Damage-free structure of photosystem II and the synthesis of model compounds for water-oxidation
Thursday, September 24, 2015 - 06:00
in Physics & Chemistry
Photosystem II (PSII) performs light-induced electron transfer reactions in photosynthesis, leading to the splitting of water into electrons, hydrogen ions, and oxygen, with which light energy from the sun is converted into chemical energy and molecular oxygen is produced to sustain all aerobic life on the earth. PSII is an extremely large membrane protein complex consisting of 20 subunits with a total molecular mass of 700 kDa for a dimer. The catalytic center for water-splitting is a Mn4CaO5-cluster organized as an asymmetric, distorted chair form embedded within the protein matrix of PSII.