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The nature of the photosystem II reaction centre in the chlorophyll d-containing prokaryote, Acaryochloris marina

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Abstract

Pigment-protein complexes enriched in photosystem II (PS II) have been isolated from the chlorophyll (Chl) d containing cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina. A small PS II-enriched particle, we call ‘crude reaction centre’, contained 20 Chl d, 0.5 Chl a and 1 redox active cytochrome b-559 per 2 pheophytin a, plus the D1 and D2 proteins. A larger PS II-enriched particle, we call ‘core’, additionally bound the antenna complexes, CP47 and CP43, and had a higher chlorophyll per pheophytin ratio. Pheophytin a could be photoreduced in the presence of a strong reductant, indicating that it is the primary electron acceptor in photosystem II of A. marina. A substoichiometric amount of Chl a (less than one chlorophyll a per 2 pheophytin a) strongly suggests that Chl a does not have an essential role in the photochemistry of PS II in this organism. We conclude that PS II, in A. marina, utilizes Chl d and not Chl a as primary electron donor and that the primary electron acceptor is one of two molecules of pheophytin a.

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Abbreviations

BChl:

Bacteriochlorophyll

BRC:

purple bacterial RC

Chl:

chlorophyll

cyt:

cytochrome

P:

primary electron donor

Pheo:

pheophytin

PS I and PS II:

photosystems I and II

QA:

secondary plastoquinone electron acceptor in PS II

RC:

reaction centre of photosystem II

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Min Chen & Anthony W. D. Larkum

  2. Division of Molecular Biosciences, Imperial College London, South Kensington Campus, London, SW7 2AZ, UK

    Alison Telfer & James Barber

  3. Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Center for the Study of Early Events in Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA

    Su Lin & Robert E. Blankenship

  4. Service de Biophysique des Fonctions Membranaires, DBJC/CEA & URA 2096/CNRS, CEA-Saclay, 91191, Gif-sur-Yvette Cedex, France

    Andrew Pascal

Authors
  1. Min Chen
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  2. Alison Telfer
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  3. Su Lin
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  4. Andrew Pascal
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  5. Anthony W. D. Larkum
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  6. James Barber
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  7. Robert E. Blankenship
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Correspondence to Alison Telfer.

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Dedicated to Professor James Barber on the occasion of his 65th birthday.

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Chen, M., Telfer, A., Lin, S. et al. The nature of the photosystem II reaction centre in the chlorophyll d-containing prokaryote, Acaryochloris marina. Photochem Photobiol Sci 4, 1060–1064 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1039/b507057k

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