Stimulation and inhibition of photosystem II electron transport in cyanobacteria by ions interacting with the cytoplasmic face of thylakoids.

The mechanism by which suspension medium ions regulate the rate of photoinduced electron transport across photosystem II was investigated with ion permeabilized cells of the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans. Electron transport was measured as the reduction of the electroneutral acceptor dichlorophenol indophenol, whose surface concentration is independent of electrostatic membrane potential. Potassium salts stimulate photoinduced electron transport at low concentrations and inhibit it at higher concentrations. No inhibition is observed when an antichaotropic anion is associated with potassium, while the inhibition is more severe the stronger the chaotropic character of the anion. Neutralization of the surface charge by potassium ions ligated to negatively charged membrane sites at the cytoplasmic side is a prerequisite for the expression of the chaotropic inhibition of photosystem II electron transport.