Carotenoid-to-Bacteriochlorophyll Energy Transfer in the LH1-RC Core Complex of a Bacteriochlorophyll b Containing Purple Photosynthetic Bacterium Blastochloris viridis

摘要

Carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer has been widely investigated in bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a-containing light harvesting complexes. Blastochloris viridis utilizes BCh1 b, whose absorption spectrum is more red-shifted than that of BCh1 a. This has implications on the efficiency and pathways of carotenoid-to-BChl energy transfer in this organism. The carotenoids that comprise the light-harvesting reaction center core complex (LH1-RC) of B. viridis are 1,2-dihydroneurosporene and 1,2-dihydrolycopene, which are derivatives of carotenoids found in the light harvesting complexes of several BChl a-containing purple photosynthetic bacteria. Steady-state and ultrafast time-resolved optical spectroscopic measurements were performed on the LH1-RC complex of B. viridis at room and cryogenic temperatures. The overall efficiency of carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer obtained from steady-state absorption and fluorescence measurements were determined to be similar to 27% and similar to 36% for 1,2-dihydroneurosporene and 1,2-dihydrolycopene, respectively. These results were combined with global fitting and target analyses of the transient absorption data to elucidate the energetic pathways by which the carotenoids decay and transfer excitation energy to BCh1 b. 1,2-Dihydrolycopene transfers energy to BChl b via the S-2 -> Q(x) channel with k(ET2) = (500 fs)(-1) while 1,2-dihydroneurosporene transfers energy via S-1 -> Q(y) (k(ET1) = (84 ps)(-1)) and S-2 -> Q(x)(k(ET2) = (2.2 ps)(-1)) channels.