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Ultrafast carotenoid band shifts probe structure and dynamics in photosynthetic antenna complexes

Herek, J. L. LU ; Polívka, T. LU ; Pullerits, T. LU ; Fowler, G. J. S. ; Hunter, C. N. and Sundström, V. LU (1998) In Biochemistry 37(20). p.7057-7061
Abstract

We report observations of ultrafast carotenoid band shifts correlated with energy transfer dynamics between bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) molecules within the peripheral light-harvesting complex (LH2) from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Direct excitation of the bacteriochlorophyll Q(y) bands yielded distinct changes in the carotenoid S2 absorption from 430 to 530 nm. Transient absorption spectra and kinetics were measured in a femtosecond pump-probe experiment, revealing the ultrafast carotenoid response to excited BChl pigments. These data are an indication of a new property of carotenoids that is manifested as a unique ability to detect and report changes in their immediate environment, thereby... (More)

We report observations of ultrafast carotenoid band shifts correlated with energy transfer dynamics between bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) molecules within the peripheral light-harvesting complex (LH2) from the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Direct excitation of the bacteriochlorophyll Q(y) bands yielded distinct changes in the carotenoid S2 absorption from 430 to 530 nm. Transient absorption spectra and kinetics were measured in a femtosecond pump-probe experiment, revealing the ultrafast carotenoid response to excited BChl pigments. These data are an indication of a new property of carotenoids that is manifested as a unique ability to detect and report changes in their immediate environment, thereby serving as sensitive probes of local structure and dynamics.

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author
; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Biochemistry
volume
37
issue
20
pages
5 pages
publisher
The American Chemical Society (ACS)
external identifiers
  • pmid:9585514
  • scopus:0344222219
ISSN
0006-2960
DOI
10.1021/bi980118g
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
102a0ed1-2597-4479-8bbf-61cb98f3d4c5
date added to LUP
2025-10-28 16:31:53
date last changed
2025-12-10 07:27:58
@article{102a0ed1-2597-4479-8bbf-61cb98f3d4c5,
  abstract     = {{<p>We report observations of ultrafast carotenoid band shifts correlated with energy transfer dynamics between bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) molecules within the peripheral light-harvesting complex (LH2) from the photosynthetic bacterium <i>Rhodobacter sphaeroides</i>. Direct excitation of the bacteriochlorophyll Q(y) bands yielded distinct changes in the carotenoid S<sub>2</sub> absorption from 430 to 530 nm. Transient absorption spectra and kinetics were measured in a femtosecond pump-probe experiment, revealing the ultrafast carotenoid response to excited BChl pigments. These data are an indication of a new property of carotenoids that is manifested as a unique ability to detect and report changes in their immediate environment, thereby serving as sensitive probes of local structure and dynamics.</p>}},
  author       = {{Herek, J. L. and Polívka, T. and Pullerits, T. and Fowler, G. J. S. and Hunter, C. N. and Sundström, V.}},
  issn         = {{0006-2960}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{05}},
  number       = {{20}},
  pages        = {{7057--7061}},
  publisher    = {{The American Chemical Society (ACS)}},
  series       = {{Biochemistry}},
  title        = {{Ultrafast carotenoid band shifts probe structure and dynamics in photosynthetic antenna complexes}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/bi980118g}},
  doi          = {{10.1021/bi980118g}},
  volume       = {{37}},
  year         = {{1998}},
}