De novo design of proteins housing excitonically coupled chlorophyll special pairs.

ABSTRACT: Natural photosystems couple light harvesting to charge separation using a 'special pair' of chlorophyll molecules that accepts excitation energy from the antenna and initiates an electron-transfer cascade. To investigate the photophysics of special pairs independently of the complexities of native photosynthetic proteins, and as a first step toward creating synthetic photosystems for new energy conversion technologies, we designed C₂-symmetric proteins that hold two chlorophyll molecules in closely juxtaposed arrangements. X-ray crystallography confirmed that one designed protein binds two chlorophylls in the same orientation as native special pairs, whereas a second designed protein positions them in a previously unseen geometry. Spectroscopy revealed that the chlorophylls are

SUBMITTER: Ennist NM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11213709 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature