Assembly of the water-oxidizing complex in photosystem II

The efficient incorporation and assembly of calcium, chloride and manganese followed by photoactivation of the water-oxidizing complex (WOC) is a prerequisite for the unique water-splitting activity of photosystem II. This minireview summarizes the recent results on incorporation and storage of the inorganic cofactors, photoactivation of the WOC and assembly of the protein environment at the donor site of PSII in cyanobacteria with a special focus on the role of the Psb27 protein.