Self-assembly of photosynthetic membranes

Chemphyschem. 2010 Apr 26;11(6):1154-9. doi: 10.1002/cphc.200900911.

Abstract

Bacterial photosynthetic membranes, also known as chromatophores, are tightly packed with integral membrane proteins that work together to carry out photosynthesis. Chromatophores display a wide range of cellular morphologies; spherical, tubular, and lamellar chromatophores have all been observed in different bacterial species, or with different protein constituents. Through recent computational modeling and simulation, it has been demonstrated that the light-harvesting complexes abundant in chromatophores induce local membrane curvature via multiple mechanisms. These protein complexes assemble to generate a global curvature and sculpt the chromatophores into various cellular-scale architectures.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Bacterial Proteins / chemistry
  • Chromatophores / chemistry*
  • Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes / chemistry
  • Membrane Proteins / chemistry
  • Molecular Dynamics Simulation
  • Photosynthesis
  • Protein Structure, Tertiary

Substances

  • B800-850 light-harvesting complex, bacteria
  • Bacterial Proteins
  • Light-Harvesting Protein Complexes
  • Membrane Proteins