Light-induced water oxidation in photosystem II

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The photosystem II core complex (PSIIcc) is the key enzyme of oxygenic photosynthesis, as it catalyzes the light-induced oxidation of water to form dioxgyen and protons. It is located in the thylakoid membrane of cyanobacteria, algae, and plants and consists of 20 protein subunits binding about 100 cofactors. In this review, we discuss what is presently known about the "donor side" of PSIIcc, covering the photosynthetic reaction center and the water oxidase part. The focus is on the catalytic Mn4Ca cluster and its protein environment. An attempt is made to connect recent crystallographic data (up to 2.9 angstrom resolution) with the wealth of information about Nature's water oxidation device from spectroscopic, biochemical and theoretical work.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)3072-3132
Number of pages61
JournalFrontiers in Bioscience
Volume16
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2011

Fields of science

  • 103036 Theoretical physics
  • 103029 Statistical physics
  • 106006 Biophysics
  • 103025 Quantum mechanics
  • 104017 Physical chemistry
  • 211915 Solar technology

JKU Focus areas

  • Nano-, Bio- and Polymer-Systems: From Structure to Function
  • Engineering and Natural Sciences (in general)

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