Inactive photosystem II centers: A resolution of discrepencies in photosystem II quantitation.

The abundance of photosystem II in chloroplast thylakoid membranes has been a contentious issue because different techniques give quite different estimates of photosystem II titer. This discrepancy led in turn to disagreements regarding the stoichiometry of photosystem II to photosystem I in these membranes. We believe that the discrepancy in photosystem II quantitation is resolved by evidence which shows that a large population of photosystem II centers with negligible turnover rates are present in isolated thylakoid membranes as well as in normally developed leaves of healthy plants.