Methods for the Isolation of Functional Photosystem II Core Particles from the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

This chapter contains the description of several methods used for the isolation of functional photosystem II (PS II) core particles from wild type, photosystem I-less, and CP47 histidine-tagged cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The presented protocols cover cultivation of photosystem I-containing and photosystem I-less cells, isolation of thylakoid membranes, purification of PS II core particles using a weak cation exchange or metal affinity column chromatography, and characterization of the final preparation. These isolation procedures yield highly active oxygen-evolving PS II particles and can be easily adapted for obtaining preparations from Synechocystis mutants with genetically modified photosystem II.