A dimeric chlorophyll electron acceptor differentiates type I from type II photosynthetic reaction centers

This research addresses one of the most compelling issues in the field of photosynthesis, namely, the role of the accessory chlorophyll molecules in primary charge separation. Using a combination of empirical and computational methods, we demonstrate that the primary acceptor of photosystem (PS) I is a dimer of accessory and secondary chlorophyll molecules, Chl2A and Chl3A, with an asymmetric electron charge density distribution. The incorporation of highly coupled donors and acceptors in PS I allows for extensive delocalization that prolongs the lifetime of the charge-separated state, providing for high quantum efficiency. The discovery of this motif has widespread implications ranging from the evolution of naturally occurring reaction centers to the development of a new generation of highly efficient artificial photosynthetic systems.

© This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

Files

Metadata

Work Title A dimeric chlorophyll electron acceptor differentiates type I from type II photosynthetic reaction centers
Access
Open Access
Creators
  1. Michael J Gorka
  2. Philip Charles
  3. Vidmantas Kalendra
  4. Amgalanbaatar Baldansuren
  5. K.V. Lakshmi
  6. John H. Golbeck
License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives)
Work Type Article
Publisher
  1. iScience
Publication Date July 23, 2021
Publisher Identifier (DOI)
  1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2021.102719
Deposited January 06, 2025

Versions

Analytics

Collections

This resource is currently not in any collection.

Work History

Version 1
published

  • Created
  • Added A0postprint_Final-1.docx
  • Added Creator Michael J Gorka
  • Added Creator Philip Charles
  • Added Creator Vidmantas Kalendra
  • Added Creator Amgalanbaatar Baldansuren
  • Added Creator K.V. Lakshmi
  • Added Creator John H. Golbeck
  • Published
  • Updated