Structure of a biohybrid photosystem I-platinum nanoparticle solar fuel catalyst.

Biohybrid solar fuel catalysts leverage natural light-driven enzymes to produce valuable fuel products. One useful biological platform for such a system is photosystem I, a pigment-protein complex that captures sunlight and converts it into chemical energy with near unity quantum efficiency, which generates low potential reducing equivalents for metabolism. Realizing and understanding the molecular basis for an approach that utilizes those electrons and stores solar energy as a fuel is therefore appealing.

Light-Induced Charge Separation in Photosystem I from Different Biological Species Characterized by Multifrequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy.

Photosystem I (PSI) serves as a model system for studying fundamental processes such as electron transfer (ET) and energy conversion, which are not only central to photosynthesis but also have broader implications for bioenergy production and biomimetic device design. In this study, we employed electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to investigate key light-induced charge separation steps in PSI isolated from several green algal and cyanobacterial species. Following photoexcitation, rapid sequential ET occurs through either of two quasi-symmetric branches of donor/acceptor cofactors embedded within the protein core, termed the A and B branches.

Solar water splitting Pt-nanoparticle photosystem I thylakoid systems: Catalyst identification, location and oligomeric structure.

Photosynthetic conversion of light energy into chemical energy occurs in sheet-like membrane-bound compartments called thylakoids and is mediated by large integral membrane protein-pigment complexes called reaction centers (RCs). Oxygenic photosynthesis of higher plants, cyanobacteria and algae requires the symbiotic linking of two RCs, photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI), to split water and assimilate carbon dioxide. Worldwide there is a large research investment in developing RC-based hybrids that utilize the highly evolved solar energy conversion capabilities of RCs to power catalytic reactions for solar fuel generation.

Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy of a Minimal Photosystem I Complex Reveals the Rate of Primary Charge Separation.

Photosystem I (PSI), found in all oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, uses solar energy to drive electron transport with nearly 100% quantum efficiency, thanks to fast energy transfer among antenna chlorophylls and charge separation in the reaction center. There is no complete consensus regarding the kinetics of the elementary steps involved in the overall trapping, especially the rate of primary charge separation. In this work, we employed two-dimensional coherent electronic spectroscopy to follow the dynamics of energy and electron transfer in a monomeric PSI complex from PCC 6803, containing only subunits A-E, K, and M, at 77 K.

Block copolymer [(L-GluA-5-BE)--(L-AspA-4-BE)]-based nanoflower capsules with thermosensitive morphology and pH-responsive drug release for cancer therapy.

Herein, the synthesis of an amino-acid-based di-block copolymer (di-BCP) in-between an l-glutamic acid-5-benzyl ester and l-aspartic acid-4-benzyl ester [(l-GluA-5-BE)-b-(l-AspA-4-BE)] has been reported. However, the synthesis of di-BCP of [(l-GluA-5-BE)-b-(l-AspA-4-BE)] was carried out through the facile modified ring-opening polymerization (ROP) without using any surfactants and harmful chemicals. Interestingly, the synthesized [(l-GluA-5-BE)-b-(l-AspA-4-BE)] has been used to design nanoflower capsules (NFCs) with surface-functionalized nanoflakes and petals.

Structure and energy transfer pathways of the Dunaliella Salina photosystem I supercomplex.

Oxygenic photosynthesis evolved more than 3 billion years ago in cyanobacteria. The increased complexity of photosystem I (PSI) became apparent from the high-resolution structures that were obtained for the complexes that were isolated from various organisms, ranging from cyanobacteria to plants. These complexes are all evolutionarily linked.

Structure and function of wild-type and subunit-depleted photosystem I in Synechocystis.

The ability of photosynthetic organisms to use the sun's light as a sole source of energy sustains life on our planet. Photosystems I (PSI) and II (PSII) are large, multi-subunit, pigment-protein complexes that enable photosynthesis, but this intriguing process remains to be explained fully. Currently, crystal structures of these complexes are available for thermophilic prokaryotic cyanobacteria.

The slow S to M rise of chlorophyll a fluorescence reflects transition from state 2 to state 1 in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.

The green alga Chlamydomonas (C.) reinhardtii is a model organism for photosynthesis research. State transitions regulate redistribution of excitation energy between photosystem I (PS I) and photosystem II (PS II) to provide balanced photosynthesis.

Change in fast Chl a fluorescence transients, 2 dimensional protein profile and pigment protein interactions during state transitions in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Photosynthetic organisms during acclimation to light, differences in the amount of energy absorbed by photosystems leads to an imbalance in the energy distribution between photosystem (PS) II and PSI. Here, we describe the changes in fast chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence transients (OJIP) in wild type and stn7 under state I and state II light conditions. Fluorescence quenching in the OJIP transients recorded from state II exposed wt leaves is due to mobilization of LHCII to PSI.

Unraveling the binding mechanism of asiatic acid with human serum albumin and its biological implications.

Asiatic acid (AsA), a naturally occurring pentacyclictriterpenoid found in Centella asiatica, plays a major role in neuroprotection, anticancer, antioxidant, and hepatoprotective activities. Human serum albumin (HSA), a blood plasma protein, participates in the regulation of plasma osmotic pressure and transports endogenous and exogenous substances. The study undertaken to analyze the drug-binding mechanisms of HSA is crucial in understanding the bioavailability of drugs.

Anaerobiosis induced state transition: a non photochemical reduction of PQ pool mediated by NDH in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Background: Non photochemical reduction of PQ pool and mobilization of LHCII between PSII and PSI are found to be linked under abiotic stress conditions. The interaction of non photochemical reduction of PQ pool and state transitions associated physiological changes are critically important under anaerobic condition in higher plants.

Methodology/findings: The present study focused on the effect of anaerobiosis on non-photochemical reduction of PQ pool which trigger state II transition in Arabidopsis thaliana.