In intense light, plants use various mechanisms to prevent damage to their photosystems. They are able to release some light energy as heat, but the excess light can also produce reactive oxygen species. While some of these can be detoxified by antioxidants, the remaining oxygen species will be detrimental to the photosystems of the plant. More specifically, the D1 subunit in the reaction center of PSII can be damaged. Studies have found that deg1 proteins are involved in the degradation of these damaged D1 subunits. New D1 subunits can then replace these damaged D1 subunits in order to allow PSII to function properly again.