LAUSR

In the present study, low concentrations of the very mild detergent n‐dodecyl‐α‐d‐maltoside in conjunction with sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation were used to prepare fucoxanthin chlorophyll protein (FCP) complexes of the centric diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana. Two main FCP fractions were observed in the sucrose gradients, one in the upper part and one at high sucrose concentrations in the lower part of the gradient. The first fraction was dominated by the 18 kDa FCP protein band in SDS‐gels. Since this fraction also contained other protein bands, it was designated as fraction enriched in FCP‐A complex. The second fraction contained mainly the 21 kDa FCP band, which is typical for the FCP‐B complex. Determination of the lipid composition showed that both FCP fractions contained monogalactosyl diacylglycerol as the main lipid followed by the second galactolipid of the thylakoid membrane, namely digalactosyl diacylglycerol. The negatively charged lipids sulfoquinovosyl diacylglycerol and phosphatidyl glycerol were also present in both fractions in pronounced concentrations. With respect to the pigment composition, the fraction enriched in FCP‐A contained a higher amount of the xanthophyll cycle pigments diadinoxanthin (DD) and diatoxanthin (Dt), whereas the FCP‐B fraction was characterized by a lower ratio of xanthophyll cycle pigments to the light‐harvesting pigment fucoxanthin. Protein analysis by mass spectrometry revealed that in both FCP fractions the xanthophyll cycle enzyme diadinoxanthin de‐epoxidase (DDE) was present. In addition, the analysis showed an enrichment of DDE in the fraction enriched in FCP‐A but only a very low amount of DDE in the FCP‐B fraction. In‐vitro de‐epoxidation assays, employing the isolated FCP complexes, were characterized by an inefficient conversion of DD to Dt. However, in line with the heterogeneous DDE distribution, the fraction enriched in FCP‐A showed a more pronounced DD de‐epoxidation compared with the FCP‐B.