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2015-10-28

Cell Biology
Lecture 223.16: Chloroplasts

Chloroplasts

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2015-10-28

Chloroplasts
Convert solar energy into ATP

Chloroplasts
Photosynthesis can be broken up into two phases or stages:
-Light reactions - Solar energy converted to ATP
-Dark reactions - ATP used to fix CO2 into usable forms

Light Reactions (Stage 1)


Take place in thylakoids
Solar energy is absorbed to increase energy of
electrons
Involves electron transfer which produces ATP and
NADPH (and O2 as a byproduct)

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used in Dark Reactions (Stage 2)

2015-10-28

Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments

1. Chlorophyll
2. Carotenoids

Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments


Mg2+

P680

P700

Fig 14-31

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Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments

Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments

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2015-10-28

Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments


In the rx centre a dimers
known as a special pair hold
electrons at a lower E

Each photosystem has light capturing antennae complexes (with many chlorophyll molecules)
and a reaction centre that converts light E into chemical E.

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Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments

charge
separation

Photosynthesis is a biosynthetic process to build organic


molecules from CO2 (the production of O2 is biproduct)
The plant needs E to do this in the form of ATP and the
activated carrier NADPH
The plant does this using 2 photosystems (photosystem II and
photosystem I) and the electron transport chain

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Light Reactions and Flow of Electrons

PSII (responsible for ATP II)


-catalyzes the extraction of e- from water (O2 is a biproduct)
-feeds e- to a proton pump leading to ATP synthesis
e- transport chain (including plastoquinone)
PSI (responsible for NADPH production)
-final electron acceptor for the e- transport chain
-three together power ATP and NADPH production
e- transferred from PSII to Q to cytochrome complex (H+ pump) and
eventually to PSI to Fd and then to NADP+ (which is reduced to NADPH)

Light boosts E of e-

Light boosts E of e-

*
H+ gradient established here fuels ATP production

Light Reactions - Photosynthetic Pigments

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Light and Dark Reaction


Light reactions:
-Solar energy converted to
ATP
-Dark reactions:
-ATP used to fix CO2 into usable
forms

Dark Reactions
Carbon fixation reactions
3ATP + 2NADPH are consumed
For each CO2 converted to carbohydrate
Begins in the stroma (fluid of the chloroplast)
and ends in the cytosol

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Dark Reactions

(a 5 carbon
sugar)

Dark Reactions

Final product

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