Deficiencies in phytochromes A and B and cryptochrome 1 affect the resistance of the photosynthetic apparatus to high-intensity light in Solanum lycopersicum

Abstract 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.