Functional size of photosynthetic electron transport chain determined by radiation inactivation.

Radiation inactivation technique was employed to determine the functional size of photosynthetic electron transport chain of spinach chloroplasts. The functional size for photosystem I+II (H(2)O to methylviologen) was 623 +/- 37 kilodaltons; for photosystem II (H(2)O to dimethylquinone/ferricyanide), 174 +/- 11 kilodaltons; and for photosystem I (reduced diaminodurene to methylviologen), 190 +/- 11 kilodaltons. The difference between 364 +/- 22 (the sum of 174 +/- 11 and 190 +/- 11) kilodaltons and 623 +/- 37 kilodaltons is partially explained to be due to the presence of two molecules of cytochrome b(6)/f complex of 280 kilodaltons. The molecular mass for other partial reactions of photosynthetic electron flow, also measured by radiation inactivation, is reported. The molecular mass obtained by this technique is compared with that determined by other conventional biochemical methods. A working hypothesis for the composition, stoichiometry, and organization of polypeptides for photosynthetic electron transport chain is proposed.