AbstractThe effects of short-term treatment with phenylurea (DCMU, isoproturon) and phenol-type (ioxynil) herbicides on the green algaChlorella kessleriand the cyanobacteriumSynechocystis salinawith different organizations of photosystem II (PSII) were investigated using pulse amplitude modulated (PAM) chlorophyll fluorescence and photosynthetic oxygen evolution measured by polarographic oxygen electrodes (Clark-type and Joliot-type). The photosynthetic oxygen evolution showed stronger inhibition than the PSII photochemistry. The effects of the studied herbicides on both algal and cyanobacterial cells decreased in the following order: DCMU>isoproturon>ioxynil. Furthermore, we observed that the number of blocked PSII centers increased significantly after DCMU treatment (204–250 times) and slightly after ioxynil treatment (19–35 times) in comparison with the control cells. This study suggests that the herbicides affect not only the acceptor side but also the donor side of PSII by modifications of the Mn cluster of the oxygen-evolving complex. We propose that one of the reasons for the different PSII inhibitions caused by herbicides is their influence, in different extents, on the kinetic parameters of the oxygen-evolving reactions (the initial S0−S1state distribution, the number of blocked centers SB, the turnover time of Sistates, misses and double hits). The relationship between the herbicide-induced inhibition and the changes in the kinetic parameters is discussed.
Structural Changes in the Acceptor Site of Photosystem II upon Ca2+/Sr2+ Exchange in the Mn4CaO5 Cluster Site and the Possible Long-Range Interactions
