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Related Concept Videos

Photosystems01:32

Photosystems

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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...
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Ribulose 1,5- bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (RuBisCo) is a critical enzyme that catalyzes carbon dioxide assimilation during photosynthesis. However, it is an inefficient enzyme, having an extremely slow catalytic rate. A typical enzyme can process about a thousand molecules per second; however, RuBisCo fixes only around three-carbon dioxides per second. Photosynthetic cells compensate for this slow rate by synthesizing very high amounts of RuBisCo, making it the most abundant single...
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Photosystem I01:27

Photosystem I

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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...
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Photosystem II01:22

Photosystem II

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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.
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The Antenna Complex

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Plants and other photosynthetic organisms comprise pigments capable of absorption of direct sunlight. These pigments are present in the reaction center - the main site of photochemical reactions as well as in the antenna complex. Under average light conditions, the rate at which reaction center pigments absorb light is far below the electron transport chain's capacity. As a result, the reaction center alone cannot provide enough energy to drive photosynthesis. The photosynthetic efficiency can...
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The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis01:34

The Z-Scheme of Electron Transport in Photosynthesis

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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...
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Separation of Spinach Thylakoid Protein Complexes by Native Green Gel Electrophoresis and Band Characterization using Time-Correlated Single Photon Counting
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Controlling photosynthetic energy conversion by small conformational changes.

Naama Maroudas-Sklare1,2, Yuval Kolodny1, Shira Yochelis1

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Summary

Photosynthetic organisms regulate energy transfer through subtle structural changes in light-harvesting complexes. This low-energy mechanism enhances survival in changing environments.

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Area of Science:

  • Photosynthesis
  • Biophysics
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Biological control typically involves gene expression and protein modification.
  • A novel regulatory mechanism in photosynthetic organisms is proposed.
  • This mechanism involves energy transfer modulation via light-harvesting complex structure.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate a new mode of biological regulation.
  • To explore the role of conformational changes in light-harvesting complexes.
  • To assess the evolutionary advantage of this energy transfer mechanism.

Main Methods:

  • Theoretical examination of energy transfer in pigment-protein complexes.
  • In vitro studies on isolated photosynthetic complexes.
  • In vivo experiments on cyanobacteria from diverse environments.

Main Results:

  • Small conformational changes in light-harvesting complexes can control energy transfer localization and delocalization.
  • This mechanism is biologically relevant for evolutionary fitness.
  • Experiments on desert and marine cyanobacteria show its effectiveness.

Conclusions:

  • Photosynthetic organisms can utilize structural flexibility for energy transfer regulation.
  • This mechanism offers a low-energy, competitive survival strategy.
  • The localization-delocalization switch is a key adaptation for organisms in fluctuating environments.