The fast and slow kinetics of chlorophyll a fluorescence induction in plants, algae and cyanobacteria: a viewpoint

Abstract

The light-induced/dark-reversible changes in the chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence of photosynthetic cells and membranes in the mus-to-several min time window (fluorescence induction, FI; or Kautsky transient) reflect quantum yield changes (quenching/de-quenching) as well as changes in the number of Chls a in photosystem II (PS II; state transitions). Both relate to excitation trapping in PS II and the ensuing photosynthetic electron transport (PSET), and to secondary PSET effects, such as ion translocation across thylakoid membranes and filling or depletion of post-PS II and post-PS I pools of metabolites. In addition, high actinic light doses may depress Chl a fluorescence irreversibly (photoinhibitory lowering; q(I)). FI has been studied quite extensively in plants an algae (less so in cyanobacteria) as it affords a low resolution panoramic view of the photosynthesis process. Total FI comprises two transients, a fast initial (OPS; for Origin, Peak, Steady state) and a second slower transient (SMT; for Steady state, Maximum, Terminal state), whose details are characteristically different in eukaryotic (plants and algae) and prokaryotic (cyanobacteria) oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. In the former, maximal fluorescence output occurs at peak P, with peak M lying much lower or being absent, in which case the PSMT phases are replaced by a monotonous PT fluorescence decay. In contrast, in phycobilisome (PBS)-containing cyanobacteria maximal fluorescence occurs at M which lies much higher than peak P. It will be argued that this difference is caused by a fluorescence lowering trend (state 1 --> 2 transition) that dominates the FI pattern of plants and algae, and correspondingly by a fluorescence increasing trend (state 2 --> 1 transition) that dominates the FI of PBS-containing cyanobacteria. Characteristically, however, the FI pattern of the PBS-minus cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina resembles the FI patterns of algae and plants and not of the PBS-containing cyanobacteria.

On the quantitative relation between dark kinetics of NPQ-induced changes in variable fluorescence and the activation state of the CF₀.CF₁.ATPase in leaves

“…The induction curve in a 60 times higher (3k) intensity differs in its details from the one in the 0.05k pulse. The rise towards the maximum at P ~5.5 occurs within 0.8 s and the gradual decline towards T, with in this case 3>T>1 (not shown), occurs with much less pronounced intermediate levels S and M. These two extreme patterns are globally independent of the plant species and agree well with those reported by others (Strasser et al 1995, Papageorgiou et al 2007, Vredenberg 2011, Lazár 2015. I will now focus on the kinetics of the In this case, the P level in the 1 st sSP 3s is at P ~4.2; in the next following SP 15s P ~3.8 and the S level is at S ~1.6.…”

Photosynthesis monitoring to optimize growth of microalgal mass cultures: application of chlorophyll fluorescence techniques

“…3). This 'polyphasic fluorescence rise' is often designated as the 'Kautsky' curve (Kautsky & Hirsch 1931) or the OJIP test (Govindjee 1995, Strasser et al 1995, Papageorgiou et al 2007. It reflects the changes in the redox state of the reaction center of PSII (RCII) that reflect with the primary processes of photosynthesis (Govindjee & Papageorgiou 1971, Govindjee 1995, Stirbet & Govindjee 2011.…”

Phycobilisome Mobility and Its Role in the Regulation of Light Harvesting in Red Algae

“…Therefore, it is called the S-M rise. The S-M rise is dominant in cyanobacteria in contrast to the higher plants and green algae (for review, see Papageorgiou et al, 2007). The S-M rise was recently recognized as a result of the state 2-to-state 1 transition in cyanobacteria (Kaňa et al, 2012a).…”