Cytochrome b6f – orchestrator of photosynthetic electron transfer

Cytochrome b6f (cytb6f) lies at the heart of the light-dependent reactions of oxygenic photosynthesis, where it serves as a link between photosystem II (PSII) and photosystem I (PSI) through the oxidation and reduction of the electron carriers plastoquinol (PQH2) and plastocyanin (Pc). A mechanism of electron bifurcation, known as the Q-cycle, couples electron transfer to the generation of a transmembrane proton gradient for ATP synthesis. Cytb6f catalyses the rate-limiting step in linear electron transfer (LET), is pivotal for cyclic electron transfer (CET) and plays a key role as a redox-sensing hub involved in the regulation of light-harvesting, electron transfer and photosynthetic gene expression. Together, these characteristics make cytb6f a judicious target for genetic manipulation to enhance photosynthetic yield, a strategy which already shows promise. In this review we will outline the structure and function of cytb6f with a particular focus on new insights provided by the recent high-resolution map of the complex from Spinach.