Chinese Journal of Nature ›› 2021, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (3): 165-175.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.0253-9608.2021.03.002

• Review Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Advances in structural biology of photosystem complexes in higher plants

SU Xiaodong, LI Mei   

  1. National Laboratory of Biomacromolecules, Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100101, China
  • Received:2021-04-25 Online:2021-06-25 Published:2021-06-13

Abstract:  Plants convert absorbed solar energy into chemical energy and release oxygen through photosynthesis, a process performed by several protein supercomplexes, including photosystem II and photosystem I. Both photosystems are membrane-embedded proteinpigment supercomplexes, consisting of the core complex and the peripheral antennae system. The two photosystems show dynamic structural feature that contributes to the adaptation and acclimation of plants under different light conditions. Structural information of these supercomplexes provides the basis for deeper understanding the molecular mechanism of photosynthesis. In this paper, we summarized the recent research progress on the structural analysis of photosystems II and I, and related protein complexes from higher plants.