Regulation of the distribution of excitation energy in Ochromonas danica, an organism containing a chlorophyll-A/C/carotenoid light harvesting antenna.

A chlorophyll a, c-fucoxanthin pigment-protein complex8 functions as the major light harvesting antenna in the Chrysophyte Ochromonas danica. The regulated distribution of excitation energy between the two photosystems was investigated in these organisms and was shown to be strongly wavelength dependent. A light state transition was induced by pre-illumination of cells using light 2 (640 nm) and light 1 (700 nm) of equal absorbed intensity, and detected by reversible changes in the 77 K chlorophyll fluorescence emission spectra. Peaks at ∼ 690 nm and ∼ 720 nm in the low temperature spectra are most likely associated with PS2 and PS1 respectively. A room temperature fluorescence emission at 680 nm induced by modulated light 2 (500 nm) was strongly quenched in the presence of background light 1 (720 nm). Removal of light 1 led to an increase in fluorescence followed by a slow quenching. The room temperature fluorescence changes were directly correlated with changes in the 77 K emission spectra that indicated a change in the distribution of excitation energy between the two photosystems. It was established that DCMU (1 μmol) prevented the state 2. The conversion to state 1 followed a simple photochemical dose dependence and had a half-time of 20 s-1.5 min at 6 W m(-2). In contrast, the conversion to state 2 was independent of light intensity. These data indicate that O. danica undergoes a light state transition in response to the preferential excitation of PS2 or PS1.