Loss of leaf green color results from chlorophyll (Chl) degradation in the chloroplasts, but little is known about how Chl catabolism is tightly regulated throughout development. Using the stay-green (sgr) mutant in rice which maintains leaf greenness during senescence, we identified SGR by map-based cloning. SGR is a function-unknown gene encoding senescence-induced chloroplast protein. Transgenic rice overexpressing SGR produced yellow leaves, indicating that SGR regulates Chl degradation at the transcriptional level. Leaf stay-greenness of the sgr mutant is mainly associated with a failure in the destabilization of light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) of thylakoid membranes, which is a prerequisite event for the degradation of Chl and LHCs during leaf senescence. SGR binds to light harvesting complex of photosystem II (LHCII), but its biochemical role is so far unknown. During senescence, Chl should be degraded rapidly and safely because Chl catabolic intermediates producing ROS under light are extremely toxic to the plant cells. For safe and rapid degradation of Chl and its catabolic intermediates, Chl catabolic enzymes (CCEs) must catch the Chl intermediates effectively. In recent years, although molecular functions of SGR and CCEs have been characterized in detail, their biochemical mechanism for Chl detoxification remain elusive. Here we show that all five CCEs also specifically interact with LHCII. In addition, SGR and CCEs interact directly or indirectly with each other at LHCII, and SGR is essential for recruiting CCEs in senescing chloroplasts. These data indicate a predominant role for the SGR-CCE-LHCII protein interaction in the breakdown of LHCII-located Chl, likely to allow metabolic channeling of phototoxic Chl breakdown intermediates upstream of nontoxic pFCC.

• Nam-Chon Paek(Department of Plant Science, Seoul National University)