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Isolation and characterization of Photosystem I from two strains of the marine oxychlorobacterium Prochlorococcus

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Abstract

Photosystem I (PS I) complexes from two strains of the marine photosynthetic prokaryote Prochlorococcus, MED4 (= clone CCMP1378) and SS120 (= clone CCMP1375), were isolated by centrifugation on sucrose gradients after detergent treatment. The PS I-enriched fractions of both strains contained about 100 chlorophyll molecules per P700. Electron microscopy showed that the PS I complexes were in a trimeric form. The characteristic long wavelength fluorescence emission of PS I at 77 K, currently observed in chloroplasts and most cyanobacteria was absent both in intact cells and in PS I preparations of both strains. The major proteins of the PS I-enriched fractions were identified immunologically as PsaA and PsaB. Two proteins with apparent molecular masses of about 21 and 25 kDa were present in PS I preparations of Prochlorococcus, whereas the small PS I subunits in cyanobacteria all have molecular masses below 18 kDa. The 25 kDa protein showed a strong cross-reaction with a heterologous antibody against PsaL. Relatedness of the 21 kDa protein to PsaF was demonstrated by internal protein sequencing. Although only trace amounts of the major divinyl-Chl a/b-binding antenna complexes were present in the PS I preparations, significant amounts of divinyl-Chl b were observed in this fraction. The putative organization of this Chl b in PS I is discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Observatoire Océanologique de Roscoff, CNRS et, Université, Paris 6, Station Biologique, BP 74, o[F-29682, Roscoff Cedex, France

    Laurence Garczarek & Frédéric Partensky

  2. Observatoire Océanologique de Roscoff, CNRS et, Université, Paris 6, Station Biologique, BP 74, F-29682, Roscoff Cedex, France

    Georg W. M. van der Staay & Jean Claude Thomas

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  1. Laurence Garczarek
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  2. Georg W. M. van der Staay
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  3. Jean Claude Thomas
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  4. Frédéric Partensky
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Garczarek, L., van der Staay, G.W.M., Thomas, J.C. et al. Isolation and characterization of Photosystem I from two strains of the marine oxychlorobacterium Prochlorococcus. Photosynthesis Research 56, 131–141 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006049832657

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006049832657

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