title: Long-range organization of bacteriochlorophyll in chlorosomes of Chlorobium tepidum investigated by cryo-electron microscopy.
abstract: Intact chlorosomes of Chlorobium tepidum were embedded in amorphous ice layers and examined by cryo-electron microscopy to study the long-range organization of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) layers. End-on views reveal that chlorosomes are composed of several multi-layer tubules of variable diameter (20-30 nm) with some locally undulating non-tubular lamellae in between. The multi-layered tubular structures are more regular and larger in a C. tepidum mutant that only synthesizes [8-ethyl, 12-methyl]-BChl d. Our data show that wild-type C. tepidum chlorosomes do not have a highly regular, long-range BChl c layer organization and that they contain several multi-layered tubules rather than single-layer tubules or exclusively undulating lamellae as previously proposed.
authors.affiliation: Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Gert T
authors.initials: GT
authors.lastname: Oostergetel
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Reus
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gomez Maqueo Chew
authors.forename: Donald A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.forename: Egbert J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Boekema
authors.forename: Alfred R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Holzwarth
mesh_terms: D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls / Q000032:analysis*; D041883:Chlorobium / Q000166:cytology* / Q000648:ultrastructure*; D020285:Cryoelectron Microscopy; D007425:Intracellular Membranes / Q000648:ultrastructure*
chemical_list: D001429:Bacteriochlorophylls