2 concentrations. These observations show that Cah3 takes part in CO 2 -concentrating mechanism of the chloroplast. The results support our hypothesis [1, 2] that the carboxylation reaction in microalgae proceeds in the pyrenoid, a specific Rubisco-containing part of the chloroplast, which acquires CO 2 from the lumen of intrapyrenoid thylakoids. We discuss significance of the pyrenoid as an autonomous metabolic microcompartment, in which Cah3 plays a key role in the production and concentration of CO 2 for Rubisco. These functions may promote the photosynthetic efficiency owing to the effective CO 2 supply for the Calvin cycle.