title: Retardation of photo-induced changes in Photosystem I submembrane particles by glycinebetaine and sucrose.
abstract: The protective role of co-solutes (glycinebetaine and sucrose) against photodamage in isolated Photosystem (PS) I submembrane particles illuminated (2000 muE m(-2) s(-1)) for various time periods at 4 degrees C was studied. The photochemical activity of PS I in terms of electron transport measured as oxygen uptake and P700 photooxidation was significantly protected. A photoinduced enhancement of oxygen uptake observed during the first hours of strong light illumination attributed to denaturation or dissociation of membrane-bound superoxide dismutase [Rajagopal et al. (2003) Photochem. Photobiol 77: 284-291] was also retarded by glycinebetaine and sucrose. Chlorophyll photobleaching resulting in a decrease of absorbance and a blue-shift of the absorbance maximum in the red was greatly delayed in the presence of co-solutes. This phenomenon was also observed in the chlorophyll-protein (CP) complexes of PS I particles exposed to strong illumination separated on non-denaturing poly-acrylamide gels. In this case, a decrease in the absorbance of the CP1b band coinciding with an increase of CP1a during the course of illumination and ascribed to oxidative cross-linking (Rajagopal et al. 2003) was also retarded. Our results, thus, clearly demonstrated for the first time that co-solutes could minimize the alteration of photochemical activity and chlorophyll-protein complexes against photodamage of PS I submembranes particles.
authors.affiliation: Groupe de Recherche en Energie et Information Biomoléculaires, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, C.P. 500, Trois-Rivières, Québec, Canada, G9A 5H7, Robert_Carpentier@uqtr.ca.
authors.forename: Subramanyam
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rajagopal
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Carpentier