1. Fast energy transfer between BChl d and BChl c in chlorosomes of the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium limicola
- Author
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Jesús Garcia-Gil, Carles M. Borrego, Alfred R. Holzwarth, Dorte B. Steensgaard, Hjalmar P. Permentier, Jan Amesz, Thijs J. Aartsma, Lluís Bañeras, and Cornelis A. van Walree
- Subjects
Circular dichroism ,Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins ,Biophysics ,Chlorosome ,Photochemistry ,Biochemistry ,Fluorescence spectroscopy ,Fluorescence kinetics ,Chlorobi ,chemistry.chemical_compound ,Pigment ,Green bacterium ,Bacterial Proteins ,Bacteriochlorophyll ,Emission spectrum ,Photosynthesis ,Bacteriochlorophylls ,Circular Dichroism ,Cell Biology ,Fluorescence ,Energy Transfer ,chemistry ,Absorption band ,visual_art ,Single-photon timing ,visual_art.visual_art_medium - Abstract
We have studied energy transfer in chlorosomes of Chlorobium limicola UdG6040 containing a mixture of about 50% bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c and BChl d each. BChl d-depleted chlorosomes were obtained by acid treatment. The energy transfer between the different pigment pools was studied using both steady-state and time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy at room temperature and low temperature. The steady-state emission of the intact chlorosome originated mainly from BChl c, as judged by comparison of fluorescence emission spectra of intact and BChl d-depleted chlorosomes. This indicated that efficient energy transfer from BChl d to BChl c takes place. At room temperature BChl c/d to BChl a excitation energy transfer (EET) was characterized by two components of 27 and 74 ps. At low temperature we could also observe EET from BChl d to BChl c with a time constant of approximately 4 ps. Kinetic modeling of the low temperature data indicated heterogeneous fluorescence kinetics and suggested the presence of an additional BChl c pool, E790, which is more or less decoupled from the baseplate BChl a. This E790 pool is either a low-lying exciton state of BChl c which acts as a trap at low temperature or alternatively represents the red edge of a broad inhomogeneous absorption band of BChl c. We present a refined model for the organization of the spatially separated pigment pools in chlorosomes of Cb. limicola UdG6040 in which BChl d is situated distal and BChl c proximal with respect to the baseplate.
- Published
- 2000