Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Competition between annihilation and trapping leads to strongly reduced yields of photochemistry under ps-flash excitation

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
Photosynthesis Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Excitation of photosynthetic systems with short intense flashes is known to lead to exciton-exciton annihilation processes. Here we quantify the effect of competition between annihilation and trapping for Photosystem II, Photosystem I (thylakoids from peas and membranes from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp.), as well as for the purple bacterium Rhodospirillum rubrum. In none of the cases it was possible to reach complete product saturation (i.e. closure of reaction centers) even with an excitation energy exceeding 10 hits per photosynthetic unit. The parameter α introduced by Deprez et al. ((1990) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1015: 295–303) describing the competition between exciton-exciton annihilation and trapping was calculated to range between ≈4.5 (PS II) and ≈6 (Rs. rubrum). The rate constants for bimolecular exciton-exciton annihilation ranged between (42 ps)-1 and (2.5 ps)-1 for PS II and PS I-membranes of Synechocystis, respectively. The data are interpreted in terms of hopping times (i.e. mean residence time of the excited state on a chromophore) according to random walk in isoenergetic antenna.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

DCMU:

3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea

LHC II:

light harvesting complex II

P:

primary donor

PS I:

Photosystem I

PS II:

Photosystem II

PSU:

photosynthetic unit

RC:

reaction center

References

  • Bakker JGC, van Grondelle R and Den Hollander WTF (1983) Trapping, loss and annihilation of excitations in a photosynthetic system. II. Experiments with the purple bacteria Rhodospirillum rubrum and Rhodopseudomonas capsulata. Biochim Biophys Acta 725: 508–518

    Google Scholar 

  • Berthold DA, Babcock GT and Yocum CF (1981) A highly resolved, oxygen-evolving photosystem II preparation from spinach thylakoid membranes. FEBS Lett 134: 231–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bottin H and Sétif P (1991) Inhibition of electron transfer from A0 to A1 in photosystem I after treatment in darkness at low redox potential. Biochim Biophys Acta 1057: 331–336

    Google Scholar 

  • Breton J and Geacintov NE (1980) Picosecond fluorescence kinetics and fast energy transfer processes in photosynthetic membranes. Biochim Biophys Acta 594: 1–32

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Deinum G (1991) Excitation migration in photosynthetic antenna systems. Doctoral Thesis, The University of Leiden, The Netherlands

    Google Scholar 

  • Deinum G, Aartsma TJ, van Grondelle R and Amesz J (1989) Singlet-singlet exciton annihilation measurements on the antenna of Rhodospirillum rubrum between 300 and 4 K. Biochim Biophys Acta 976: 63–69

    Google Scholar 

  • Delepelaire P and Bennoun P (1978) Energy transfer and site of energy trapping in photosystem I. Biochim Biophys Acta 502: 183–187

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Den Hollander WTF, Bakker JGC and van Grondelle R (1983) Trapping, loss and annihilation of excitations in a photosynthetic system. I. Theroretical aspects. Biochim Biophys Acta 725: 492–507

    Google Scholar 

  • Deprez J, Dobek A, Geacintov NE, Paillotin G and Breton J (1983) Probing fluorescence induction in chloroplasts on a nanosecond time scale utilizing picosecond laser pulse pairs. Biochim Biophys Acta 725: 444–454

    Google Scholar 

  • Deprez J, Paillotin G, Dobek A, Leibl W, Trissl H-W and Breton J (1990) Competition between energy trapping and exciton annihilation in the lake model of the photosynthetic membrane of purple bacteria. Biochim Biophys Acta 1015: 295–303

    Google Scholar 

  • Emerson R and Arnold W (1932) The photochemical reaction center in photosynthesis. J Gen Physiol 16: 191–205

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gätner W and Towner P (1995) Invertebrate visual pigments. Photochem Photobiol 62: 1–16

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Geacintov NE and Breton J (1987) Energy transfer and fluorescence mechanisms in photosynthetic membranes. Crit Rev Plant Sci 5: 1–44

    Google Scholar 

  • Hecks B, Breton J, Leibl W, Wulf K and Trissl H-W (1994) Primary charge separation in photosystem I: A picosecond two-step electrogenic charge separation connected with P700+A0 --and P700+A1 --formation. Biochemistry 33: 8619–8624

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Holzwarth AR (1991) Excited state kinetics in chlorophyll systems and its relationship to the functional organization of the photosystems. In: Scheer H (ed) The Chlorophylls, pp 1125–1151. CRC Press, Boca Raton, Ann Arbor

    Google Scholar 

  • Junge W (1976) Flash kinetic spectrophotometry in the study of plant pigments. In: Goodwin W (ed) Chemistry and Biochemistry of Plant Pigments, pp 233–333. Academic Press, London, New York, San Francisco

