Biophysical Journal 18: 63-79 (1977)
© 1977 the Biophysical Society

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Orientation of chlorophylls within chloroplasts as shown by optical and electrochromic properties of the photosynthetic membrane.

ABSTRACT

The effects on the optical properties of photosynthetic membranes caused by several types of chlorophyll differing in resonance frequency and in spatial disposition are theoretically analyzed. Using a method of moments and the linear dichroism spectrum of the lamellae, we evaluated the mean angle (phi) between the transition moment of each chlorophyll and the normal to the lamellae. We have confirmed that at about 695 nm the transition moment is in the plane of the lamellae, and outside it for chlorophyll b (phi approximately 48.6 degrees). By integrating over frequency the absorption variations affected by ionophores, we show that they may be ascribed to a Stark effect, and we analyze the dependence of this effect on the orientation of the chlorophylls. From this dependence and the degree of polarization of the Stark effect, we calculate the spatial fluctuations of the angle phi. The calculation shows that a definite value of phi corresponds to each resonance frequency of chlorophyl a found in vivo. This proves that the chlorophylls a are not oriented partly random. For chlorophylls b, on the other hand, phi may fluctuate by some 10 degrees about its mean value. The structural consequences of these results are discussed.