[Effect of copper ions on the light-induced proton transfer in spinach chloroplasts].

It was shown that the light-dependent proton uptake by a suspension of isolated chloroplasts was completely inhibited in the presence of 30-50 microM Cu2+ ions at the 0.1-0.3 Cu2+/Chl ratio. At the same time, the rate of photosynthetic oxygen evolution in the presence of 30-200 microM CuSO4 was reduced by no more than 20-30% of control and up to 50% of the control DeltapH value was retained. The results allow us to suppose that, in the presence of copper ions: 1) electron transport in PS2 is inhibited at the level of the secondary quinone acceptor Q(B) whose photoreduction is accompanied by proton uptake from external medium; and 2) an alternative pathway of electron transfer to terminal acceptor is activated, which provides the photooxidation of water and the formation of transmembrane proton gradient.