    Google Scholar 

  • Karrasch S, Bullough PA and Ghosh R (1995) The 8.5 Å projection map of the light-harvesting complex I from Rhodospirillum rubrum reveals a ring composed of 16 subunits. EMBO J 14: 631–638

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kingma H, Duysens LNM and van Grondelle R (1983) Magnetic field-stimulated luminescence and a matrix model for energy transfer. A new method for determining the redox state of the first quinone acceptor in the reaction center of whole cells of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Biochim Biophys Acta 725: 434–443

    Google Scholar 

  • Lavergne J and Trissl H-W (1995) Theory of fluorescence induction in Photosystem II: derivation of analytical expressions in a model including exciton-radical pair equilibrium and restricted energy transfer between photosynthetic units. Biophys J 65: 2474–2492

    Google Scholar 

  • Leibl W, Breton J, Deprez J and Trissl H-W (1989) Photoelectric study on the kinetics of trapping and charge stabilization in oriented PS II membranes. Photosynth Res 22: 257–275

    Google Scholar 

  • McRae EG and Kasha M (1958) Enhancement of phosphorescence ability upon aggregation of dye molecules. J Chem Phys 28: 721–722

    Google Scholar 

  • Montroll EW (1969) Random walks on lattices. III. Calculation of first-passage times with application to exciton trapping on photosynthetic units. J Math Phys 10: 753–765

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Moskowitz E and Malley MM (1978) Energy transfer and photooxidation kinetics in reaction centers on the picosecond time scale. Photochem Photobiol 27: 55–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Ono T and Inoue Y (1985) S-state turnover in O2-evolving system of CaCl2-washed photosystem II particles depleted of 3 peripheral proteins as measured by thermoluminescence. Removal of 33 kDa protein inhibits S3 to S4 transition. Biochim Biophys Acta 806: 331–340

    Google Scholar 

  • Paillotin G, Swenberg CE, Breton J and Geacintov NE (1979) Analysis of picosecond laser-induced fluorescence phenomena in photosynthetic membranes utilizing a master equation approach. Biophys J 25: 513–533

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pearlstein RM (1982a) Exciton migration and trapping in photosynthesis. Photochem Photobiol 35: 835–844

    Google Scholar 

  • Pearlstein RM (1982b) Chlorophyll singlet excitons. In: Govindjee (ed) Photosynthesis: Energy Conversion by Plants and Bacteria, pp 293–330. Academic Press, New York, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Polle A and Junge W (1986) The slow rise of the flash-light-induced alkalization by photosystem II of the suspending medium of thylakoids is reversibly related to thylakoid stacking. Biophys Biophys Acta 848: 257–264

    Google Scholar 

  • Roelofs TA, Lee C-H and Holzwarth AR (1992) Global target analysis of picosecond chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics from pea chloroplasts. A new approach to the characterization of the primary processes in photosystem II α-and β-units. Biophys J 61: 1147–1163

    Google Scholar 

  • Trissl H-W, Leibl W, Deprez J, Dobek A and Breton J (1987) Trapping and annihilation in the antenna system of photosystem I. Biochim Biophys Acta 893: 320–332

    Google Scholar 

  • Trissl H-W, Breton J, Deprez J, Dobek A and Leibl W (1990) Trapping kinetics, annihilation, and quantum yield in the photosynthetic purple bacterium Rps. viridis as revealed by electric measurement of the primary charge separation. Biochim Biophys Acta 1015: 322–333

    Google Scholar 

  • van Grondelle R (1985) Excitation energy transfer, trapping and annihilation in photosynthetic systems. Biochim Biophys Acta 811: 147–195

    Google Scholar 

  • van Grondelle R, Dekker JP, Gillbro T and Sundström V (1994) Energy transfer and trapping in photosynthesis. Biochim Biophys Acta 1187: 1–65

    Google Scholar 

  • Vos M, van Grondelle R, van der Krooij FW, van de Poll D, Amesz J and Duysens LNM (1986) Singlet-singlet annihilation at low temperatures in the antenna of purple bacteria. Biochim Biophys Acta 850: 501–512

    Google Scholar 

  • Wulf K and Trissl H-W (1995) Fast photovoltage measurements in photosynthesis: I. Theory and data evaluation. Biospectroscopy 1: 55–69

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Abteilung Biophysik, Fachbereich Biologie/Chemie, Universität Osnabrück, Barbarastraße 11, D-49069, Osnabrück, Germany

    Karsten Wulf & Hans-Wilhelm Trissl

Authors
  1. Karsten Wulf
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Hans-Wilhelm Trissl
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Wulf, K., Trissl, HW. Competition between annihilation and trapping leads to strongly reduced yields of photochemistry under ps-flash excitation. Photosynth Res 48, 255–262 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041016

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041016

Key words

Search

Navigation