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. 1989 Sep;91(1):287–290. doi: 10.1104/pp.91.1.287

Absence of a Formate-Induced Release of Bicarbonate from Photosystem II 1

Alan Stemler 1
PMCID: PMC1061988  PMID: 16667012

Abstract

Formate has been proposed to inhibit electron flow in photosystem II by replacing endogenous bound bicarbonate on the reaction center complex. A mass spectrometer was used to measure directly the CO2/HCO3− released when maize thylakoids, showing normal rates of electron flow, were treated with formate. Although the formate inhibited electron flow by 95%, no release (displacement) of CO2/HCO3− was detected. This is consistent with the concept that membrane-bound HCO3− is not a requirement for normal rates of electron flow through photosystem II. Moreover, formate and other monovalent anions do not inhibit electron flow by removing bound HCO3− but by binding to empty sites. The “bicarbonate effect” is a reversal, by high concentrations of exogenous bicarbonate, of anion inhibition of photosystem II.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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