Vyacheslav B Kovalev, Alexey A Zabelin, Anton M Khristin, Ravil A Khatypov, Anatoly Ya Shkuropatov
{"title":"On the unidirectionality of electron transfer in reaction centers of Chloroflexus aurantiacus.","authors":"Vyacheslav B Kovalev, Alexey A Zabelin, Anton M Khristin, Ravil A Khatypov, Anatoly Ya Shkuropatov","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01223-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01223-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>A characteristic feature of the reaction center (RC) of the filamentous phototrophic bacterium Chloroflexus (Cfl.) aurantiacus is the presence of а bacteriopheophytin molecule (BPheo; H) at the ϕ<sub>B</sub> binding site, corresponding to the bacteriochlorophyll B<sub>B</sub> site in purple bacterial RCs. Changes in primary photochemistry in Q<sub>A</sub>-depleted Cfl. aurantiacus RCs caused by chemical exchange of BPheo molecules with 13<sup>1</sup>-deoxo-13<sup>1</sup>-hydroxy-pheophytin a (13<sup>1</sup>-OH-Pheo) molecules were investigated using femtosecond transient absorption difference spectroscopy. In vitro, 13<sup>1</sup>-OH-Pheo has higher energy Q<sub>x</sub> and Q<sub>y</sub> optical transitions and is harder to reduce than BPheo. Isolated chemically modified RCs had a heterogeneous BPheo composition, and in approximately half of them, H<sub>A</sub> at the photochemically active A cofactor branch and ϕ<sub>B</sub> (and/or H<sub>B</sub>) at the normally inactive B branch were replaced by 13<sup>1</sup>-OH-Pheo. Global analysis indicates that in this RC fraction, ion pairs consisting of P<sup>+</sup> and 13<sup>1</sup>-OH-Pheo<sup>-</sup> are not populated by electron transfer (ET) from the primary electron donor excited state P<sup>*</sup>, and significant (~ 35%) photoinduced B-branch charge separation occurs. The data are discussed using a model in which (i) the introduction of 13<sup>1</sup>-OH-Pheo alters the ET energetics in Q<sub>A</sub>-depleted RCs, (ii) the P<sup>+</sup>H<sub>B</sub><sup>-</sup> state is formed in modified RCs via a P<sup>*</sup> → P<sup>+</sup>H<sub>B</sub><sup>-</sup> superexchange mechanism with the P<sup>+</sup>13<sup>1</sup>-OH-Pheo<sub>ϕB</sub><sup>-</sup> state as a virtual intermediate, (iii) in native Cfl. aurantiacus RCs, the P<sup>*</sup> → P<sup>+</sup>ϕ<sub>B</sub><sup>-</sup> ET occurs in the Marcus inverted region, which slows down this reaction compared to P<sup>*</sup> → P<sup>+</sup>B<sub>A</sub><sup>-</sup> and plays an important role in ensuring unidirectional charge separation through the A branch.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148284169","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Ei Phyo Khaing, Tina C Summerfield, Jack A Forsman, Imre Vass, Priyanka Pradeep Patil, Julian J Eaton-Rye
{"title":"The contribution of the <sup>240</sup>Ala:Glu:Glu:Thr<sup>243</sup> sequence in the DE-loop of D2 to the acceptor side of Photosystem II.","authors":"Ei Phyo Khaing, Tina C Summerfield, Jack A Forsman, Imre Vass, Priyanka Pradeep Patil, Julian J Eaton-Rye","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01222-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01222-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The D2 protein of Photosystem II has five transmembrane helices (A-E). An extended loop, connecting helices D and E, contributes to the binding environments of the primary quinone electron acceptor Q<sub>A</sub>, and that of the bicarbonate bound to the non-heme iron between Q<sub>A</sub> and the secondary quinone electron acceptor Q<sub>B</sub>. The residues from Ala240 to Thr243 are within a conserved sequence (<sup>240</sup>AEETYSMVTAN<sup>250</sup>) that contributes to the stabilization of both Q<sub>A</sub> and bicarbonate. We have created the A240D, E241A, E242A, E242D and T243A mutants to study the role of these residues. The mutations in the A240D and E241A strains had little impact on PS II performance, except addition of formate altered chlorophyll a fluorescence decay in the E241A mutant following a single-turnover actinic flash. Measurements of variable chlorophyll a fluorescence and thermoluminescence showed the E242A and E242D mutants had impaired acceptor side electron transport consistent with a reduced redox gap between Q<sub>A</sub> and Q<sub>B</sub>. In addition, the T243A mutant exhibited a heightened susceptibility to photodamage. These data show that mutations introduced between <sup>241</sup>Glu-Thr<sup>243</sup> of D2 impair PS II activity but are less detrimental than mutations between the corresponding <sup>243</sup>Glu-Thr<sup>245</sup> residues of D1 in the vicinity of the Q<sub>B</sub>-binding site.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13272216/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148259239","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sara Pescador-Dionisio, Adrián Moncholí-Estornell, Mª Pilar Cendrero-Mateo, Eva Neuwirthová, María Jesús Rodrigo, Lorenzo Zacarías, José Moreno, Shari Van Wittenberghe
