Proton relaxation and charge accumulation during oxygen evolution in photosynthesis.

The water proton spin-spin (transverse) relaxation rate of chloroplast suspensions has been measured after each of a series of 2.4 musec light flashes. The sequence of relaxation rates shows a damped oscillatory pattern with a period of four and peaks after the 3rd, 7th, 11th, and 15th flashes. This result indicates that water proton relaxation can be used to monitor the charge-accumulating states as postulated by Kok and coworkers for the oxygen-evolving mechanism in green plants [(1970) Photochem. Photobiol. 11, 457-475]. Other experiments [Wydrzynski et al. (1975) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 408, 349-354] have shown that the proton relaxation rate is strongly influenced by membrane-bound manganese in various oxidation states, suggesting that manganese participates in the charge accumulation process during oxygen evolution.