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| Open Access
Structural insights into photosystem II supercomplex and trimeric FCP antennae of a centric diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana
The cryo-EM structures of an FCP trimer and a PSII-FCPII supercomplex from a diatom are revealed, providing detailed insights into the variety of FCPII and their regulatory roles in green light harvesting, energy transfer and dissipation.
- Songhao Zhao
- , Lili Shen
- & Wenda Wang
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Article
| Open Access
The Ycf48 accessory factor occupies the site of the oxygen-evolving manganese cluster during photosystem II biogenesis
The Ycf48 accessory factor is important for the assembly and repair of the photosystem II (PSII) complex of oxygenic photosynthesis. Here, the authors show that Ycf48 occupies the binding site of the oxygen evolving Mn cluster early in PSII biogenesis.
- Ziyu Zhao
- , Irene Vercellino
- & Josef Komenda
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| Open Access
Post-translational amino acid conversion in photosystem II as a possible origin of photosynthetic oxygen evolution
How photosynthetic oxygen evolution is originated on ancient Earth is unknown. Here, the authors find that some amino acid residues at the ligand sites of the Mn cluster can be posttranslationally converted to the original carboxylate residues, which could have contributed to the evolutionary process of photosynthetic oxygen evolution.
- Yuichiro Shimada
- , Takehiro Suzuki
- & Takumi Noguchi
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| Open Access
The antenna of far-red absorbing cyanobacteria increases both absorption and quantum efficiency of Photosystem II
Some cyanobacteria acclimate to far-red light by integrating chlorophyll f into their photosystems. Additional chlorophylls typically slow down charge separation but here the authors show that charge separation in chlorophyll-f-containing Photosystem II is faster in the presence of red-shifted allophycocyanin antennas.
- Vincenzo Mascoli
- , Ahmad Farhan Bhatti
- & Roberta Croce
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Article
| Open Access
The initial charge separation step in oxygenic photosynthesis
The photosystem II reaction center (PSII-RC) is a model system to understand the initial steps of photosynthesis, but its excited state dynamics is difficult to disentangle with most spectroscopic methods. Here the authors perform a two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopic study of PSII-RC, providing detailed insight into such dynamics and into the mechanism of charge separation.
- Yusuke Yoneda
- , Eric A. Arsenault
- & Graham R. Fleming
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| Open Access
Structural basis for different types of hetero-tetrameric light-harvesting complexes in a diatom PSII-FCPII supercomplex
Fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c-binding proteins (FCPs) harvest light energy in diatoms. The authors analyzed a structure of PSII-FCPII supercomplex at high resolution by cryo-EM, which identified each FCP subunit and pigment network in the supercomplex.
- Ryo Nagao
- , Koji Kato
- & Jian-Ren Shen
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| Open Access
Light-driven formation of manganese oxide by today’s photosystem II supports evolutionarily ancient manganese-oxidizing photosynthesis
Photosynthetic formation of manganese (Mn) oxides from dissolved Mn ions was proposed to occur in ancestral photosystems before oxygenic photosynthesis evolved. Here, the authors provide evidence for this hypothesis by showing that photosystem II devoid of the Mn cluster oxidises Mn ions leading to formation of Mn-oxide nanoparticles.
- Petko Chernev
- , Sophie Fischer
- & Holger Dau
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Article
| Open Access
How paired PSII–LHCII supercomplexes mediate the stacking of plant thylakoid membranes unveiled by structural mass-spectrometry
The supramolecular organization of PSII-LHCII supercomplexes determines the plant thylakoid structure. Here, via structural mass spectrometry, Albanese et al. show how stroma-exposed N-termini of LHCII subunits, interacting with each other in adjacent membranes, can mediate membrane folding in grana stacks.
- Pascal Albanese
- , Sem Tamara
- & Cristina Pagliano
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Article
| Open Access
O2 evolution and recovery of the water-oxidizing enzyme
Water splitting during photosynthesis results in the combination of two oxygen atoms to form O2. Here, based on computational simulations, the authors develop a possible mechanism for this reaction, which is different from the mechanisms previous studies have suggested.
- Keisuke Kawashima
- , Tomohiro Takaoka
- & Hiroshi Ishikita
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Article
| Open Access
Natural variation of YELLOW SEEDLING1 affects photosynthetic acclimation of Arabidopsis thaliana
Natural genetic variation of photosynthesis is an underexplored resource for plant genetic improvement. Here, the authors find allelic variations of YS1 affect Arabidopsis photosynthesis acclimation using genome-wide association study, reverse genetics, and quantitative complementation approaches.
- Roxanne van Rooijen
- , Willem Kruijer
- & Mark G. M. Aarts
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Article
| Open Access
Exchange pathways of plastoquinone and plastoquinol in the photosystem II complex
Plastoquinone (PLQ) shuttles electrons between photosystem II (PSII) and cytochrome b6f. Here the authors perform molecular dynamics simulations and propose that PLQ enters the exchange cavity of PSII by a promiscuous diffusion mechanism whereby three different channels each act as entry and exit points.
- Floris J. Van Eerden
- , Manuel N. Melo
- & Siewert J. Marrink
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| Open Access
Energetics of proton release on the first oxidation step in the water-oxidizing enzyme
The availability of crystal structures of photosystem II opens up the possibility of gaining insights into its mechanism. Here, the authors use a computational approach and propose a deprotonation event at O4 followed by long-range proton-transfer along a chain of strongly bonded water molecules.
- Keisuke Saito
- , A. William Rutherford
- & Hiroshi Ishikita
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Economic photoprotection in photosystem II that retains a complete light-harvesting system with slow energy traps
Photosystem II possesses a protection mechanism to prevent damage when exposed to high-intensity light. Here, the authors analyze the functional consequences of structural changes associated with this process, and show that protection does not undermine energy capture by open reaction centres.
- Erica Belgio
- , Ekaterina Kapitonova
- & Alexander V. Ruban
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| Open Access
Substrate–water exchange in photosystem II is arrested before dioxygen formation
The oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II converts water into oxygen during photosynthesis, but how this process occurs is not yet fully understood. Here, the authors use modified complexes with reduced reaction rates to study the process of oxygen evolution in more detail.
- Håkan Nilsson
- , Fabrice Rappaport
- & Johannes Messinger
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Article
| Open Access
Dynamic protein conformations preferentially drive energy transfer along the active chain of the photosystem II reaction centre
Cofactor-mediated energy and electron transfer in photosystem II occurs preferentially through one branch of the reaction centre, despite there being a symmetric path available. Here, the authors use computational methods to determine the influence of protein conformation on this selectivity.
- Lu Zhang
- , Daniel-Adriano Silva
- & Xuhui Huang
Thylakoid protein FPB1 synergistically cooperates with PAM68 to promote CP47 biogenesis and Photosystem II assembly