Light-induced damage of the photosynthetic apparatus is an important and complex phenomenon, which affects primarily the photosystem II (PSII) complex. Here, the author summarizes the current state of understanding, which concerns the role of charge recombination reactions in photodamage and photoprotection. The main mechanism of photodamage induced by visible light appears to be mediated by acceptor side modifications, which develop under light intensity conditions when the capacity of light-independent photosynthetic processes limits the utilization of electrons produced in the initial photoreactions. This situation facilitates triplet chlorophyll formation and singlet oxygen production in the reaction center of PSII, which initiates the damage of electron transport components and protein structure. This mechanism is an important, but not exclusive, pathway of photodamage, and light-induced inactivation of the Mn cluster of water oxidation may occur in parallel with the singlet oxygen-dependent pathway.
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