A plausible mechanism of electron transfer between quinones in photosynthetic reaction centers.
The mechanism of long-range electron transfer between the primary and the secondary quinone of photosynthetic reaction centers has been investigated, with particular attention on the role of the iron-histidine bridge. Computations suggest that in such a system, where the molecular subunits are packed together by H-bonds, a mobile electron, injected on one end of the chain, can be carried to the other end by switching the positions of the H-bonded hydrogens. Energy estimates would suggest that the proposed mechanism is plausible and worthy of further experimental investigations.
Peluso
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A
Dipartimento di Chimica, Università di Salerno, Baronissi, Salerno, I-84081, Italy. apeluso@chem.unisa.it
Di Donato
M
M
Improta
R
R
Saracino
G A
GA
D000818:Animals; D004579:Electron Transport; D006860:Hydrogen Bonding; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism*; D011487:Protein Conformation; D011522:Protons; D011809:Quinones / Q000378:metabolism*; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000378:metabolism
D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D011522:Protons; D011809:Quinones