Fluorescence properties of the envelope membranes from spinach chloroplasts. Detection of protochlorophyllide

At 77 K, under excitation at 440 nm, two major fluorescence emission peaks were observed in envelope membranes from spinach chloroplasts at 636 and 680 nm. A narrow range of wavelengths around 440 nm and a wider range of wavelengths between 390 and 440 nm, respectively, were responsible for excitation of the 636 and 680 nm fluorescence emissions which, in marked contrast with thylakoid fluorescence emission, were devoid of any exciting components between 460 and 500 nm. In acetonic extract of envelope membranes, two fluorescence emission peaks were observed at 635 and 675 nm. After extraction of the acetonic solution by nonpolar solvents (petroleum ether or hexane), the 675 nm fluorescence emission was partitioned between the polar and nonpolar phases whereas the 635 nm fluorescence emission was solely recovered in the polar phase. All together, the results obtained suggest that envelope membranes contain low amounts of pigments having the absorption and fluorescence spectroscopic properties, together with the behavior in polar/nonpolar solvents, of protochlorophyllide and chlorophyllide. In addition, modulation of the level of fluorescence at 636 and 680 nm could be obtained by addition of NADPH to envelope membranes under illumination. The presence of protochlorophyllide in chloroplast envelope membranes together with its possible photoconversion into chlorophyllide could have major implication for the understanding of chlorophyll biosynthesis in mature chloroplasts.