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The effects of high-intensity light (HIL) on the activity of photosystem II (PSII) and photosynthesis in wild-type (WT) and single (phyB2, phyB1, phyA and cry1), double (phyB1B2, phyAB2 and phyAB1) and triple (phyAB1B2 and cry1phyAB1) mutants of Solanum lycopersicum were studied. In addition, changes in the activity of the antioxidant enzymes ascorbate peroxidase, glutathione reductase and guaiacol peroxidase as well as the photosynthetic pigment and anthocyanin contents in the leaves of phyB2 and cry1phAB1 mutants under HIL were examined. When plants were irradiated with HIL (2 h), the PSII resistance of the cry1phyAB1 mutant was the lowest, while the resistance of WT and single mutants excluding cry1 was the highest. The effect of HIL on PSII activity in all double mutants and the phyAB1B2 mutant was intermediate between the effects on the WT and the cry1phyAB1 mutant. The intensity of oxidative processes in the cry1phyAB1 mutant was higher than that in WT and phyB2, but in cry1phyAB1, the activity of antioxidant enzymes and the anthocyanin content were lower. The low resistance of the cry1phyAB1 mutant to HIL may be due to the low antioxidant activity of key enzymes and the reduced pigment content, which are consistent with the reduced expression of CHS and sAPX genes in the cry1phyAB1 mutant., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare no competing financial interests., (Copyright © 2020 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The reduced content of photoreceptors, such as phytochromes, can decrease the efficiency of photosynthesis and activity of the photosystem II (PSII). For the confirmation of this hypothesis, the effect of deficiency in both phytochromes (Phy) A and B (double mutant, DM) in 7-27-day-old Arabidopsis thaliana plants on the photosynthetic activity was studied in absence and presence of UV-A radiation as a stress factor. The DM with reduced content of apoproteins of PhyA and PhyB and wild type (WT) plants with were grown in white and red light (WL and RL, respectively) of high (130 μmol quanta m -2 s -1 ) and low (40 μmol quanta m -2 s -1 ) intensity. For DM and WT grown in WL, no notable difference in the photochemical activity of PSII was observed. However, the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus (PA) to UV-A and the rate of photosynthesis under light saturation were lower in the DM compared to those in the WT. Growth in RL, when the photoreceptors of blue light-cryptochromes-are inactive, resulted in the significant decrease of the photochemical activity of PSII in DM compared to that in WT including amounts of Q B -non-reducing complexes of PSII and noticeable enhancement of thermal dissipation of absorbed light energy. In addition, marked distortion of the thylakoid membrane structure was observed for DM grown in RL. It is suggested that not only PhyA and PhyB but also cryptochromes are necessary for normal functioning of the PA and formation of the mechanisms of its resistance to UV-radiation.

The photosynthetic responses of 25-day-old Arabidopsis phyA phyB double mutant (DM) compared with the wild type (WT) to UV-B radiation (1Wm -2 , 30min) were investigated. UV-B irradiation led to reduction of photosystem 2 (PS-2) activity and the photosynthetic rate. In plants grown under both white and red light (λ m - 660nm) the reduction was greater in DM plants compared to the WT. Without UV-B irradiation a decrease in PS-2 activity was observed in DM grown under RL only. It is assumed that the lower content of UV-absorbing pigments and carotenoids observed in DM may be one of the reasons of reduced PS-2 resistance to UV-B. Higher decrease in activities under UV in DM plants grown under RL compared to DM plants grown under white light is likely due to the lack of activity of cryptochromes in plants grown under red light. Rates of post-stress recovery of photosynthetic activity of DM compared with WT plants under white and red light of low intensity were studied. Almost complete recovery of the activity was found which was not observed under dark conditions and in the presence of a protein synthesis inhibitor, chloramphenicol. It is assumed that phytochrome system participates in stress-protective mechanisms of the photosynthetic apparatus to UV-radiation., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)