Biological water-oxidizing complex: a nano-sized manganese-calcium oxide in a protein environment

Photosynth Res. 2012 Oct;114(1):1-13. doi: 10.1007/s11120-012-9778-x. Epub 2012 Sep 2.

Abstract

The resolution of Photosystem II (PS II) crystals has been improved using isolated PS II from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus. The new 1.9 Å resolution data have provided detailed information on the structure of the water-oxidizing complex (Umena et al. Nature 473: 55-61, 2011). The atomic level structure of the manganese-calcium cluster is important for understanding the mechanism of water oxidation and to design an efficient catalyst for water oxidation in artificial photosynthetic systems. Here, we have briefly reviewed our knowledge of the structure and function of the cluster.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Calcium / chemistry*
  • Crystallography, X-Ray
  • Cyanobacteria / metabolism*
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Manganese / chemistry*
  • Models, Chemical
  • Oxidation-Reduction
  • Oxides
  • Oxygen / chemistry
  • Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / chemistry*
  • Photosystem II Protein Complex / chemistry*
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Oxides
  • Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins
  • Photosystem II Protein Complex
  • Water
  • Manganese
  • Oxygen
  • Calcium