Photosystem Two (Coffee Table Model)

This is a large (coffee table version) of the enzyme Photosystem II. While many enzymes do some very interesting chemistries, few have ever altered the actual environment at a planetary scale in the same manner that this enzyme has done. It is responsible for converting the atmosphere of the earth into an oxygen environment by using light energy to split water, generating oxygen gas as a by-product. This model shows most of the scaffold segment of the protein that houses the chlorophylls, the oxygen evolving complex, and the plastoquinones.

The structure is based on the 3WU2 protein data bank crystal structure. The model was manipulated in VMD, transferred to Tinkercad, where it was cleaned and the supports added. This will take more than a week of printer time. I do not recommend scaling it to something smaller. There are eight (8) sections that must be glued together to make the entire model. Each section will fit within the build plate volume of a Makerbot Replicator 5th Generation 3D printer.