{"title":"Quick conversions and de novo synthesis within the entire α- and β-carotenoid branches during non-steady-state light transients.","authors":"Sara Pescador-Dionisio, Adrián Moncholí-Estornell, Mª Pilar Cendrero-Mateo, Eva Neuwirthová, María Jesús Rodrigo, Lorenzo Zacarías, José Moreno, Shari Van Wittenberghe","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01221-5","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01221-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Understanding the rapid adjustments of plants to high-light exposure remains challenging, as multiple excitation and de-excitation pathways are simultaneously activated. In this study, we examined carotenoid pigment conversions at the second-scale in three tree species in parallel with high temporal resolution (<1 s) in vivo fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy. Our results reveal that both β-branch (violaxanthin, antheraxanthin, zeaxanthin) and α-branch (lutein, lutein epoxide) xanthophylls exhibit remarkably fast and oscillating pool dynamics within the first 20 seconds of illumination, reaching even maximal values in that timeframe. Prompt (0-20 s) conversion of the lutein is observed at the expense of both lutein epoxide and α-carotene in certain species, while accumulation of antheraxanthin and zeaxanthin is seen both prompt (0-20 s) and slower (>30 s). Interestingly, mirror trends between whole α- and β-branch carotenoids seem to indicate balancing trends, involving dynamic precursor shifts between α- and β-carotenes. Further, we observe that quick xanthophyll changes match the kinetic trends of fitted Gaussian-modeled absorbance peaks (approx. at 520, 535, 560 nm) within the early seconds. These quick changes in photon absorption are followed by slower-triggered non-photochemical de-excitation through a particular xanthophyll, seen from the dominant 535-nm peak, and likely attributed to antheraxanthin or zeaxanthin. The quick xanthophylls conversion redistributing the excessive excitation energy while quenching fluorescence (EET phase) is shown as one of the first responses to excessive light, before regulated energy dissipation as heat is initiated. These observations invite to interpret the non-steady state conditions and their parametrization more carefully, considering different photoprotective strategies across species.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13242464/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148194883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Q<sub>A</sub> and Q<sub>B</sub> reduction states induce protein dynamics underlying the dual phase fluorescence rise in Photosystem II.","authors":"Agu Laisk","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01219-z","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01219-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In photosystem II (PSII) chlorophyll (Chl) fluorescence yield (F) rises during low-to-high light induction. Based on a critical review of the literature, the following evidence is summarized. (1) As the primary acceptor quinone Q<sub>A</sub> gets reduced, fluorescence immediately rises to F<sub>c</sub> =1.8 F<sub>o</sub>. (2) During microseconds of illumination following Q<sub>A</sub> reduction, F<sub>c</sub> rises to F<sub>f</sub> where excitation is terminated via carotenoid triplet states (<sup>3</sup>Car). (3) After many milliseconds of illumination, as the secondary acceptor quinone Q<sub>B</sub> is reduced, fluorescence rises to a maximum F<sub>m</sub>, wherein excitation is still terminated via <sup>3</sup>Car. This dual phase fluorescence rise is driven by protein conformation changes. The two phases suggest that the C2S2M2 structure of the PSII dimer (Caffarri et al. 2009) may be rewritten as 2SCM such that for a monomer the arrangement is S - CP43 - D1D2 - CP47 - M. The D1- and D2- antenna branches are excitonically separated. Fluorescence of the D1 pigment-protein branch rises during microseconds after Q<sub>A</sub> reduction, that of