Triplet Excitation Transfer between Carotenoids in the LH2 Complex from Photosynthetic Bacterium Rhodopseudomonas palustris.
We have studied, by means of sub-microsecond time-resolved absorption spectroscopy, the triplet-excited state dynamics of carotenoids (Cars) in the intermediate-light adapted LH2 complex (ML-LH2) from Rhodopseudomonas palustris containing Cars with different numbers of conjugated double bonds. Following pulsed photo-excitation at 590 nm at room temperature, rapid spectral equilibration was observed either as a red shift of the isosbestic wavelength on a time scale of 0.6-1.0 mus, or as a fast decay in the shorter-wavelength side of the T(n)<--T(1) absorption of Cars with a time constant of 0.5-0.8 mus. Two major spectral components assignable to Cars with 11 and 12 conjugated double bonds were identified. The equilibration was not observed in the ML-LH2 at 77 K, or in the LH2 complex from Rhodobacter sphaeroides G1C containing a single type of Car. The unique spectral equilibration was ascribed to temperature-dependent triplet excitation transfer among different Car compositions. The results suggest that Cars of 11 and 12 conjugated bonds, both in close proximity of BChls, may coexist in an alpha,beta-subunit of the ML-LH2 complex.
Feng
Juan
J
The State Key Laboratory for Structural Chemistry of Unstable and Stable Species, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1st North Street, Haidian District, Beijing, 100080, P. R. China.
Wang
Qian
Q
Wu
Yi-Shi
YS
Ai
Xi-Cheng
XC
Zhang
Xu-Jia
XJ
Huang
You-Guo
YG
Zhang
Xing-Kang
XK
Zhang
Jian-Ping
JP