lutein epoxide/arabidopsis

Although sunlight provides the energy necessary for plants to survive and grow, light can also damage reaction centers of photosystem II (PSII) and reduce photochemical efficiency. To prevent damage, plants possess photoprotective mechanisms that dissipate excess excitation. A subset of these

Leaves of avocado (Persea americana) that develop and persist in deep shade canopies have very low rates of photosynthesis but contain high concentrations of lutein epoxide (Lx) that are partially deepoxidized to lutein (L) after 1 h of exposure to 120 to 350 μmol photons m(-2) s(-1), increasing the

Photosynthetic organisms use various photoprotective mechanisms to dissipate excess photoexcitation as heat in a process called nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). Regulation of NPQ allows for a rapid response to changes in light intensity and in vascular plants, is primarily triggered by a pH

Zeaxanthin epoxidase (ZE, E.C. 1.14.13.90), an enzyme belonging to the lipocalin superfamily, catalyses the conversion of zeaxanthin to antheraxanthin and violaxanthin. These reactions are part of the xanthophyll biosynthetic pathway and the xanthophyll cycle. The role of carotenoids in the

Thermal dissipation of excitation energy is a fundamental photoprotection mechanism in plants. Thermal energy dissipation is frequently estimated using the quenching of the chlorophyll fluorescence signal, termed non-photochemical quenching. Over the last two decades, great progress has been made in