Changes in the photosynthetic reaction centre II in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum result in non-photochemical fluorescence quenching

Diatoms are an important group of primary producers in the aquatic environment. They are able to acclimate to fast changes in the light intensity by various mechanisms including a rise in non-photochemical fluorescence quenching (NPQ). The latter has been attributed to the xanthophyll cycle (XC) following activation of diadinoxanthin de-epoxidase by the acidification of the thylakoid lumen. To examine whether fluorescence quenching in the diatom Phaeodacty- lum tricornutum depends on the ΔpH generated by the photosynthetic electron transport, we arrested the latter by 3-(3′ 4′-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU). This treatment hardly affected the NPQ or XC, even when methylviologen was present. Dissipation of the δpH by 2,4-dinitrophenol inhibited the XC but did not alter NPQ. Similar results, i.e. inhibition of the XC but normal fluorescence quenching, were observed when the experiments were performed at 3°C. Measurements of thermoluminescence showed that excess light treatment caused a marked decline in the signals obtained as a result of recombination of Q_B^- with the S₃ state of the Mn cluster; this was also observed in cells treated with DCMU (recombination of Q_A^- with S ₂). Light treatment also diminished the Q_A^- re-oxidation signals. The data suggest that changes in PSII core centre itself due to exposure to excess light conditions play an important part in the acclimation of P. tricornutum to the changing light conditions.