ENERGY TRANSFER AND CYTOCHROME FUNCTION IN A NEW TYPE OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIUM*

Abstract— The excitation spectrum for bacteriochlorophyll b fluorescence at 1027 mμ in Rhodopseudomonas sp. NHTC 133 indicates that the efficiency of energy transfer from caro-tenoid to bacteriochlorophyll b is between 27 and 28 %.
Light-induced absorbancy changes in anaerobic whole cells indicated the oxidation of three c -type cytochromes (C-550. 5, C-553, C-558) and one b -type cytochrome or cytochromoid C (C-560). At low light intensities C-553 is the main cytochrome oxidized, while at high light intensities mainly C-558 is oxidized in addition to C-553. The light responses of the heme proteins appear to be similar to those observed previously in purple and green photo-synthetic bacteria. No light-induced shifts in carotenoid absorption bands were detected.
In bacterial extracts C-553 and C-558 are bound to the chromatophores, while C-550. 5 is soluble.