Photosystem II and photosynthetic oxidation of water: an overview

Conceptually, photosystem II, the oxygen-evolving enzyme, can be divided into two parts: the photochemical part and the catalytic part. The photochemical part contains the ultra-fast and ultra-efficient light-induced charge separation and stabilization steps that occur when light is absorbed by chlorophyll. The catalytic part, where water is oxidized, involves a cluster of Mn ions close to a redox-active tyrosine residue. Our current understanding of the catalytic mechanism is mainly based on spectroscopic studies. Here, we present an overview of the current state of knowledge of photosystem II, attempting to delineate the open questions and the directions of current research.