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Updated: Apr 10, 2026

Purification of Active Photosystem I-Light Harvesting Complex I from Plant Tissues
Published on: February 3, 2023
The structure of plant photosystem I super-complex at 2.8 Å resolution
Yuval Mazor1, Anna Borovikova1, Nathan Nelson1
1Department of Biochemistry, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
Abstract:
Most life forms on Earth are supported by solar energy harnessed by oxygenic photosynthesis. In eukaryotes, photosynthesis is achieved by large membrane-embedded super-complexes, containing reaction centers and connected antennae. Here, we report the structure of the higher plant PSI-LHCI super-complex determined at 2.8 Å resolution. The structure includes 16 subunits and more than 200 prosthetic groups, which are mostly light harvesting pigments. The complete structures of the four LhcA subunits of LHCI include 52 chlorophyll a and 9 chlorophyll b molecules, as well as 10 carotenoids and 4 lipids. The structure of PSI-LHCI includes detailed protein pigments and pigment-pigment interactions, essential for the mechanism of excitation energy transfer and its modulation in one of nature's most efficient photochemical machines.
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