Bicarbonate is a key regulator but not a substrate for O₂ evolution in Photosystem II

Photosystem II (PSII) uses light energy to oxidize water and to reduce plastoquinone in the photosynthetic electron transport chain. O₂ is produced as a byproduct. While most members of the PSII research community agree that O₂ originates from water molecules, alternative hypotheses involving bicarbonate persist in the literature. In this perspective, we provide an overview of the important roles of bicarbonate in regulating PSII activity and assembly. Further, we emphasize that biochemistry, spectroscopy, and structural biology experiments have all failed to detect bicarbonate near the active site of O₂ evolution. While thermodynamic arguments for oxygen-centered bicarbonate oxidation are valid, the claim that bicarbonate is a substrate for photosynthetic O₂ evolution is challenged.