Molecular weight determination of an active photosystem I preparation from a thermophilic cyanobacterium, Synechococcus elongatus.

An active photosystem I (PSI) complex was isolated from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus by a procedure consisting of three steps: First, extraction of photosystem II from the thylakoids by a sulfobetaine detergent yields PSI-enriched membranes. Second, the latter are treated with Triton X-100 to extract PSI particles, which are further purified by preparative isoelectric focusing. Third, anion-exchange chromatography is used to remove contaminating phycobilisome polypeptides. The purified particles show three major bands in sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis of apparent molecular mass of 110, 15, and 10 kDa. Charge separation was monitored by the kinetics of flash-induced absorption changes at 820 nm. A chlorophyll/P700 ratio of 60 was found. When the particles are stored at 4 degrees C, charge separation was stable for weeks. The molecular mass of the PSI particles, determined by measurement of zero-angle neutron scattering intensity, was 217,000 Da. The PSI particles thus consist of one heterodimer of the 60-80-kDa polypeptides and presumably one copy of the 15- and 10-kDa polypeptides, respectively.