Abstract
Pheophytin and chlorophyll extracted from oxygen-evolving photosystem II particles, chloroplast thylakoids and cyanobacterial cells were separated by column chromatography with DEAE-Toyopearl, and quantitatively determined by spectrophotometry. The molecular ratio of chlorophyll a+b to pheophytin a was about 100 in spinach photosystem II particles and about 140 in spinach thylakoids. Using flash spectrophotometry of P680 and measurement of flash-induced oxygen yield, the molecular ratio of the chlorophyll to the photochemical reaction center II was determined to be about 200 in the photosystem II particles. These findings suggest that the stoichiometry in photosystem II particles is one reaction center II and two pheophytin a molecules per about 200 chlorophyll molecules. The same stoichiometry for pheophytin to the reaction center II was obtained in the cyanobacteria, Anacystis nidulans and Synechocystis PCC 6714. A quantitative determination of pheophytin a and the electron donor P700 in stroma thylakoids from pokeweed suggests that photosystem I does not contain pheophytin.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Astier C, Joset-Espardellier F and Meyer I (1979) Areh Microbiol 120:93–96
Cogdell RJ, Brune DC and Clayton RC (1974) FEBS Lett 45:344–347
Conjeaud H, Mathis P and Paillotin G (1979) Biochim Biophys Acta 546:280–291
Herdman M, Delaney SF and Carr NG (1973) J Gen Microbiol 79:233–237
Hiyama T and Ke B (1972) Biochim Biophys Acta 267:160–171
Kawamura M, Mimuro M and Fujita Y (1979) Plant Cell Physiol 20:697–705
Klimov VV, Klevanik AV, Shuvalov VA and Krasnovsky AA (1977) FEBS Lett 82:183–186
Kratz WA and Myers J (1955) Amer J Bot 42:282–287
Kuwabara T and Murata N (1982) Plant Cell Physiol 23:533–539
Mackinney G (1941) J Biol Chem 140:315–322
Mathis P and Setif P (1981) Israel J Chem 21:316–320
Murata N and Miyao M (1985) Trends Biochem Sci 10:122–124
Murata N, Miyao M and Kuwabara T (1983) In Inoue Y et al, eds. The Oxygen Evolving System in Photosynthesis, pp. 223–228. Tokyo: Academic Press
Murata N, Miyao M, Omata T, Matsunami H and Kuwabara T (1984) Biochim Biophys Acta 765:363–369
Okamura MY, Isaacson RA and Feher G (1975) Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 72: 3491–3495
Omata T and Murata N (1980) Photochem Photobiol 31:183–185
Omata T, Murata N and Satoh K (1984) Biochim Biophys Acta 765:403–405
Pulles MPJ, van Gorkom HJ and Willemsen JG (1976) Biochim Biophys Acta 449:536–540
Satoh K and Mathis P (1981). Photobiochem Photobiophys 2:189–198
Sesták Z (1971). In Sesták Z et al, eds. Plant Photosynthetic production, pp. 672–701. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff/Dr. W. Junk Publishers
Shuvalov VA and Klimov VV (1976). Biochim Biophys Acta 440:587–599
Suzuki K (1977). ‘Photosynthetic Organelles’ Special Issue of Plant Cell Physiol, pp. 415–425
Van Best JA and Mathis P (1978) Biochim Biophys Acta 503:178–188
Van Gorkom HJ (1974) Biochim Biophys Acta 347:439–442
Vernon LP (1960) Anal Chem 32:1144–1150
Watanabe T, Hongu A, Honda K, Nakazato M, Konno M and Saitoh S (1984) Anal Chem 56:251–256
Watanabe T, Kebayashi M, Hongu A, Nakazato M, Hiyama T and Murata N (1985) FEBS Lett in press
Watanabe T, Nakazato M, Mazaki H, Hongu A, Konno M, Saltoh S and Honda K (1985) Biochim Biophys Acta 807:110–117
Wilson JR, Nutting M-D and Bailey GF (1962) Anal Chem 34:1331–1332
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
Dedicated to Prof. L.N.M. Duysens on the occasion of his retirement.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Murata, N., Araki, S., Fujita, Y. et al. Stoichiometric determination of pheophytin in photosystem II of oxygenic photosynthesis. Photosynth Res 9, 63–70 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029732
Received:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00029732