Partial reactions of photosynthesis in briefly sonicated chlamydomonas: I. Cell breakage and electron transport activities.

The cell structure of Chlamydomonas reinhardi is disrupted by brief exposure to sonication. The extent of cell breakage can be determined quickly by cell count with the light microscope. Rates of photochemical activities of briefly sonicated cells approach those reported for higher plant chloroplasts. These activities are a sensitive function of time of sonication and sonic power used. The method of brief sonication is rapid and convenient and gives a stable preparation useful for determining photochemical activities in Chlamydomonas.