Abstract
The effect of equimolar concentrations of Hg2+ and Cd2+ on the whole cell absorption spectra, absorption spectra of the extracted phycocyanin (PC) and fluorescence emission spectra of phycobilisomes (PBS) was investigated in the cells of Anabaena flos-aquae. The PC component of the PBS was found to be extremely sensitive to the Hg2+ rather than the Cd2+ ions. Further, the results showed that Hg2+ and Cd2+ induced decrease in the rate of Hill activity (H2O - DCPIP) was partially restored by the electron donor NH2OH, not by the diphenyl carbazide. Similarly, chlorophyll a fluorescence emission in the presence of metals showed that addition of NH2OH could effectively reverse the metal induced alterations in the fluorescence emission intensity. These results, together, suggested that Hg2+ and Cd2+ caused damage to the photosystems (PS) II reaction center. However, a relatively higher stimulation of the chlorophyll a emission at 695 nm with a red shift of 4.0 nm in the presence of Hg2+, and Cd2+ induced preferential decrease in the emission intensity at 676 nm as compared with the peak at 695 nm were indicative of the differential action of Hg2+ and Cd2+ on the PS II.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Allen MB, Arnon DI. 1955 Studies on nitrogen fixing blue green algae I. Growth and nitrogen fixation by Anabaena cylindrica Lemm. Plant Physiol 30, 366–372.
Atal N, Saradhi PP, Mohanty P. 1991 Inhibition of the chloroplast photochemical reactions by treatment of wheat seedlings with low concentrations of cadmium. Analysis of electron transport activities and changes in fluorescence yield. Plant Cell Physiol 32, 943–951.
Clijsters H, Van-Assche F. 1985 Inhibition of photosynthesis by heavy metals. Photosynthetic Res 7, 31–40.
Gantt E. 1981 Phycobilisomes. Annu Rev Plant Physiol 32, 327–347.
Gerloff GC, Fitzerald GP, Skoog F. 1950 The isolation purification and culture of blue green algae. Am J Bot 37, 216–218.
Golbeck JH, Lein S, San-Pietro A. 1977 Isolation and characterization of sub chloroplast particle enriched in iron sulfur protein and P-700. Arch Biochem Biophys 178, 140–150.
Haberman HM. 1969 Reversal of copper inhibition in chloroplast reactions by manganese. Plant Physiol 44, 331–336.
Hauska G. 1977 Artificial acceptors and donors. In: Trebst A, Avron M, eds. Encyclopedia of Plant Physiology Berlin: Springer Verlag; 253–265.
Holt AS, French CS. 1948 Oxygen production by illuminated chloroplasts suspended in solutions of oxidants. Arch Biochem Biophys 19, 368–378.
Kimimura M, Katoh S. 1972 Studies on electron transport associated with photosystem II. Functional site of plastocyanin. Inhibitory effect of HgCl2 on electron transport and plastocyanin in chloroplasts. Biochem Biophys Acta 283, 268–278.
Kojima Y, Hiyama T, Sakurai H. 1987 Effect of mercurials on iron sulfur centres of PS I of Anacystis nidulans. In: Biggins J, ed. Progress in Photosynthesis Research. The Hague: Nijhoff/Junk; 57–60.
Ley AC, Butler WL. 1980 Effect of chromatic adaptation on the photochemical apparatus of photosynthesis in Porphyridium cruentum.Plant Physiol 65, 714–722.
Li EH, Miles CD. 1975 Effect of cadmium on photoreaction II of chloroplasts. Plant Sci Lett 5, 33–40.
Lowry OH, Rosenbrough NJ, Farr AL, Randall RJ. 1951 Protein measurement with the folin-phenol reagent. J Biol Chem 193, 265–275.
MacKinney G. 1941 Absorption of light by chlorophyll solutions. J Biol Chem 140, 315–322.
Murty SDS, Sabat SC, Mohanty P. 1989 Mercury induced inhibition of photosystem II activity and changes in the emission of fluorescence from phycobilisomes in intact cells of the cyanobacterium Spirulina platensis. Plant Cell Physiol 30, 1153–1157.
Nakada S, Inane K, Nojima S, Imura N. 1978 Changes in permeability of liposomes caused by methyl mercury and inorganic mercury. Chem Biol Interact 22, 15–23.
Nuzzi, R. 1961 Toxicity of mercury on phytoplankton. Nature 237, 38–40.
Passow H, Rothstein A, Clarkson TW. 1961 The general pharmacology of heavy metals. Pharmacol Rev 13, 185–224.
Pakrasi HM, Sherman LA. 1985 A highly active oxygen evolving photosystem II preparation from the cyanobacterium Anacystis nidulans. Plant Physiol 74, 742–745.
Pecci J, Fujimori E. 1967 Mercurial induced dissociation of phycoerythrin from Ceramium rubrum. Biochem Biophys Acta 131, 147–153.
Rai LC, Gaur JP, Kumar HD. 1981 Phycology and heavy metal pollution. Biol Rev 56, 99–151.
Samuelsson G, Oquist G. 1980 Effect of copper chloride on photosynthetic electron transport and chlorophyll protein complexes of Spinacea oleracea. Plant Cell Physiol 21, 445–454.
Singh DP, Singh SP. 1987 Action of heavy metals on Hill activity and O2 evolution in Anacystis nidulans. Plant Physiol 82, 12–14.
Singh DP, Khare P, Bisen PS. 1989 Effect of Ni2+, Hg2+ and Cu2+ on growth, oxygen evolution and photosynthetic electron transport in Cylindrospermum IU 942. J Plant Physiol 134, 406–412.
Wards B, Myers J. 1972 Photosynthetic properties of permeaplasts of Anacystis. Plant Physiol 50, 547–550.
Weigel HJ. 1985 Inhibition of photosynthetic reactions of isolated intact chloroplast by cadmium. J Plant Physiol 119, 179–189.
Yamashita T, Butler WL. 1969 Inhibition of the Hill reaction by Tris and restoration by electron donor to photosystem II. Plant Physiol 44, 435–438.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Singh, D.P., Sharma, S.K. & Bisen, P.S. Differential action of Hg2+ and Cd2+ on the phycobilisomes and chlorophyll a fluorescence, and photosystem II dependent electron transport in the cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae . Biometals 6, 125–132 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00140114
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00140114