Structural basis for energy transfer pathways in the plant PSI-LHCI supercomplex

Photosynthesis converts solar energy to chemical energy by means of two large pigment-protein complexes: photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). In higher plants, the PSI core is surrounded by a large light-harvesting complex I (LHCI) that captures sunlight and transfers the excitation energy...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2015-05, Vol.348 (6238), p.989-995
Main Authors: Qin, Xiaochun, Suga, Michihiro, Kuang, Tingyun, Shen, Jian-Ren
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Biophysics
Botany
Chemical energy
Chlorophylls
Computing time
Energy
Energy management
Energy transfer
Excitation
Light
Photosynthesis
Proteins
Solar energy
Sunlight
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Summary:Photosynthesis converts solar energy to chemical energy by means of two large pigment-protein complexes: photosystem I (PSI) and photosystem II (PSII). In higher plants, the PSI core is surrounded by a large light-harvesting complex I (LHCI) that captures sunlight and transfers the excitation energy to the core with extremely high efficiency. We report the structure of PSI-LHCI, a 600-kilodalton membrane protein supercomplex, from Pisum sativum (pea) at a resolution of 2.8 angstroms. The structure reveals the detailed arrangement of pigments and other cofactors—especially within LHCI—as well as numerous specific interactions between the PSI core and LHCI. These results provide a firm structural basis for our understanding on the energy transfer and photoprotection mechanisms within the PSI-LHCI supercomplex.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.aab0214