Recent advances in the structural biology of photosystem II
Author(s)
Murray, James W
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) is the membrane protein-pigment complex responsible for the light-driven oxidation of water to molecular oxygen, a reaction that enables the aerobic biosphere and powers biological carbon fixation. Over the past two decades, structural biology has transformed our understanding of PSII from low-resolution outlines of its protein chains and cofactors to near-atomic resolution models. Early X-ray crystallographic structures from thermophilic cyanobacteria established the architecture of the reaction centre and the Mn4CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), defining the protein ligands and cofactor network that support charge separation and water oxidation. The advent of high-resolution single-particle cryo-EM microscopy has expanded structural coverage across taxa, assembly and repair intermediates, and PSII–antenna supercomplexes that are beyond crystallisation. CryoEM now routinely achieves sub-2.5 Å resolution. In situ cryo-EM tomography further bridges atomic models to the native thylakoid membrane environment, exposing the supramolecular organisation of PSII in cells. X-ray free electron laser (XFEL) pump–probe experiments provide time-resolved snapshots of the Kok S-state cycle, revealing substrate water insertion, metal–oxo rearrangements and approaches O–O bond formation. Despite these advances, key challenges remain, including unambiguous assignment of manganese oxidation states, direct localisation of hydrogen atoms and complete structural characterisation of transient S-state intermediates. Integration of structural methods with spectroscopy, computation and emerging protein design approaches promises not only deeper mechanistic insight into biological water oxidation, but also guidance for the development of robust, earth-abundant catalysts.
Date Issued
2026-05-01
Date Acceptance
2026-04-27
Citation
The Plant Journal, 2026, 126 (4)
ISSN
0960-7412
Publisher
Wiley
Journal / Book Title
The Plant Journal
Volume
126
Issue
4
Copyright Statement
© 2026 The Author(s). The Plant Journal published by Society for Experimental Biology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
License URL
Identifier
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/42155104
Subjects
photosynthesis
photosystem II
protein structure
Photosystem II Protein Complex
Crystallography, X-Ray
Cryoelectron Microscopy
Cyanobacteria
Models, Molecular
Publication Status
Published
Coverage Spatial
England
Article Number
e70925
Date Publish Online
2026-05-19