Abstract
Photophosphorylation in photosynthetic membranes of plants (thylakoid membranes) is driven by an electrochemical potential difference of the proton1. The light-driven net uptake of protons into the thylakoid lumen is electrically balanced by the motion of other ions2,3. So far no ion channel has been identified in thylakoids other than the proton channel of the ATP synthase4 although charge balance would call for one. Patch-clamp studies5 on isolated membrane patches from osmotically inflated thylakoids of Peperomia metallica revealed a voltage-dependent and anion-selective channel. At 30 mM [Cl−] the single-channel conductance was 65 pS, showing ohmic behaviour between −80 and +80 mV. The opening probability was maximal at about +40 mV (inside the thylakoid). Application of voltage steps caused additional superimposed transient channel openings. This chloride channel could provide a mechanism involved in charge-balancing during light-driven proton uptake by thylakoids.
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Schönknecht, G., Hedrich, R., Junge, W. et al. A voltage-dependent chloride channel in the photosynthetic membrane of a higher plant. Nature 336, 589–592 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1038/336589a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/336589a0
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