the D2 branch rises on a time scale of milliseconds during Q<sub>B</sub> reduction. A hypothesis is proposed here based on electrostatic profiling of photosynthetic pigments (Sirohiwal et al. 2021; Saito et al. 2023). When acceptor quinones are oxidized excitation flows through the stromal Chl layer of Chl-proteins CP43 and CP47 to the photochemical Pheophytin/Chl based reaction center. As Q<sub>A</sub> gets reduced during microseconds in CP43, and Q<sub>B</sub> gets reduced during milliseconds in CP47, an associated dynamic signal induces protein conformation changes shifting excitations from the stromal to the lumenal Chl layer. With this, excitation becomes diverted from the photosynthetic reaction center and connected to the characteristically lumenal ChlZ<sub>D1</sub> and ChlZ<sub>D2</sub>. Together with their nearby Car<sub>D1</sub> and Car<sub>D2</sub> these ChlsZ form quenching centers, terminating excitation via <sup>3</sup>Car with a lifetime of about 1 ns, sufficient to induce the maximum F<sub>m</sub> fluorescence.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-27","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148034112","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Loris Marcel, James T Simon, Joshua M Lawrence, Svetlana Menkin, Adrian C Barbrook, R Ellen R Nisbet, Christopher J Howe, Jenny Z Zhang
{"title":"Extracellular electron transfer by the cultured coral photosymbiont Symbiodinium microadriaticum.","authors":"Loris Marcel, James T Simon, Joshua M Lawrence, Svetlana Menkin, Adrian C Barbrook, R Ellen R Nisbet, Christopher J Howe, Jenny Z Zhang","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01218-0","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01218-0","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Photosynthetic microorganisms may show extracellular electron transfer (EET), in which some of the electrons generated by photosynthesis or respiration are lost from the cell. Most studies have focussed on cyanobacteria, with very few on eukaryotic algae. Here we demonstrate EET from the eukaryotic dinoflagellate alga Symbiodinium microadriaticum, a species that can form symbiosis with corals and other Cnidaria. We show that the EET involves diffusible electroactive species, which may represent a previously unsuspected route for communication between symbionts and hosts. We show that EET can be used to study photosynthetic and respiratory functions in the dinoflagellate. We also show that it can provide information on the effects of environmental stresses including changes in temperature (linked to coral bleaching), pH and light intensity. The electrochemical platform outlined in this study offers a novel tool for studying dinoflagellate physiology, the coral-dinoflagellate symbiosis, and the molecular mechanisms of bleaching.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13201290/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148016748","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Exciton structure of LHCII antenna revisited: complex time-dependent Redfield approach.","authors":"Vladimir I Novoderezhkin","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01220-6","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01220-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>We develop the exciton model of the major light-harvesting complex LHCII from higher plants based on complex time-dependent Redfield (ctR) theory. A simultaneous quantitative fit of the absorption, linear dichroism, and fluorescence spectra allowed us to obtain the site energies of 14 chlorophylls (Chl) within monomeric subunit of the trimeric LHCII antenna. These site energies are noticeably different from those defined in the former exciton model of the complex based on modified Redfield (mR) theory. At the same time there are similarities in distribution of the pigment participations to the exciton states in the ctR and mR models. In both models the blue-most is the Chl b606 site, the Chl a604 pigment is a long-lived intermediate peaking between the Chls b and Chls a bands, and the red-most trap is located at Chl a610. We suggest that the site energies and other parameters emerging from the present ctR model should be used in order to get more realistic (comparing to mR) treatment of the spectra and excitation dynamics in LHCII antenna.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148005883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Amala Phadkule, Amit Srivastava, Alexandria Alailima Martin, Lauren G Dome, Steven D McKenzie, Sujith Puthiyaveetil, Mike Reppert
