Redesigning the Q_A binding site of Photosystem II allows reduction of exogenous quinones.

ABSTRACT: Strategies to harness photosynthesis from living organisms to generate electrical power have long been considered, yet efficiency remains low. Here, we aimed to reroute photosynthetic electron flow in photosynthetic organisms without compromising their phototrophic properties. We show that 2,6-dimethyl-p-benzoquinone (DMBQ) can be used as an electron mediator to assess the efficiency of mutations designed to engineer a novel electron donation pathway downstream of the primary electron acceptor Q_A of Photosystem (PS) II in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Through the use of structural prediction studies and a screen of site-directed PSII mutants we show that modifying the environment of the Q_A site increases the reduction rate of DMBQ. Truncating the C-terminu

SUBMITTER: Fu HY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5418674 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature