title: Lights, X-rays, oxygen!
abstract: Photosystem II uses metal ions to oxidize water to form O2. Two recent papers employ the new technique of serial femtosecond crystallography utilizing X-ray free-electron lasers and nanocrystals to obtain initial structures of intermediate states of photosystem II catalysis at the site of oxygen production.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. Electronic address: jjez@wustl.edu.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Jez
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
authors.forename: Robert E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Blankenship
mesh_terms: D018360:Crystallography, X-Ray; D000458:Cyanobacteria / Q000737:chemistry*; D008958:Models, Molecular; D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D045332:Photosystem II Protein Complex