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Reaction center and antenna processes in photosynthesis at low temperature

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Abstract

Around 1960 experiments of Arnold and Clayton, Chance and Nishimura and Calvin and coworkers demonstrated that the primary photosynthetic electron transfer processes are not abolished by cooling to cryogenic temperatures. After a brief historical introduction, this review discusses some aspects of electron transfer in bacterial reaction centers and of optical spectroscopy of photosynthetic systems with emphasis on low-temperature experiments.

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Abbreviations

(B)Chl:

(bacterio)chlorophyll

(B)Phe:

(bacterio)pheophytin

FMO:

Fenna-Matthews-Olson

LH1, LH2:

light harvesting complexes of purple bacteria

LHC II, CP47:

light harvesting complexes of Photosystem II

P, P870:

primary electron donor

RC:

reaction center

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  1. Department of Biophysics, Huygens Laboratory, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Thijs J. Aartsma & Jan Amesz

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  1. Thijs J. Aartsma
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Aartsma, T.J., Amesz, J. Reaction center and antenna processes in photosynthesis at low temperature. Photosynth Res 48, 99–106 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00041000

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