Inhibition of Photosynthetic Electron Transport by the Quinone Antagonist UHDBT

UHDBT (5-n-undecyl-6-hydroxy-4,7-dioxobenzothiazole) is an efficient inhibitor of photosynthetic electron transport in chloroplasts from spinach (pI50-value = 7.61) and the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardii. At low concentrations of UHDBT its site of inhibition is located at the reducing side of plastoquinone, identical to that of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea (DCMU). This became evident from functional as well as binding studies. At higher concentrations of UHDBT a secondary inhibition site at the oxidizing side of plastoquinone, identical to that of 2,5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-1,4-benzoquinone (DBMIB) becomes evident