Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 10, 2026
07:10
Purification of Active Photosystem I-Light Harvesting Complex I from Plant Tissues
Published on: February 3, 2023
1.7K
Redox Tuning in Photosystem II
1Research Department of Genetics, Evolution, and Environment, Darwin Building, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK.
Trends in Plant Science
|December 17, 2016
Summary
Bicarbonate is essential for efficient photosynthesis. It tunes photosystem II for effective electron transfer, and its absence safely halts the process.
Area of Science:
- Biochemistry
- Plant Science
- Photosynthesis Research
Background:
- Photosynthesis releases oxygen from water, but the role of bicarbonate remained unclear.
- The precise mechanism by which bicarbonate influences photosystem II was not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To elucidate the function of bicarbonate in photosynthesis.
- To explain how bicarbonate impacts the efficiency and regulation of photosystem II.
Main Methods:
- Investigated the role of bicarbonate in photosystem II activity.
- Utilized biophysical and biochemical techniques to analyze electron transfer dynamics.
Main Results:
- Bicarbonate optimizes photosystem II for efficient electron transfer.
- The absence of bicarbonate leads to a rerouting of energy flow and a safe shutdown of the system.
Conclusions:
- Bicarbonate acts as a crucial tuning element for photosystem II.
- This finding clarifies a key aspect of photosynthetic regulation and efficiency.
More Related Videos
10:20Evaluation of Photosynthetic Behaviors by Simultaneous Measurements of Leaf Reflectance and Chlorophyll Fluorescence Analyses
Published on: August 9, 2019
13.3K
08:40Separation of Spinach Thylakoid Protein Complexes by Native Green Gel Electrophoresis and Band Characterization using Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting
Published on: February 14, 2019
8.8K
Related Concept Videos
01:22Photosystem II
79.5K
The multi-protein complex photosystem II (PS II) harvests photons and transfers their energy through its bound pigments to its reaction center, and ultimately to photosystem I (PSI) through the electron transport chain. The pigments responsible for caputirng the light energy in photosystems include chlorophyll a, chlorophyll b, and carotenoids.
The pigment molecules are arranged across two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment...
The pigment molecules are arranged across two photosystem domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment...
79.5K
01:27Photosystem I
70.8K
Although structurally similar to photosystem II (PSII), photosystem I (PSI) is has a different electron supplier and electron acceptor.
Both these photosystems work in concert. An excited electron from PSII is relayed to PSI via an electron transport chain in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, which is comprised of the carrier molecule plastoquinone, the dual-protein cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin. As electrons move between PSII and PSI, they lose energy and must be re-energized...
Both these photosystems work in concert. An excited electron from PSII is relayed to PSI via an electron transport chain in the thylakoid membrane of the chloroplast, which is comprised of the carrier molecule plastoquinone, the dual-protein cytochrome complex, and plastocyanin. As electrons move between PSII and PSI, they lose energy and must be re-energized...
70.8K
01:29The Photochemical Reaction Center
5.8K
Reaction centers are pigment-protein complexes that initiate energy conversion from photons to chemical entities. Therefore, photochemical reaction center is a more appropriate term that describes these complexes. The Nobel laureates Robert Emerson and William Arnold provided the first experimental evidence of photochemical reaction centers by demonstrating the participation of nearly 2,500 chlorophyll molecules for the release of just one molecule of oxygen. Despite thousands of photosynthetic...
5.8K
01:32Photosystems
8.0K
Photosystems are multiprotein complexes that form the functional units of photosynthesis in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria. They are found embedded in the membrane of tiny sac-like structures called thylakoids placed inside the chloroplast.
Functioning of Photosystems
Photosystems contain many pigment molecules, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, arranged in a particular organization across two domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment...
Functioning of Photosystems
Photosystems contain many pigment molecules, such as chlorophylls and carotenoids, arranged in a particular organization across two domains — the antenna complex and the reaction center. The main aim of the pigment...
8.0K
01:34The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis
14.5K
The light reactions of photosynthesis assume a linear flow of electrons from water to NADP+. During this process, light energy drives the splitting of water molecules to produce oxygen. However, oxidation of water molecules is a thermodynamically unfavorable reaction and requires a strong oxidizing agent. This is accomplished by the first product of light reactions: oxidized P680 (or P680+), the most powerful oxidizing agent known in biology. The oxidized P680 that acquires an electron from the...
14.5K
01:26Oxygenic Photosynthesis
909
Oxygenic photosynthesis is a fundamental process in which light energy is harnessed to drive the oxidation of water, leading to the production of molecular oxygen (O₂), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH). This process is essential for sustaining aerobic life on Earth and is primarily carried out by cyanobacteria, algae, and plants. The core of oxygenic photosynthesis lies in the thylakoid membranes, where chlorophyll pigments facilitate...
909