Abstract
A brief history of the discovery of photosynthetic phosphorylation by chloroplasts and bacterial chromatophores is presented. Arnon early introduced the terminology of ‘Cyclic’ and ‘Non-cyclic photophosphorylation’ and ‘Cyclic’ and ‘Non-Cyclic electron transport’ to the processes observed in illuminated chloroplasts. He made major contributions to the elucidation of these processes and stressed their great biological significance. Investigations of the electron transport components of chromatophores have led to the isolation, purification and crystallization of bacterial reaction centers. The development of three-dimensional molecular structures, and the characterization of their electron transfer components have provided a great deal of information about the early reactions of bacterial photosynthesis. The electron transfer schemes presented clearly support the ‘cyclic’ nature of light-induced electron transfer. Recent developments in the understanding of ATP synthesis in oxidative phosphorylation by mitochondria and in photophosphorylation by chloroplasts and bacterial chromatophores are discussed.
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Abbreviations
- ADP, ATP:
-
adenosine 5′-di- and triphosphates
- NADP+, NADPH:
-
oxidized and reduced Nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate
- RC:
-
reaction center
- EPR:
-
electron paramagnetic resonance
- F0F1 :
-
ATP-synthase (synthetase) of mitochondria, chloroplasts, and of chromatophores
- F0 :
-
membrane portion of ATP-synthase
- F1-ATPase:
-
water soluble sector of ATP-synthase
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Frenkel, A.W. Photosynthetic phosphorylation. Photosynth Res 46, 73–77 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020417
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020417
Key words
- chloroplasts
- bacterial chromatophores
- photosynthetic phosphorylation
- cyclic photophosphorylation
- non-cyclic photophosphorylation
- cyclic electron transport
- non-cyclic electron transport
- mitochondria
- oxidative phosphorylation
- proton gradients
- coupling factors
- energy coupling reactions
- binding change mechanisms
- catalytic cooperativity