Abstract
Chromatium vinosum, strain D, exhibits two extreme modifications of near infra-red absorption spectra when growing heterotrophically at temperatures either above or below 36.5° C. Chromatophores isolated from cells grown either at 33° C (33° C chromatophores) or 39° C (39° C chromatophores) were analyzed for structural and functional parameters. For this the following chromatophore subunits were solubilized and characterized; (i) a fraction absorbing maximally at 800 nm with shoulders at 820 and 850 nm when derived from 33° C chromatophores or absorbing at 800 nm and 850 nm when derived from 39° C chromatophores; (ii) reaction center-light harvesting bacteriochlorophyll complexes with identical spectra and ratios of reaction center to light harvesting bacteriochlorophyll (1:45); (iii) complexes containing cytochromes, (IV) reaction center bacteriochlorophyll complexes. Irrespective of their origins the fractions exhibited qualitatively identical protein patterns as analyzed by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Protein patterns of 33° C and 39° C chromatophores revealed an identical ratio of proteins of reaction centers to proteins of cytochrome preparations. But the ratio of proteins of reaction centers to proteins of light harvesting moieties was 1.9 times higher in 39° C chromatophores than in 33° C chromatophores. Correspondingly, the ratio of reaction center per total bacteriochlorophyll was 1.7 times higher in 39° C chromatophores (1:110) then in 33° C chromatophores (1:190). Activities of photophosphorylation were 0.73 and 0.56 μmoles of ATP per μmoles of total bacteriochlorophyll per min for 33° C and 39° C chromatophores, respectively. Activities of sulfide oxidation in the light by whole cells were 2.37 and 1.96 μmoles of sulfide per μmole of total bacteriochlorophyll per min for 33° C and 39° C cells. Accordingly, on a reaction center basis activities are significantly lower after growth of the organisms at 39° C than at 33° C. The data indicate that spectral changes in Chromatium vinosum represent changes in the ratio of reaction center to light harvesting bacteriochlorophyll accompanied by a variation of the absorption spectra of the latter bacteriochlorophyll moiety. Concomitantly, activities coupled to the photochemical apparatus were subjected to variations.
Similar content being viewed by others
Abbreviations
- Bchl:
-
Bacteriochlorophyll
- LDAO:
-
lauryl dimethylamine oxide
- SDS:
-
sodium dodecyl sulfate
References
Aagaard, J., Sistrom, W. R.: Control of synthesis of reaction center bacteriochlorophyll in photosynthetic bacteria. Photochem. Photobiol. 55, 209–225 (1972)
Clayton, R. K.: Absorption spectra of photosynthetic bacteria and their chlorophylls, pp. 495. In: Bacterial photosynthesis (H. Gast, A. San Pietro, L. P. Vernon, eds.). Yellow Springs, Ohio: The Antioch Press 1963
Cusanovich, M. A., Kamen, M. D.: Light induced electrontransport in Chromatium Strain D. III. Photophosphorylation by Chromatium chromatophores. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 153, 418–426 (1968)
Dierstein, R., Drews, G.: Control of composition and activity of the photosynthetic apparatus of Rhodopseudomonas capsulata grown in ammonium-limited continuous culture. Arch. Microbiol. 106, 227–235 (1975)
Feher, G., Okamura, M. Y.: Reaction center from Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. Brookhaven Symposia in Biology 28, 183–194 (1976)
Fuller, R. C., Conti, S. F., Mellin, D. B.: The structure of the photosynthetic apparatus in green and purpur bacteria, pp. 71. In: Bacterial photosynthesis (H. Gest, A. San Pietro, L. P. Vernon, eds.). Yellow Springs, Ohio: The Antioch Press 1963
Garcia, A., Vernon, L. P., Mollenhauer, H.: Properties of Chromatium subchromatophore particles obtained by treatment with Triton X-100. Biochemistry 5, 2399–2407 (1966)
Halsey, Y. D., Byers, B.: A large photoreactive particle from Chromatium vinosum chromatophores. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 387, 349–367 (1975)
Hurlbert, R. E., Golecki, J. R., Drews, G.: Isolation and characterization of Chromatium vinosum membranes. Arch. Microbiol. 101, 169–186 (1974)
