Primary light harvesting system: phycobilisomes and associated membranes. Progress report, January 1, 1978--December 31, 1978

Technical Report · Sun Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1978

OSTI ID:6439298

Gantt, E

Phycobilisomes, attached to photosynthetic membranes of the red and blue-green algae, function as the major light harvesters for photosynthesis. They represent one of the most efficient energy transfer systems in photosynthetic organisms. Allophycocyanin is the terminal pigment in the transfer chain. One of the far emitting allophycocyanin forms has been under study because it is the probable bridging pigment between the phycobilisomes and the photosynthetic membrane. Vesicles with attached phycobilisomes from Anabaena variabilis have been isolated and shown to transfer excitation energy from phycobiliproteins to photosystem II chlorophy11 and to actively evolving oxygen. With the availability of such conditions, and with the capability of being able to isolate phycobilisomes from any algae, probes for the phycobilisome attachment site can now be undertaken. Our isolation, characterization, and in vitro recombination of a phycocyanin and phycoerythrin complex represents the first crucial step in being able to explore the in vitro formation of phycobilisomes.

• Research Organization: Smithsonian Institution, Rockville, MD (USA). Radiation Biology Lab.
• DOE Contract Number: EY-76-S-05-4310
• OSTI ID: 6439298
• Report Number(s): TID-28979
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
140504* -- Solar Energy Conversion-- Biomass Production & Conversion-- (-1989)
ALGAE
CARBOXYLIC ACIDS
CHEMICAL REACTIONS
CHLOROPHYLL
CRYOGENIC FLUIDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY TRANSFER
FLUIDS
HETEROCYCLIC ACIDS
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
IN VITRO
NONMETALS
ORGANIC ACIDS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC NITROGEN COMPOUNDS
OXYGEN
PHOTOCHEMICAL REACTIONS
PHOTOSYNTHESIS
PHYCOCYANIN
PHYTOCHROMES
PIGMENTS
PLANTS
PORPHYRINS
PROTEINS
SYNTHESIS