Controlling Structural and Functional Features of Photosynthetic Antenna
L. Fiedora, J. Fiedora, b, M. Pilcha, A. Susza, J. Tworzydłoa and M. Michalika
aFaculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, 30-387 Kraków, Poland
bAGH University of Science and Technology, al. A. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
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In order to gain control over the assembly and functioning of photosynthetic antenna, we have developed methods to manipulate pigment composition of bacterial LH1 complexes via their reconstitution with modified bacteriochlorophylls or carotenoids, major photoactive cofactors of these antennae. In the present work we show how the reconstitution and pigment exchange approach is applied to control structural and functional parameters of LH1 and its subunits. The size of the subunits and the energy of the first excited singlet state can be controlled via the use of detergent while the thermodynamics of LH1 formation can be modified using carotenoids and/or a co-solvent. Carotenoids affect the efficiency of the intracomplex energy transfer, while the replacement of native bacteriochlorophyll a with its Ni-substituted analog allows one to control the excited state properties of LH1. These results show that LH1 is a very promising model system applicable for the design of bio-inspired device performing solar energy conversion.
DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.122.255
PACS numbers: 87.15.nr, 87.15.Cc, 87.64.ks