Light-induced excitation energy redistribution in Spirulina platensis cells: "spillover" or "mobile PBSs"?

Biochim Biophys Acta. 2004 Feb 15;1608(2-3):114-21. doi: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2003.11.002.

Abstract

State transitions induced by light and redox were investigated by observing the 77 K fluorescence spectra for the intact cells of Spirulina platensis. To clarify if phycobilisomes (PBSs) take part in the state transition, the contributions of PBSs to light-induced state transition were studied in untreated cells and the cells treated by betaine which fixed PBSs firmly on the thylakoid membranes. It was observed that the betaine-treated cells did not show any light-induced state transition. This result definitely confirmed that the light-induced excitation energy regulation between the two photosystems is mainly dependent on a spatial movement of PBSs on the thylakoid membranes, which makes PBS cores partially decoupled from photosystem II (PSII) while PBS rods more strongly coupled with photosystem I (PSI) during the transition from state 1 to state 2. On the other hand, an energy exchange between the two photosystems was observed in both untreated and betaine-treated cells during redox-induced state transition. These observations suggested that two different mechanisms were involved in the light-induced state transition and the redox-induced one. The former involves only a physical movement of PBSs, while the latter involves not only the movement of PBS but also energy spillover from PSII to PSI. A model for light-induced state transition was proposed based on the current results as well as well known knowledge.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Betaine / pharmacology
  • Cyanobacteria / drug effects
  • Cyanobacteria / metabolism*
  • Cyanobacteria / radiation effects
  • Fluorescence
  • Light*
  • Oxidation-Reduction / drug effects
  • Photosystem I Protein Complex / chemistry
  • Photosystem I Protein Complex / metabolism
  • Photosystem II Protein Complex / chemistry
  • Photosystem II Protein Complex / metabolism
  • Phycobilisomes / drug effects
  • Phycobilisomes / metabolism*
  • Thylakoids / drug effects
  • Thylakoids / metabolism

Substances

  • Photosystem I Protein Complex
  • Photosystem II Protein Complex
  • Phycobilisomes
  • Betaine