Reconstitution of biological molecular generators of electric current. Bacteriochlorophyll and plant chlorophyll...

1. Electric generation by bacteriochlorophyll reaction center complexes from Rhodospirillum rubrum and by photosystem I complexes from pea chloroplasts has been studied. 2. The methods for the proteoliposome reconstitution from azolectin and bacteriochlorophyll- or plant chlorophyll-containing protein complexes have been elaborated. Light-dependent electric responses of the proteoliposomes were detected using (a) phenyldicarbaundecarborane anion (PCB-) probe and (b) direct measurement by a voltmeter in the proteoliposome-planar phospholipid membrane system. 3. Both PCB- and direct measurements demonstrated that bacteriochlorophyll proteoliposomes are competent in light-dependent electric generation (plus outside proteoliposomes). The photoelectric effect was shown to increase on addition of tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine (TMPD), CoQ6, and vitamin K3, and to decrease on addition of ferricyanide, o-phenanthroline and a protonophorous uncoupler. Estimation of the photoelectromotive force of the bacteriochlorophyll proteoliposome-planar membrane system gave a value of about 0.2 V. The action spectrum of the photoelectric effect was similar to the absorption spectrum of the bacteriochlorophyll complex. 4. Reconstitution of proteoliposomes containing bacteriochlorophyll centers and bacteriorhodopsin resulted in the system generating an electric field whose direction can be changed by varying the spectral composition of the light: the red light, exciting bacteriochlorophyll, induces negative, and the green light, exciting bacteriorhodopsin, induces positive charging of the proteoliposome interior. 5. Association of isolated R. rubrum chromatophores with planar phospholipid membrane was found to give a system demonstrating light-induced electric generation as high as 215 mV in the presence of napthoquinone, TMPD (or phenazine methosulfate, PMS), and ascorbate. Under the same conditions, addition of inorganic pyrophosphate or ATP results in formation of an electric field of the same direction as that induced by light. 6. Proteoliposomes with plant chlorophyll complexes of photosystem I demonstrated light-induced PCB- responses indicating formation of the electric field with plus inside vesicles. The effect required PMS addition. A protonophorous uncoupler and o-phenanthroline were inhibitory. Electric responses in the chlorophyll proteoliposome-planar membrane system were very small (not higher than 10 mV).