Inhibitors in the functional dissection of the photosynthetic electron transport system

The significance of inhibitors and artificial electron acceptor and donor systems as experimental tools for studying the photosynthetic system is described by reviewing early classical articles. The historical development in unravelling the role and sequence of electron carriers and energy conserving sites in the electron transport chain is acknowledged. Emphasis is given to inhibitors of the acceptor side of photosystem II and of the plastoquinol oxidation site in the cytochrome b(6)/f complex. Their role in regulatory processes under redox control is introduced.