Effects of a new inhibitor K-23 on electron transport in photosystem II of higher plants

The effects of inhibitor K-23 on variable fluorescence, oxygen evolution and DCIP photoreduction were investigated. K-23 promotes the oxygen evolution and DCIP photoreduction at low concentration and inhibits them at relatively high concentrations, while an efficient inhibition at low concentration is found in variable fluorescence. These data further confirm that the inhibitor K-23 action is based on its redox interaction rather than quenching effect. Addition of DPC could not restore the DCIP photoreduction activity. It is suggested that the inhibitory site is at the acceptor side. Using ferricyanide as electron acceptor, the effect of K-23 and DCMU on the oxygen evolution of trypsin-treated thylakoids was investigated. It is found that oxygen evolution of trypsin-treated thylakoids was insensitive to DCMU, whereas became more sensitive to K-23 and also the promotion of K-23 at low concentration disappeared. This strongly indicates that trypsin treatment modified the binding site of K-23 and increased its accessibility to K-23 target site. From the comparison of K-23 with DCMU, we conclude that the binding site of K-23 is different from that of DCMU even though they both bind at the acceptor side.