title: State transitions in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The role of the Mehler reaction in state 2-to-state 1 transition.
abstract: The light intensity-dependent transition to state 1 of dark-adapted anaerobic state 2 Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells is stimulated by oxygen and by other electron acceptors for photosystem I, such as oxaloacetate and methylviologen. This suggests that the transition to state 1 requires the oxidation of the intersystem chain by photosystem I photochemistry. On the other hand, the mere oxidation in the dark of the chain-by addition of O2-leads only to a slow and incomplete transition. The light-driven stimulation by O2 of the state 1 transition is saturated at an O2 concentration of 15 to 20 microm, definitely higher than that of respiration. We suggest that this may represent the affinity for oxygen of the Mehler reaction, a conclusion that is confirmed by the observations that mitochondrial respiration is apparently not involved in modulating state 2-to-state 1 transition. The catalysis of the state 2-to-state 1 transition upon illumination of anaerobically adapted algae might represent, therefore, a relevant physiological role of this process in C. reinhardtii.
authors.affiliation: Istituto di Biofisica del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Sezione di Milano Dipartimento di Biologia, Milan 20133, Italy. giorgio.forti@unimi.it
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forti
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Caldiroli
mesh_terms: D020418:Algal Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D016825:Chlamydomonas reinhardtii / Q000378:metabolism*; D004579:Electron Transport / Q000502:physiology; D008027:Light; D010100:Oxygen / Q000502:physiology; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D020418:Algal Proteins; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D010100:Oxygen