Primary light-harvesting system: phycobilisomes and associated membranes. Progress report, December 1979-January 1983

Technical Report · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1983

OSTI ID:6124096

Gantt, E

The structure of phycobilisomes, which serve as primary light-harvesting complexes for photosynthesis, were investigated in red and blue-green algae (cyanobacteria). Structurally the phycobilisomes have the same fundamental arrangement in the various species, with allophycocyanin being in the core from which peripheral rods composed of phycocyanin or phycocyanin-phycoerythyrin radiate. Such studies were extended to show that energetically functional phycobilisomes could be formed in vitro from separated fractions of allophycocyanin and phycoerythrin-phycocyanin within the same species (Nostoc) and between separate species (Fremyella and Nostoc). A large (95 kD) blue-colored polypeptide is being regarded as an anchor component between phycobilisomes and thylakoids. The polypeptide, isolated from phycobilisomes, had two long wavelength-emitting types of chromophores, one similar to allophycocyanin and another to chlorophyll. Such a large (95 kD) polypeptide occurred in phycobilisomes of red and blue-green algae examined, with the exception of Anacystis where it was somewhat smaller (75 kD). The effect of light quality on phycobilisome structure varied among the blue-green species studied. The relationship of the photosystems and phycobilisomes was investigated in Anacystis wild type cells, and in mutants deficient in phycocyanin. Although the phycocyanin and chlorophyll content per cell changed with light quality the phycobilisome per Reaction Center 2 ratio remained at ca. 0.9 +- 0.3 suggesting that only the size of the antennae varied.

• Research Organization: Smithsonian Institution, Rockville, MD (USA). Radiation Biology Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: AS05-76ER04310
• OSTI ID: 6124096
• Report Number(s): DOE/ER/04310-T1; ON: DE83011070
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550200* -- Biochemistry
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHLOROPHYLL
CYANOBACTERIA
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
MICROORGANISMS
MOLECULAR STRUCTURE
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
PHOTOSYNTHETIC REACTION CENTERS
PHYTOCHROMES
PIGMENTS
PORPHYRINS
PROTEINS