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The Antenna System of Photosystem II From Thermosynechococcus elongatus at 3.2 Å Resolution

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Abstract

The content and type of cofactors harboured in the Photosystem II core complex (PS IIcc) of the cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus elongatus has been determined by biochemical and spectroscopic methods. 17 ± 1 chlorophyll a per pheophytin a and 0.25 β-carotene per chlorophyll a have been found in re-dissolved crystals of dimeric PS IIcc. The X-ray crystal structure of PS IIcc from Thermosynechococcus elongatus at 3.2 Å resolution clearly shows chlorophyll a molecules arranged in two layers close to the cytoplasmic and lumenal sides of the thylakoid membrane. Each of the cytoplasmic layers contains 9 chlorophyll a, whose positions and orientations are related by a local twofold rotation pseudo-C2 axis passing through the non-haem Fe2+. These chlorophyll a are arranged comparably to those in the antenna domains of PsaA and PsaB of cyanobacterial Photosystem I affirming an evolutionary relation. The chlorophyll a in the lumenal layer are less well conserved between Photosystems I and II and even between CP43 and CP47 with 4 chlorophyll a in the former and 7 in the latter.

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Abbreviations

Car:

β-carotene

cc:

core complex

Chla:

Chlorophyll a

cyt:

cytochrome

ETC:

electron transfer chain

LHC:

light harvesting complex

Pheoa:

Pheophytin a

PS:

Photosystem

QA:

primary quinone

QB:

secondary quinone

RPC:

reversed phase chromatography

T. elongatus :

Thermosynechococcus elongatus

TMH:

transmembrane α-helix

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Chemistry/Crystallography, Free University Berlin, Takustr. 6, 14195, Berlin, Germany

    Bernhard Loll, Wolfram Saenger & Jacek Biesiadka

  2. Max-Volmer-Laboratories for Biophysical Chemistry, Technical University Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623, Berlin, Germany

    Jan Kern, Athina Zouni & Klaus-Dieter Irrgang

Authors
  1. Bernhard Loll
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  2. Jan Kern
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  3. Athina Zouni
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  4. Wolfram Saenger
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  5. Jacek Biesiadka
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  6. Klaus-Dieter Irrgang
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Correspondence to Klaus-Dieter Irrgang.

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Loll, B., Kern, J., Zouni, A. et al. The Antenna System of Photosystem II From Thermosynechococcus elongatus at 3.2 Å Resolution. Photosynth Res 86, 175–184 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-005-4117-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11120-005-4117-0

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