Chlorophyll Composition and Photochemical Activity of Photosystems Detached from Chloroplast Grana and Stroma Lamellae

Abstract

A stroma fraction that has photosystem 1 activity and grana lamellae fractions that have activities for both photosystems were isolated by differential centrifugation of a needle valve homogenate. Subsequent fractions, corresponding to photosystems 1 (F-1D) and 2 (F-2D) were isolated by digitonin treatment of the grana lamellae (P-10K) and compared with respect to their chlorophyll composition and electron transport activities.Fraction F-2D from grana lamellae having photosystem 2 activity is primarily active in photosystem 2 and contains only the four major forms of chlorophyll a with a predominance of chlorophyll a 677 nm. This fraction differs from the original grana membranes in the absence of the longwavelength form of chlorophyll a and in the widening of the absorption band of chlorophyll a 682 nm from 10.9 to 15.6 nm.Photosystem 1 particles from grana and stroma both have high photosystem 1 activity but differ from each other in the proportions of the four major forms of chlorophyll a. The short-wavelength forms of chlorophyll a and also chlorophyll b 650 nm in particles from grana lamellae comprise relatively more total area than these same forms in the particles from stroma. In addition, the fraction corresponding to photosystem 1 from grana lamellae is not shifted to the long-wavelength side of the main absorption maximum, as compared to the photosystem 2 particles from grana and the original grana membrane fraction; this is usually observed in fractions that have photosystem 1 activity. Furthermore, the longest wavelength form of chlorophyll a in the photosystem 1 particles from grana is at 700 nm, while in the same fraction from stroma, it is at 706 nm.The half-width of the four main forms of chlorophyll a and both forms of chlorophyll b in the photosystem 1 fraction from grana is narrower than that of the corresponding forms in the same fraction from stroma. This may indicate a different packing of pigment molecules that are aggregated on the surface of membranes of these two fractions.