Photoprotection in intact cells of photosynthetic bacteria: quenching of bacteriochlorophyll fluorescence by carotenoid triplets

Light-induced reversible reorganizations in closed Type II reaction centre complexes: physiological roles and physical mechanisms

The purpose of this review is to outline our understanding of the nature, mechanism and physiological significance of light-induced reversible reorganizations in closed Type II reaction centre (RC) complexes. In the so-called 'closed' state, purple bacterial RC (bRC) and photosystem II (PSII) RC complexes are incapable of generating additional stable charge separation. Yet, upon continued excitation they display well-discernible changes in their photophysical and photochemical parameters. Substantial stabilization of their charge-separated states has been thoroughly documented-uncovering light-induced reorganizations in closed RCs and revealing their physiological importance in gradually optimizing the operation of the photosynthetic machinery during the dark-to-light transition. A range of subtle light-induced conformational changes has indeed been detected experimentally in different laboratories using different bRC and PSII-containing preparations. In general, the presently available data strongly suggest similar structural dynamics of closed bRC and PSII RC complexes, and similar physical mechanisms, in which dielectric relaxation processes and structural memory effects of proteins are proposed to play important roles.

Correlated clusters of closed reaction centers during induction of intact cells of photosynthetic bacteria

Antenna systems serve to absorb light and to transmit excitation energy to the reaction center (RC) in photosynthetic organisms. As the emitted (bacterio)chlorophyll fluorescence competes with the photochemical utilization of the excitation, the measured fluorescence yield is informed by the migration of the excitation in the antenna. In this work, the fluorescence yield concomitant with the oxidized dimer (P+) of the RC were measured during light excitation (induction) and relaxation (in the dark) for whole cells of photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides lacking cytochrome c2 as natural electron donor to P+ (mutant cycA). The relationship between the fluorescence yield and P+ (fraction of closed RC) showed deviations from the standard Joliot-Lavergne-Trissl model: (1) the hyperbola is not symmetric and (2) exhibits hysteresis. These phenomena originate from the difference between the delays of fluorescence relative to P+ kinetics during induction and relaxation, and in structural terms from the non-random distribution of the closed RCs during induction. The experimental findings are supported by Monte Carlo simulations and by results from statistical physics based on random walk approximations of the excitation in the antenna. The applied mathematical treatment demonstrates the generalization of the standard theory and sets the stage for a more adequate description of the long-debated kinetics of fluorescence and of the delicate control and balance between efficient light harvest and photoprotection in photosynthetic organisms.

Use of a system of differential equations to analyze the functioning of a catalytic bio macromolecule under non equilibrium conditions

The aim of the work is to analyze the response of a biomolecule to an external influence based on the study of its hidden states by identifying differential equations with constant coefficients.

The relevance of the work lies in the fact that often the main reaction of an object to an external action can be represented as a sum of various exponential functions with a common starting point and a material balance equation. In this case, the response of an object to an external action corresponds to a system of differential equations with constant coefficients. This character of the main reaction may be due to the influence of the hidden properties of the object, which play the role of regulatory parameters.

The problem is that the hidden factors and the system of differential equations are not identified. As an object, isolated reaction centers (RC) of the bacteria Rhodobacter sphaeroides, which possess the above properties, has used. Their structure is well studied.

As result of studying of photo excitation processes of the reaction center has shown that electron transfer kinetics (the main reaction) can be approximated by three normalized exponential functions. Program was developed to identify for four differential equations of electron transfer and the balance equation, the behavior of hidden states of the reaction center.

It was concluded that time the dependence the probability density of finding an electron in different conformational states of the reaction center characterizes the space-time changes in the structure of the reaction center.