Studies on well-coupled Photosystem-I-enriched subchloroplast vesicles. Discrimination of flash-induced fast and slow electric potential components

The interaction of potential-sensitive molecular probes with dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles investigated by 31P-NMR and electron microscopy

The effect of a number of commonly employed potential-sensitive molecular probes on the 31P-NMR properties of dimyristoylphosphatidylcholine vesicles at two field strengths has been investigated in order to obtain information on the location and effect of these probes on the membrane bilayer. In comparison to the control dye-free vesicle spectrum, the probes diS-C3-(5) and diS-C4-(5), when added to a vesicle suspension, cause a substantial broadening of the 31P resonance with no detectable chemical shift within an uncertainty of +/- 0.05 ppm at 24 MHz. The spin-lattice and spin-spin relaxation times are also reduced when the cyanines are present by well over 20% relative to those of the control vesicle preparation. The addition of anionic probes, including several oxonol derivatives and merocyanine 540, causes no chemical shift, line broadening, or changes in the relaxation times. Possible explanations for the failure of the anionic probes to alter the vesicle 31P-NMR properties include charge repulsion between these dyes and the phosphate group that prevents the probes from penetrating the bilayer to a depth sufficient to alter the local motion of the phosphate moiety. The 31P resonance broadening and reduction in the relaxation times caused by the two cyanines is at least in part due to an increase in vesicle size as judged by electron microscopy measurements, although an inhibition of the local phosphate motion as well cannot be completely eliminated. The cyanine-mediated increase in vesicle size appears to be due to an irreversible vesicle-fusion process possibly initiated by the screening of surface charge by these probes. The implications of these observations in relation to functional energy-transducing preparations is discussed.

Dependence of energization of thylakoids on frequency of exciting flashes in intact chloroplasts

We investigated the frequency-dependence of the flash-induced electrochromic absorbance change, ΔA515, and of the pH-indicating absorbance change of neutral red in isolated intact chloroplasts. The energization pattern of thylakoids depended strongly on the frequency (f) of the exciting flashes, tested between 0.05 and 2 s(-1). When the frequency was increased from 0.1 to 1 s(-1) the total initial change and the slow rise of ΔA515 decreased by about 30% and 70%, respectively, and both the slow rise and decay were considerably accelerated. These changes were fully reversible, even after prolonged excitation at 1 s(-1), if the frequency was decreased again to 0.1 s(-1). Accumulation of an appreciable transmembrane electric field strength could not be detected in any of our experiments, at high frequency, since the decay of ΔA515 was considerably accelerated when the frequency was increased. In contrast, ΔpH significantly increased at higher frequencies of the exciting flashes. In the steady-state (after about 100 flashes) ΔpH was about 0.5-0.8 pH unit higher than in the dark or at low frequencies. In the presence of nigericin or dithionite, both of which prevented accumulation of protons in the lumen, the total initial change in ΔA515 at f=1 s(-1) relative to that at f=0.1 s(-1) decreased to a similar extent as in the control. The proportion of the slow rise relative to the initial amplitude, however, did not decrease. Our data support the suggestion that ΔpH controls the amplitude of the slow rise of ΔA515. However, contrary to a previous statement (B. Bouges-Bouquet (1981) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 535, 327-340), we show that the ΔpH effect cannot be accounted for by variation of the rate of this kinetic component of ΔA515.