On the reactions in oxygenic photosynthesis as related to the z-scheme: Contributions by Govindjee Stirbet Alexandrina1,**, Naithani Sushma2,***, Shevela Dmitry3,****, Björn Lars Olof4,*****, Eaton-Rye Julian J.5,******, Nonomura Arthur6,* 1Newport News, 23606, Virginia, USA 2Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, 97333, USA 3Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biological Centre, Umeä University, SE-90187Umeå, Sweden 4Department of Biology, Molecular Cell Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, SE-22462Lund, Sweden 5Department of Biochemistry, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand 6Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Northern Arizona University, South San Francisco Street, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011, USA (*Corresponding author) email id: arthur.nonomura@nau.edu
**sstirbet@gmail.com
***sushma.naithani@oregonstate.edu
****dmitry.shevela@umu.se
*****lars_olof.bjorn@biol.lu.se
******julian.eatonrye@otago.ac.nz
Online published on 11 November, 2023. Abstract We honor Govindjee, Professor Emeritus of Plant Biology and Biophysics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, for his significant scientific contributions to the Z-scheme concept in oxygenic photosynthesis and studies on electron transport components. He is renowned for pioneering work in discovering thetwo-light reactions and two photosystems (Photosystem (PS) I and II) and for other ground breaking findings related to the function of different components of the Z-scheme. These include light harvesting and primary charge separation in PSI and PSII, the role of bicarbonate in the two-electron gate of PSII, water photooxidation, and nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence, which regulate the photosynthetic electron flow represented in the Z-scheme. We also discuss the application of chlorophyll a fluorescence, delayed fluorescence (delayed light emission), thermoluminescence, and nuclear magnetic resonance in these studies. Furthermore, we emphasize Govindjee's dissemination of fundamental scientific knowledge and the Z-scheme's principles throughout the world. “Few phenomena in natural science equal photosynthesis in sweep and grandeur” — Martin Kamen (1963) Primary processes in photosynthesis, Academic Press, N.Y. Top Keywords Bicarbonate effect, Emerson enhancement effect, Excitation energy transfer and conversion in photosynthetic reaction centers, Govindjee's educational poster series, History of science, Nonphotochemical quenching of chlorophyll a fluorescence, Oxygen evolution, Z-scheme. Top |