Characterization of the Structure and Function of the Photosynthetic RC-LH1 Core Supercomplex From Rhodospirillum rubrum.

ABSTRACT: Photosynthetic reaction center-light harvesting 1 (RC-LH1) core supercomplexes are essential for energy capture and electron transport in purple bacteria. Rhodospirillum rubrum, a model organism for bacterial photosynthesis, features an RC-LH1 architecture with a closed LH1 ring and lacks the peripheral LH2 antenna in the photosynthetic membranes. How this unique RC-LH1 supercomplex performs energy transfer and quinone transport remains unclear. Here, we characterized both the structural and functional properties of Rsp. rubrum RC-LH1 supercomplex using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), transient absorption (TA) spectroscopy, and cytochrome c₂ oxidation assays. Cryo-EM of the RC-LH1 monomeric structure revealed a closed LH1 ring of 16 αβ-polypeptides encircling the RC, with we

SUBMITTER: Christianson B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12086609 | biostudies-literature | 2025 May-Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature