Comparison of the thermodynamic landscapes of unfolding and formation of the energy dissipative state in the isolated light harvesting complex II.

ABSTRACT: In biochemistry and cell biology, understanding the molecular mechanisms by which physiological processes are regulated is regarded as an ultimate goal. In higher plants, one of the most widely investigated regulatory processes occurs in the light harvesting complexes (LHCII) of the chloroplast thylakoid membranes. Under limiting photon flux densities, LHCII harvests sunlight with high efficiency. When the intensity of incident radiation reaches levels close to the saturation of the photosynthesis, the efficiency of light harvesting is decreased by a process referred to as nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ), which enhances the singlet-excited state deactivation via nonradiative dissipative processes. Conformational rearrangements in LHCII are known to be crucial in promoting and controlling

SUBMITTER: Santabarbara S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2726314 | biostudies-literature | 2009 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature