PMID: 26023133 , Related PDB id: 4XK8
Authors:
Qin X, Suga M, Kuang T, Shen JR
Title:
Photosynthesis. Structural basis for energy transfer pathways in the plant PSI-LHCI supercomplex.
Journal:
Science. 2015 May 29;348(6238):989-95. doi: 10.1126/science.aab0214.
Abstract:
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.