title: Kinetics of electron transfer from Q(a) to Q(b) in photosystem II.
abstract: The oxidation kinetics of the reduced photosystem II electron acceptor Q(A)(-) was investigated by measurement of the chlorophyll fluorescence yield transients on illumination of dark-adapted spinach chloroplasts by a series of saturating flashes. Q(A)(-) oxidation depends on the occupancy of the "Q(B) binding site", where this reaction reduces plastoquinone to plastoquinol in two successive photoreactions. The intermediate, one-electron-reduced plastosemiquinone anion Q(B)(-) remains tightly bound, and its reduction by Q(A)(-) may proceed with simple first-order kinetics. The next photoreaction, in contrast, may find the Q(B) binding site occupied by a plastoquinone, a plastoquinol, or neither of the two, resulting in heterogeneous Q(A)(-) oxidation kinetics. The assumption of monophasic Q(B)(-) reduction kinetics is shown to allow unambiguous decomposition of the observed multiphasic Q(A)(-) oxidation. At pH 6.5 the time constant for Q(A)(-) oxidation was found to be 0.2-0.4 ms with Q(B) in the site, 0.6-0.8 ms with Q(B)(-) in the site, 2-3 ms when the site is empty and Q(B) has to bind first, and of the order of 0.1 s if the site is temporarily blocked by the presence of Q(B)H(2) or other low-affinity inhibitors such as carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP). Effects of pH and H(2)O/D(2)O exchange were found to be remarkably nonspecific. No influence of the S-states could be demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biophysics, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de Wijn
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: van Gorkom
mesh_terms: D004579:Electron Transport; D007700:Kinetics; D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D010084:Oxidation-Reduction; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000737:chemistry / Q000378:metabolism*; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex; D013050:Spectrometry, Fluorescence
chemical_list: D045342:Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex