Nature Communications (May 2017)

Exchange pathways of plastoquinone and plastoquinol in the photosystem II complex

  • Floris J. Van Eerden,
  • Manuel N. Melo,
  • Pim W. J. M. Frederix,
  • Xavier Periole,
  • Siewert J. Marrink

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15214
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 8, no. 1
pp. 1 – 8

Abstract

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Plastoquinone (PLQ) shuttles electrons between photosystem II (PSII) and cytochrome b6f. Here the authors perform molecular dynamics simulations and propose that PLQ enters the exchange cavity of PSII by a promiscuous diffusion mechanism whereby three different channels each act as entry and exit points.