{"title":"Tuning the F695 fluorescent state in photosystem II using site-directed mutagenesis in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.","authors":"Amala Phadkule, Amit Srivastava, Alexandria Alailima Martin, Lauren G Dome, Steven D McKenzie, Sujith Puthiyaveetil, Mike Reppert","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01217-1","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01217-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In photosynthetic proteins, pigments at a higher energy level funnel excitation energy to pigments at a lower energy level. Specifically, in Photosystem II (PSII), energy is transferred downhill to the reaction center (RC), where water splitting occurs. However, the lowest-energy state in PSII is not the RC, but the F695 state, which can be observed using low-temperature spectroscopy. This lowest-energy state is typically assigned to a monomeric pigment, Chl B16 (ligated by His114), but this assignment has been called into question based on theoretical fits to low-temperature spectra. In this study, we set out to test concretely whether the F695 state is localized on Chl B16 using site-directed mutagenesis and 77 K fluorescence spectroscopy. To reduce spectral congestion for whole-cell PSII studies, we developed a background strain (PSI-kd/ΔPBS) that combines a Photosystem I (PSI) knockdown with a Phycobilisome (PBS) knockout. In this background strain, we made site-directed mutations at site Thr5 in the PsbH subunit, which forms a hydrogen bond with the [Formula: see text]-keto group of Chl B16. All mutants were capable of heterotrophic growth (without noticeable differences from wild-type), indicating the PSII function remains intact. As expected for Chl B16-localized fluorescence, the Thr5→Arg mutation red-shifted the F695 state due to the strengthening of the hydrogen bond, while the Thr5→Ala mutation exhibits a blue shift as the hydrogen bond is eliminated. Taken together, these findings provide strong confirmation that Chl B16 is responsible for the lowest-energy state.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-05-18","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13183708/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147974597","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elias Kaiser, Ningyi Zhang, Sarah Berman, Mehrdad Behzadian, Silvere Vialet-Chabrand, Leo F M Marcelis
{"title":"The rate of photosynthetic induction across different light intensities can be approximated using the light response curve of photosynthesis.","authors":"Elias Kaiser, Ningyi Zhang, Sarah Berman, Mehrdad Behzadian, Silvere Vialet-Chabrand, Leo F M Marcelis","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01216-2","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01216-2","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While natural light in plant canopies often fluctuates and shows a large range of possible intensities, the rate of photosynthetic induction is often measured at only two light intensities. This prompts the question as to how the relationship between different light intensities and the rate of photosynthetic induction can be characterized. Using hundreds of measurements of photosynthetic induction at various light intensities in leaves of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum), we found linear relationships between the time to reach 50% of full photosynthetic induction (t50) and the difference between steady-state photosynthesis rates at low and at high light intensities (ΔA). This relationship was strongest at low leaf-to-air vapour pressure deficits (0.5-1.0 kilopascal), and when dark-adapted leaves were excluded. This relationship was documented at different CO2 mole fractions, namely 400 (R2 = 0.86), 600 (R2 = 0.66) and 800 µmol mol− 1 (R2 = 0.92). A survey of the literature suggested that this relationship also exists in various other tree and herbaceous species. The t50- ΔA relationship is particularly useful as proxy for the rate of photosynthetic induction between any two light intensities, through the use of conventional steady-state photosynthesis light response curves. A guide for best practice for characterizing the t50- ΔA relationship in the leaves of interest is provided.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13109170/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147778603","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Changhyeon Kim, Jun Liu, Bruce Bugbee, Marc W van Iersel
{"title":"Anthocyanin concentration across diverse lettuce cultivars decreases photosynthesis similarly at low and high photosynthetic photon flux density.","authors":"Changhyeon Kim, Jun Liu, Bruce Bugbee, Marc W van Iersel","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01215-3","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01215-3","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anthocyanins are non-photosynthetic pigments that absorb photons and thus decrease photosynthesis. Several studies have characterized the reduction in photosynthesis from anthocyanins by comparing high and low anthocyanin genotypes under single light intensity. We hypothesized that high anthocyanin levels would result in a greater reduction in photosynthesis in low than at high PPFD because anthocyanin-induced screening would have a stronger impact under limited conditions. We quantified the reduction of light-saturated gross photosynthesis (Pg) and quantum yield of CO2 (QYCO2) across eight lettuce cultivars ranging from 3.4 to 34 mg m− 2 anthocyanins, and report the photosynthetic effects over a range of wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm. We used spectral reflectance to quantify normalized difference anthocyanin index (NDAI), which ranged from − 0.24 to + 0.12. As expected, photosynthesis decreased as anthocyanin concentration increased, but surprisingly, the photosynthetic reduction was similar over a range of PPFDs from 50 to 1500 µmol m− 2 s− 1. The positive correlation between the absorptance at green wavelengths and NDAI suggest that anthocyanins filtered primarily green photons. Due to the screening effect of the green photons by anthocyanins, Pg and QYCO2 decreased from 45 to 82% with the increase of NDAI across all PPFDs. The similarity in the slopes of light-saturated Pg and maximum QYCO2 over NDAI indicate that the screening effect of anthocyanins was similar from low to high PPFD.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147699495","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Leslie Castillo, Nidhi Patel, Stavroula Nicolaou, Nicole Seliga, Colin Gates
{"title":"Chloride dependence of photosystem II operation in the hypercarbonate-requiring cyanobacterium Limnospira maxima.","authors":"Leslie Castillo, Nidhi Patel, Stavroula Nicolaou, Nicole Seliga, Colin Gates","doi":"10.1007/s11120-026-01214-4","DOIUrl":"10.1007/s11120-026-01214-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The role of chloride on the donor side of Photosystem II (PSII) is considered to be associated with proton removal. These protons are generated at the water oxidizing complex (WOC) during oxidation of water and transferred through specific “water channels” to the lumen. While structural studies have confirmed the presence of chloride at consistent sites near the WOC, the complete mechanism by which chloride ions influence PSII function and stability is not fully resolved. This work utilizes the hypercarbonate-requiring filamentous cyanobacterium Limnospira maxima to investigate these roles through bromide substitution, probing the interdependencies between halide ions and proton transfer in an unusually bicarbonate-rich environment. Bicarbonate has been posited to be a participant in the proton removal process, but also plays roles on the acceptor side of PSII. Low temperature (77 K) spectrofluorometry suggests that halide substitution results in reduced exciton transfer from the phycobilisome to the PSII reaction center. Chlorophyll fast repetition rate (FRR) fluorometry further reveals diminished PSII quantum efficiency under bromide conditions compared to the native chloride containing system. While the rates of electron transfer from QA− to QB were found to be faster in bromide substituted cells, P700 and plastocyanin (PC) redox kinetics reveal a shift in the baseline redox balance of the photosynthetic electron transport chain. Overall, these findings demonstrate that bromide substitution influences the efficiency of proton removal from the WOC despite the elevated bicarbonate concentration in Limnospira maxima, which in turn modulates the distribution of electrons across the photosynthetic apparatus.</p>","PeriodicalId":20130,"journal":{"name":"Photosynthesis Research","volume":"164 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8,"publicationDate":"2026-04-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147675866","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}