An 'all pigment' model of excitation quenching in LHCII.

The rapid, photoprotective down-regulation of plant light-harvesting in bright light proceeds via the non-photochemical quenching of chlorophyll excitation energy in the major photosystem II light-harvesting complex LHCII. However, there is currently no consensus regarding the precise mechanism by which excess energy is quenched. Current X-ray structures of this complex correspond to a dissipative conformation and therefore correct microscopic theoretical modelling should capture this property.