학술논문

Ultrafast structural changes within a photosynthetic reaction centre.
Document Type
Source
Nature. 589(7841):310-314
Subject
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Biokemi och molekylärbiologi
Structural Biology
Strukturbiologi
Biophysics
Biofysik
Bacteriochlorophylls
metabolism
Binding Sites
drug effects
Chlorophyll
radiation effects
Crystallography
Cytoplasm
Electron Transport
Electrons
Hyphomicrobiaceae
enzymology
Lasers
Models
Molecular
Oxidation-Reduction
Pheophytins
Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins
chemistry
Protons
Ubiquinone
analogs & derivatives
Vitamin K 2
Language
English
ISSN
1476-4687
Abstract
Photosynthetic reaction centres harvest the energy content of sunlight by transporting electrons across an energy-transducing biological membrane. Here we use time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography1 using an X-ray free-electron laser2 to observe light-induced structural changes in the photosynthetic reaction centre of Blastochloris viridis on a timescale of picoseconds. Structural perturbations first occur at the special pair of chlorophyll molecules of the photosynthetic reaction centre that are photo-oxidized by light. Electron transfer to the menaquinone acceptor on the opposite side of the membrane induces a movement of this cofactor together with lower amplitude protein rearrangements. These observations reveal how proteins use conformational dynamics to stabilize the charge-separation steps of electron-transfer reactions.