An international team
led by the researchers in Ruhr-Universit?¤t Bochum (RUB) in
Germany  provided new insights in the transport of light-energy of
Photosystem I (PSI), a complex, giant photosynthetic protein.
The researchers isolated
the protein complex using mass-spectrometry, spectroscopy, and
biochemical methods to characterize it in detail. They used the
atomic structure of PSI to study the energy transfer inside the
protein complex and the localization of the red chlorophylls. They
found that these red chlorophylls are closely interacting with
each other to enable the absorption of low-energy far red light.
The researchers observed the red chlorophylls seem to interact
with lipids on the surrounding membrane to make far red light
accessible for photosynthesis.
Cryo-EM
structure of a functional monomeric Photosystem I from
Thermosynechococcus elongatus reveals red chlorophyll cluster |
Communications Biology (nature.com)