Engineering of a calcium-ion binding site into the RC-LH1-PufX complex of Rhodobacter sphaeroides to enable ion-dependent spectral red-shifting.

ABSTRACT: The reaction centre-light harvesting 1 (RC-LH1) complex of Thermochromatium (Tch.) tepidum has a unique calcium-ion binding site that enhances thermal stability and red-shifts the absorption of LH1 from 880nm to 915nm in the presence of calcium-ions. The LH1 antenna of mesophilic species of phototrophic bacteria such as Rhodobacter (Rba.) sphaeroides does not possess such properties. We have engineered calcium-ion binding into the LH1 antenna of Rba. sphaeroides by progressively modifying the native LH1 polypeptides with sequences from Tch. tepidum. We show that acquisition of the C-terminal domains from LH1 α and β of Tch. tepidum is sufficient to activate calcium-ion binding and the extent of red-shifting increases with the proportion of Tch. tepidum sequence incorporated. However, full

SUBMITTER: Swainsbury DJK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5604489 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature