Observation of conformational dynamics in single light-harvesting proteins from cryptophyte algae.

ABSTRACT: Photosynthetic organisms use pigment-protein complexes to capture the sunlight that powers most life on earth. Within these complexes, the position of the embedded pigments is all optimized for light harvesting. At the same time, the protein scaffold undergoes thermal fluctuations that vary the structure, and, thus, photophysics, of the complexes. While these variations are averaged out in ensemble measurements, single-molecule spectroscopy provides the ability to probe these conformational changes. We used single-molecule fluorescence spectroscopy to identify the photophysical substates reflective of distinct conformations and the associated conformational dynamics in phycoerythrin 545 (PE545), a pigment-protein complex from cryptophyte algae. Rapid switching between photophysical states

SUBMITTER: Moya R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9894659 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature