In vivo effects of photosynthesis inhibitors in Synechococcus as determined by phosphorus-31 NMR spectroscopy

Abstract

Phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance spectra were obtained from darkened cells of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. Resonance peaks were assigned to intracellular pools of sugar-phosphates, inorganic phosphate (P/sub i/), nucleotides, and polyphosphate. An internal pH of 7.2 was estimated from the chemical shift of the P/sub i/ resonance. Cells were then illuminated at 1600 ..mu..E m/sup -2/ s/sup -1/ photosynthetically active radiation by a fiber optic cable immersed in the cell sample. Spectra obtained after approximately 15 min of illumination showed an increase in nucleotide pools and an increase in the cytoplasmic pH to 7.6. In the presence of 0.3 mM dinitrophenol (DNP), an uncoupler of phosphorylation, spectra of illuminated cells showed an immediate decline in nucleotide pools while sugar-phosphate levels remained constant. Addition of the photosystem II (PS II) electron-transport inhibitor 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) (7.2 ..mu..M) did not affect nucleotide levels in the cells during the time course of the experiment (15-30 min). However, an abrupt rise in the resonance in the sugar-phosphate region was noted. Spectra of DCMU-treated cells extracts indicated that one metabolite was principally responsible for the change in pool size. The metabolite was identified as 3-phosphoglyceric acid. Spectra of illuminated cells were also obtained in themore » presence of the natural herbicide cyanobacterin. Unlike results obtained with DNP or DCMU, spectra of cyanobacterin-treated cells showed no major changes in nucleotide or sugar-phosphate resonances. A slow decline in cytoplasmic pH was seen in the presence of cyanobacterin, indicating that the natural product affects the proton pumping mechanism in PS II.« less