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The size of the photosynthetic unit in purple bacteria

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  • Anoxygenic Photosynthesis
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Abstract

Pigment analysis was performed by means of normal phase HPLC on a number of bacteriochlorophyll a and b containing species of purple bacteria that contain a core antenna only. At least 99% of the bacteriochlorophyll in Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26, Rhodopseudomonas viridis and Thiocapsa pfennigii was esterified with phytol (BChl a p and BChl b p, respectively). Rhodospirillum rubrum contained only BChl a esterified with geranyl-geraniol (BChl a GG). Rhodospirillum sodomense and Rhodopseudomonas marina contained, in addition to BChl a p, small amounts of BChl a GG, and presumably also of BChl a esterified with dihydro and tetrahydro geranyl-geraniol (Δ2,10,14-phytatrienol and probably Δ2,14-phytadienol). In all species bacteriopheophytin (BPhe) esterified with phytol was present. The BChl/BPhe ratio indicated that in these species a constant number of 25 ± 3 antenna BChls is present per reaction centre. This number supports a model in which the core antenna consists of 12 α-β heterodimers surrounding the reaction centre. Determination of the in vivo extinction coefficient of BChl in the core-reaction centre complex yielded a value of ca. 140 mM−1 cm−1 for BChl a containing species and of 130 mM−1 cm−1 for Rhodopseudomonas viridis.

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Abbreviations

BChl:

bacteriochlorophyll

BPhe:

bacteriopheophytin

GG:

geranyl-geraniol

LHI and LHII:

core and peripheral antenna complexes

P:

phytol

RC:

reaction centre

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biophysics, Huygens Laboratory, University of Leiden, P.O. Box 9504, 2300 RA, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Christof Francke & Jan Amesz

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  1. Christof Francke
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  2. Jan Amesz
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Dedicated to the memory of Professor D.I. Arnon.

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Francke, C., Amesz, J. The size of the photosynthetic unit in purple bacteria. Photosynth Res 46, 347–352 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00020450

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