High throughput engineering to revitalize a vestigial electron transfer pathway in bacterial photosynthetic reaction centers.

ABSTRACT: Photosynthetic reaction centers convert light energy into chemical energy in a series of transmembrane electron transfer reactions, each with near 100% yield. The structures of reaction centers reveal two symmetry-related branches of cofactors (denoted A and B) that are functionally asymmetric; purple bacterial reaction centers use the A pathway exclusively. Previously, site-specific mutagenesis has yielded reaction centers capable of transmembrane charge separation solely via the B branch cofactors, but the best overall electron transfer yields are still low. In an attempt to better realize the architectural and energetic factors that underlie the directionality and yields of electron transfer, sites within the protein-cofactor complex were targeted in a directed molecular evolution strat

SUBMITTER: Faries KM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3318735 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature