title: Conformational control of cofactors in nature--functional tetrapyrrole conformations in the photosynthetic reaction centers of purple bacteria.
abstract: Chemically identical tetrapyrrole cofactors such as hemes and chlorophylls participate in functionally diverse biological roles. An analysis of the available protein structural data for the bacteriochlorophylls in the photosynthetic reaction center gives statistically reliable evidence of the hypothesis that the protein induced cofactor conformation is a modulator of the bio-molecular function of each reaction center. The results serve as a general model to illustrate conformational control of tetrapyrrole cofactors in other proteins.
authors.affiliation: School of Chemistry, SFI Tetrapyrrole Laboratory, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland.
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: MacGowan
authors.forename: Mathias O
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Senge
mesh_terms: D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins / Q000737:chemistry*; D012242:Rhodobacter sphaeroides / Q000737:chemistry*; D045725:Tetrapyrroles / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D045322:Photosynthetic Reaction Center Complex Proteins; D045725:Tetrapyrroles