Purification of Photosystem Proteins from Spinach Leaves

Purification of Photosystem Proteins from Spinach Leaves

Photosystems are protein-pigment complexes responsible for the conversion of light energy into an electron flow in plants. There are two photosystems called photosystem I and photosystem II. Photosystem II is responsible for splitting water molecules into protons and oxygen. In this work, we have used a biochemical protocol to purify photosystems from spinach leaves by detergent solubilization and centrifugation. The photosystem II activity was measured using a Clarke-type oxygen electrode as an indicator for its intactness and purity. This protocol provides us a tool to compare the photosystem protein from spinach with other species.