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Membrane Protein Complexes: Structure and Function pp 287–328Cite as

The Cytochrome b 6 f Complex: Biophysical Aspects of Its Functioning in Chloroplasts

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Part of the book series: Subcellular Biochemistry ((SCBI,volume 87))

Abstract

This chapter presents an overview of structural properties of the cytochrome (Cyt) b 6 f complex and its functioning in chloroplasts. The Cyt b 6 f complex stands at the crossroad of photosynthetic electron transport pathways, providing connectivity between Photosystem (PSI) and Photosysten II (PSII) and pumping protons across the membrane into the thylakoid lumen. After a brief review of the chloroplast electron transport chain, the consideration is focused on the structural organization of the Cyt b 6 f complex and its interaction with plastoquinol (PQH2, reduced form of plastoquinone), a mediator of electron transfer from PSII to the Cyt b 6 f complex. The processes of PQH2 oxidation by the Cyt b 6 f complex have been considered within the framework of the Mitchell’s Q-cycle. The overall rate of the intersystem electron transport is determined by PQH2 turnover at the quinone-binding site Qo of the Cyt b 6 f complex. The rate of PQH2 oxidation is controlled by the intrathylakoid pHin, which value determines the protonation/deprotonation events in the Qo-center. Two other regulatory mechanisms associated with the Cyt b 6 f complex are briefly overviewed: (i) redistribution of electron fluxes between alternative (linear and cyclic) pathways, and (ii) “state transitions” related to redistribution of solar energy between PSI and PSII.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Here and below, the general terms QH2 and Q are used to denote the quinol and quinone species, regardless of their origin (plastoquinone, PQ, or ubiquinone, UQ). SQ designates the redox states of semiquinone species, either plastosemiquinone (in the b 6 f complex) or ubisemiquinone (in the bc 1 complex), regardless of their protonation state.

  2. 2.

    It is likely that this species will appear in the form of the anion-radical \( {\mathrm{PQ}}^{\underset{\_}{\bullet }} \), because the pK values of semiquinones are usually fall in the range below the stromal pH establishes under the normal physiological conditions (pHout~7 − 8).

Abbreviations

CBC:

Calvin-Benson cycle

CEF1:

cyclic electron flow around photosystem I

ETC:

electron transport chain

Fd:

ferredoxin

FNR:

ferredoxin-NADP-oxidoreductase

ISP:

iron-sulfur protein

LEF:

linear electron flow

LHCI:

light-harvesting complex I

LHCII:

light-harvesting complex II

NDH:

NDH(P)H dehydrogenase complex

NPQ:

non-photochemical quenching

P680 :

special chlorophyll pair in PSII

P700 :

special chlorophyll pair in PSI

Pc:

plastocyanin

PCET:

proton-coupled electron transfer

PQ and PQH2 :

plastoquinone and plastoquinol, respectively

PSA:

photosynthetic apparatus

PSI and PSII:

photosystem I and photosystem II respectively

Q, SQ and QH2 :

general notations for three accessible redox states of quinone species – quinone (Q), semiquinone (SQ) and quinol (QH2)

TMQH2 :

trimethylbenzoquinol

UQ and UQH2 :

ubiquinone and ubiquinol, respectively

WOC:

water-oxidizing complex

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported in part by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (RFBR Project 15-04-03790a).

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  1. Faculty of Physics, Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia

    Alexander N. Tikhonov

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  1. Institute of Zoology, University of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

    J. Robin Harris

  2. Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

    Egbert J. Boekema

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Tikhonov, A.N. (2018). The Cytochrome b 6 f Complex: Biophysical Aspects of Its Functioning in Chloroplasts. In: Harris, J., Boekema, E. (eds) Membrane Protein Complexes: Structure and Function. Subcellular Biochemistry, vol 87. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-7757-9_10

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