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Detection of photosynthetic energy storage in a photosystem I reaction center preparation by photoacoustic spectroscopy

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Abstract

Thermal emission and photochemical energy storage were examined in photosystem I reaction center/core antenna complexes (about 40 Chl a/P700) using photoacoustic spectroscopy. Satisfactory signals could only be obtained from samples bound to hydroxyapatite and all samples had a low signal-to-noise ratio compared to either PS I or PS II in thylakoid membranes. The energy storage signal was saturated at low intensity (half saturation at 1.5 W m-2) and predicted a photochemical quantum yield of >90%. Exogenous donors and acceptors had no effect on the signal amplitudes indicating that energy storage is the result of charge separation between endogenous components. Fe(CN)6 -3 oxidation of P700 and dithionite-induced reduction of acceptors FA-FB inhibited energy storage. These data are compatible with the hypothesis that energy storage in PS I arises from charge separation between P700 and Fe-S centers FA-FB that is stable on the time scale of the photoacoustic modulation. High intensity background light (160 W m-2) caused an irreversible loss of energy storage and correlated with a decrease in oxidizable P700; both are probably the result of high light-induced photoinhibition. By analogy to the low fluorescence yield of PS I, the low signal-to-noise ratio in these preparations is attributed to the short lifetime of Chl singlet excited states in PS I-40 and its indirect effect on the yield of thermal emission.

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Abbreviations

FFT:

fast Föurier transform

HA:

hydroxyapatite

I50 :

half saturation intensity for energy storage

PA:

photoacoustic

PS:

photosystem

PS I-40:

photosystem I reaction center/core antenna complex containing about 40 Chl a/P700

201-1:

photoacoustic energy storage signal

S/N:

signal-to-noise

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Section of Plant Biology, Cornell University, 14853-5908, Ithaca, NY, USA

    Thomas G. Owens

  2. Centre de Recherche en Photobiophysique, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, G9A 5H7, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada

    Robert Carpentier & Roger M. Leblanc

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  1. Thomas G. Owens
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  2. Robert Carpentier
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  3. Roger M. Leblanc
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Owens, T.G., Carpentier, R. & Leblanc, R.M. Detection of photosynthetic energy storage in a photosystem I reaction center preparation by photoacoustic spectroscopy. Photosynth Res 24, 201–208 (1990). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00032307

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00032307

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