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. 1992 Sep 15;89(18):8716–8720. doi: 10.1073/pnas.89.18.8716

Characterization of damage to photosystems I and II in a cyanobacterium lacking detectable iron superoxide dismutase activity.

S K Herbert 1, G Samson 1, D C Fork 1, D E Laudenbach 1
PMCID: PMC49991  PMID: 1528884

Abstract

The enzyme superoxide dismutase is ubiquitous in aerobic organisms where it plays a major role in alleviating oxygen-radical toxicity. An insertion mutation introduced into the iron superoxide dismutase locus (designated sodB) of the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 created a mutant strain devoid of detectable iron superoxide dismutase activity. Both wild-type and mutant strains exhibited similar photosynthetic activity and viability when grown with 17 mumol.m-2.s-1 illumination in liquid culture supplemented with 3% carbon dioxide. In contrast, the sodB mutant exhibited significantly greater damage to its photosynthetic system than the wild-type strain when grown under increased oxygen tension or with methyl viologen. Although damage occurs at both photosystems I and II, it is primarily localized at photosystem I in the sodB mutant. Growth in 100% molecular oxygen for 24 hr decreased photoacoustically measured energy storage in 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea and abolished the fluorescence state 2 to state 1 transition in the sodB mutant, indicating interruption of cyclic electron flow around photosystem I. Analysis of the flash-induced absorption transient at 705 nm indicated that the interruption of cyclic electron flow occurred in the return part of the cycle, between the two [4 Fe-4 S] centers of photosystem I, FA and FB, and cytochrome f. Even though the sodB mutant was more sensitive to damage by active oxygen than wild-type cells, both strains were equally sensitive to the photoinhibition of photosystem II caused by exposure to strong light.

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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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