TY - JOUR
T1 - Picosecond Kinetics of the Initial Photochemical Electron-Transfer Reaction in Bacterial Photosynthetic Reaction Centers
AU - Woodbury, N. W.
AU - Becker, M.
AU - Middendorf, D.
AU - Parson, W. W.
PY - 1985/12/1
Y1 - 1985/12/1
N2 - The absorption changes that occur in reaction centers of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides during the initial photochemical electron-transfer reaction have been examined. Measurements were made between 740 and 1300 nm at 295 and 80 K by using a pulse-probe technique with 610-nm, 0.8-ps flashes. An excited singlet state of the bacteriochlorophyll dimer P∗ was found to give rise to stimulated emission with a spectrum similar to that determined previously for fluorescence from reaction centers. The stimulated emission was used to follow the decay of P∗; its lifetime was 4.1 ± 0.2 ps at 295 K and 2.2 ±0.1 ps at 80 K. Within the experimental uncertainty, the absorption changes associated with the formation of a bacteriopheophytin anion, Bph-, develop in concert with the decay of P∗ at both temperatures, as does the absorption increase near 1250 nm due to the formation of the cation of P, P+. No evidence was found for the formation of a bacteriochlorophyll anion, Bchl-, prior to the formation of Bph-. This is surprising, because in the crystal structure of the Rhodopseudomonas viridis reaction center [Deisenhofer, J., Epp, O., Miki, K., Huber, R., & Michel, H. (1984)/. Mol. Biol. 180, 385-398] a Bchl is located approximately in between P and the Bph. It is possible that Bchl- (or Bchl+) is formed but, due to kinetic or thermodynamic constraints, is never present at a sufficient concentration for us to observe. Alternatively, a virtual charge-transfer state, such as P+BchlBph or PBchl+Bph-, could serve to lower the energy barrier for direct electron transfer between P∗ and the Bph.
AB - The absorption changes that occur in reaction centers of the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides during the initial photochemical electron-transfer reaction have been examined. Measurements were made between 740 and 1300 nm at 295 and 80 K by using a pulse-probe technique with 610-nm, 0.8-ps flashes. An excited singlet state of the bacteriochlorophyll dimer P∗ was found to give rise to stimulated emission with a spectrum similar to that determined previously for fluorescence from reaction centers. The stimulated emission was used to follow the decay of P∗; its lifetime was 4.1 ± 0.2 ps at 295 K and 2.2 ±0.1 ps at 80 K. Within the experimental uncertainty, the absorption changes associated with the formation of a bacteriopheophytin anion, Bph-, develop in concert with the decay of P∗ at both temperatures, as does the absorption increase near 1250 nm due to the formation of the cation of P, P+. No evidence was found for the formation of a bacteriochlorophyll anion, Bchl-, prior to the formation of Bph-. This is surprising, because in the crystal structure of the Rhodopseudomonas viridis reaction center [Deisenhofer, J., Epp, O., Miki, K., Huber, R., & Michel, H. (1984)/. Mol. Biol. 180, 385-398] a Bchl is located approximately in between P and the Bph. It is possible that Bchl- (or Bchl+) is formed but, due to kinetic or thermodynamic constraints, is never present at a sufficient concentration for us to observe. Alternatively, a virtual charge-transfer state, such as P+BchlBph or PBchl+Bph-, could serve to lower the energy barrier for direct electron transfer between P∗ and the Bph.
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U2 - 10.1021/bi00347a002
DO - 10.1021/bi00347a002
M3 - Article
C2 - 3879185
AN - SCOPUS:0022295869
SN - 0006-2960
VL - 24
SP - 7516
EP - 7521
JO - Biochemistry
JF - Biochemistry
IS - 26
ER -