Chlorophyll fluorescence quenching in isolated light harvesting complexes induced by zeaxanthin

Abstract
Non‐photochemical quenching of chlorophyll fluorescence in plants occurs in the light harvesting antenna of photosystem II and is regulated by the xanthophyll cycle. A new in vitro model for this process has been developed. Purified light harvesting complexes above the detergent critical micelle concentration have a stable high fluorescence yield but a rapidly inducible fluorescence quenching occurs upon addition of zeaxanthin. Violaxanthin was without effect, lutein and antheraxanthin induced a marginal response, whereas the violaxanthin analogue, auroxanthin, induced strong quenching. Quenching was not caused by aggregation of the complexes but was accompanied by a spectral broadening and red shift, indicating a zeaxanthin‐dependent alteration in the chlorophyll environment.

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