title: Energy transfer in a single self-aggregated photosynthetic unit.
abstract: The primary events of bacterial photosynthesis rely on the interplay of various specialized protein complexes organized in a supramolecular structure commonly termed the photosynthetic unit (PSU), which consists of the photochemical reaction center and of an associated antenna network. Employing single-molecule spectroscopic techniques we have been able to observe the excitation-energy transfer within a single PSU. From these findings we conclude that the building blocks of the PSU spontaneously form stable, functional aggregates in a non-membrane environment.
authors.affiliation: Experimental Physics IV and BZMB, University of Bayreuth, Universitätsstrasse 30, 95440 Bayreuth, Germany. clemens.hofmann@uni-bayreuth.de
authors.forename: Clemens
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Francia
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Venturoli
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Oesterhelt
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Köhler
mesh_terms: D004735:Energy Transfer; D010788:Photosynthesis; D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000378:metabolism; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins