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Updated: Dec 15, 2025

Purification of Active Photosystem I-Light Harvesting Complex I from Plant Tissues
Published on: February 3, 2023
Recent advances on the structure and function of NDH-1: The complex I of oxygenic photosynthesis
Thomas G Laughlin1, David F Savage2, Karen M Davies3
1Department of Molecular and Cell Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrative Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, USA.
Abstract:
Photosynthetic NADH dehydrogenase-like complex type-1 (a.k.a, NDH, NDH-1, or NDH-1L) is a multi-subunit, membrane-bound oxidoreductase related to the respiratory complex I. Although originally discovered 30 years ago, a number of recent advances have revealed significant insight into the structure, function, and physiology of NDH-1. Here, we highlight progress in understanding the function of NDH-1 in the photosynthetic light reactions of both cyanobacteria and chloroplasts from biochemical and structural perspectives. We further examine the cyanobacterial-specific forms of NDH-1 that possess vectorial carbonic anhydrase (vCA) activity and function in the CO2-concentrating mechanism (CCM). We compare the proposed mechanism for the cyanobacterial NDH-1 vCA-activity to that of the DAB (DABs accumulates bicarbonate) complex, another putative vCA. Finally, we discuss both new and remaining questions pertaining to the mechanisms of NDH-1 complexes in light of these recent advances.
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