Chlorophyll fluorescence quenching in isolated light harvesting complexes induced by zeaxanthin
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Oct 17, 2026

Isolating and Incorporating Light-Harvesting Antennas from Diatom Cyclotella Meneghiniana in Liposomes with Thylakoid Lipids
Published on: August 28, 2018
M Wentworth1, A V Ruban, P Horton
1Robert Hill Institute for Photosynthesis Research, Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, UK.
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.
More Related Videos
10:08High-Throughput Analysis of Non-Photochemical Quenching in Crops Using Pulse Amplitude Modulated Chlorophyll Fluorometry
Published on: July 6, 2022
10:20Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses
Published on: August 9, 2019
Related Concept Videos
The Antenna Complex
Photosystem II
The pigment molecules are arranged across two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment molecules...
Variables Affecting Phosphorescence and Fluorescence
The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis
The Photochemical Reaction Center
Photosystems
Functioning of Photosystems
Photosystems contain many pigment molecules, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, arranged in a particular organization across two domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment molecules...