Mercury-Induced Inhibition of Photosystem II Activity and Changes in the Emission of Fluorescence from Phycobilisomes in Intact Cells of the Cyanobacterium, Spirulina platensis

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Addition of low concentrations of mercury chloride (HgCl_2) to intact cells of the cyanobacterium, Spirulina platensis caused an enhancement in the intensity of fluorescence emit-ted from phycocyanin at room temperature and induced blue shifts in the emission peak suggestive of changes in energy transfer within the phycobilisomes. HgCl_2 also suppressed the whole-chain electron transport activity (H_2O→methylviologen) at much lower concentrations than that required to inhibit Hill activity supported by para-benzoquinone. The extent of inhibition of Hill activity was much higher under high-intensity light than that under low-intensity light. Our results indicate that mercury ions at low concentrations affect the transfer of energy within phycobilisomes and at high concentrations they inhibit electron transport in this cyanobacterium.