Irschik, H., Oelze, J.: The effect of transfer from low to high light intensity on electron transport in Rhodospirillum rubrum membranes. Arch. Microbiol. 109, 307–313 (1976)
Kennel, S. J., Bartsch, R. G., Kamen, M. D.: Iron containing proteins in Chromatium. I. Solubilisation of membrane-bound cytochrome. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 234, 458–467 (1971)
Kennel, S. J., Kamen, M. D.: Iron containing proteins in Chromatium. II. Purification and properties of cholate solubilized cytochrome complex. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 253, 153–166 (1971)
Kronenberg, G. H. M.: Some factors influencing the shape of the near infrared absorption spectrum of Chromatium strain D. Meded. Landbouwhogeschool Wageningen 69-10, pp. 1–15 (1969)
Laemmli, U. K.: Cleavage of structural proteins during the assembly of the head of bacteriophage T4. Nature 227, 680–685 (1970)
Lien, S., Gest, H., San Pietro, A.: Regulation of chlorophyll synthesis in photosynthetic bacteria. Bioenergetics 4, 423–434 (1973)
Lin, L., Thornber, J. P.: Isolation and partial characterization of the photochemical reaction center of Chromatium vinosum (strain D). Photochem. Photobiol. 22, 37–40 (1975)
Lowry, O. H., Rosebrough, N. J., Farr, A. L., Randall, R. J.: Protein measurement with the Folin-Phenol reagent. J. Biol. Chem. 193, 265–275 (1951)
Mechler, B., Oelze, J.: Differentiation of the photosynthetic apparatus of Chromatium vinosum, strain D. I. The influence of growth conditions. Arch. Microbiol. 118, 91–97 (1978a)
Mechler, B., Oelze, J.: Differentiation of the photosynthetic apparatus of Chromatium vinosum, strain D. III. Analyses of spectral alterations. Arch. Microbiol. 118, 109–114 (1978b)
Mira y Lopez, R., Siekevitz, P.: SDS polyacrylamid gel electrophoresis of membrane proteins: effect of phospholipids. Anal. Biochem. 53, 594–602 (1973)
Niederman, R. A., Mallon, D. E., Langan, J. J.: Membranes of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. IV. Assembly of chromatophores in low aeration cell suspension. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 440, 429–447 (1976)
Nieth, K. F., Drews, G.: Formation of reaction center and light harvesting bacteriochlorophyll-protein complexes in Rhodopseudomonas capsulata. Arch. Microbiol. 104, 77–82 (1975)
Oelze, J., Biedermann, M., Drews, G.: Die Morphogenese des Photosyntheseapparates von Rhodospirillum rubrum. I. Isolation und Charakterisierung von zwei Membransystemen. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 173, 436–447 (1969)
Parson, W. W.: Bacterial photosynthesis. Ann. Rev. Microbiol. 28, 41–59 (1974)
Takahashi, M., Shiokawa, K., Ichimura, S.: Photosynthetic characteristics of an purple sulfur bacterium grown under different light intensities. Can. J. Microbiol. 18, 1825–1828 (1972)
Takamiya, K., Nishimura, M.: Nature of photochemical reactions in chromatophores of Chromatium D. III. Heterogeneity of the photosynthetic unit. Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Amst.) 396, 39–103 (1975)
Takemoto, J.: Kinetic of photosynthetic membrane protein assembly in Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. Arch. Biochem. Biophys. 163, 515–520 (1974)
Thornber, J. P.: Photochemical reactions of purple bacteria as revealed by studies of three spectrally different carotinobacteriophyll-protein complexes isolated from Chromatium, strain D. Biochemistry 9, 2688–2698 (1970)
Trüper, H. G., Schlegel, H. G.: Sulphur metabolism in Thiorhodaceae. I. Quantitative measurements on growing cells of Chromatium okenii. Antonie van Leeuwenhook 30, 225–238 (1964)
Worden, P. B., Sistrom, W. R.: The preparation and properties of bacterial chromatophore fractions. J. Cell. Biol. 23, 135–150 (1964)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Mechler, B., Oelze, J. Differentiation of the photosynthesic apparatus of Chromatium vinosum, strain D. Arch. Microbiol. 118, 99–108 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00406081
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00406081