chlorophyll and pheophytin-a

Phosphorescence characterized by the main emission band at 952 ± 1 nm (1.30 eV), the lifetime of 1.5 ± 0.1 ms and the quantum yield nearly equal to that for monomeric chlorophyll a in aqueous detergent dispersions, has been detected in isolated reaction centers (RCs) of spinach photosystem II at 77 K. The excitation spectrum shows maxima corresponding to absorption bands of chlorophyll a, pheophytin a, and β-carotene. The phosphorescence intensity strongly depends upon the redox state of RCs. The data suggest that the phosphorescence signal originates from the chlorophyll triplet state populated via charge recombination in the radical pair [Formula: see text].

Topics: beta Carotene; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Cold Temperature; Luminescent Measurements; Pheophytins; Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; Photosystem II Protein Complex; Spinacia oleracea

Biological photosynthetic machineries, such as photosystem I, photosystem II, or the bacterial reaction center, use cofactor molecules that absorb light or directly participate in chemical reactions. Accurate description of the structure of the cofactors, and of their interactions with protein groups, is an important step toward understanding how photosynthetic machineries work. Here we revisit the classical force field parameters for chlorophyll-a, pheophytin-a and plastoquinone-9. We present systematic quantum mechanical and classical mechanical computations that lead to a good description of the structure and non-bonded interactions of these cofactors.

Topics: Chlorophyll; Models, Molecular; Molecular Structure; Pheophytins; Photosystem II Protein Complex; Plastoquinone; Quantum Theory

Reversed-phase HPLC conditions for separation of chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl a' (the C132-epimer of Chl a), pheophytin (Pheo) a (the primary electron acceptor of photosystem (PS) II), and phylloquinone (PhQ) (the secondary electron acceptor of PS 1), have been developed. Pigment extraction conditions were optimized in terms of pigment alteration and extraction efficiency. Pigment composition analysis of light-harvesting complex II, which would not contain Chl a' nor Pheo a, showed the Chl a'/Chl a ratio of 3-4 x 10(-4) and the Pheo a/Chl a ratio of 4-5 x 10(-4), showing that the conditions developed here were sufficiently inert for Chl analysis. Preliminary analysis of thylakoid membranes with this analytical system gave the PhQ/Chl a' ratio of 0.58 +/- 0.03 (n = 4), in line with the stoichiometry of one molecule of Chl a' per PS I.

Topics: Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Light; Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes; Pheophytins; Photosynthesis; Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; Plant Proteins; Spinacia oleracea; Thylakoids; Time Factors; Vitamin K 1

Normal-phase HPLC conditions have been developed for separating the C17(3) isoprenoid isomers, which are expected to be formed as biosynthetic intermediates of chlorophyll (Chl) a, Chl a' (C13(2)-epimer of Chl a), pheophytin (Pheo) a and protochlorophyll (PChl). The application of these conditions to pigment composition analysis of greening etiolated barley leaves allowed us to detect, for the first time, the C17(3) isomers of Chl a', a possible constituent of the primary electron donor of photosystem (PS) I, P700, and those of Pheo a, the primary electron acceptor of PS II, in the very early stage of greening. The C17(3) isomer distribution patterns were approximately the same between Chl a and Chl a', but significantly different between Pheo a and Chl a', probably reflecting the similarity and difference, respectively, in the biosynthetic pathways of these pigment pairs.

Topics: Carbohydrate Sequence; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; Hordeum; Isomerism; Pheophytins; Plant Leaves; Plant Proteins