Abstract

The structures, geometries, energy transfer dynamics and excited state energies of photosynthetic carotenoids will be studied in native and crystallized pigment-protein complexes.
The specific aims of the proposed research are to: (1) Determine the configuration of the carotenoids in the pigment-protein complexes of photosynthetic bacteria; (2) Determine the mechanism of carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer in antenna complexes of photosynthetic bacteria; (3) Determine the nature of the association of carotenoids with the protein and bacteriochlorophylls in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes. The approach will be to use various optical spectroscopic techniques as probes of the various preparations. The results are important because the survival of photosynthetic organisms depends on the ability of these systems to utilize efficiently their absorbed energy and to protect themselves from photooxidative destruction. Carotenoids perform these functions.

  Funding Agency

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIGMS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01GM030353-01A4
Application #
3278063
Study Section
Biophysics and Biophysical Chemistry A Study Section (BBCA)
Project Start
1987-09-01
Project End
1990-09-01
Budget Start
1987-09-01
Budget End
1988-08-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1987
Total Cost
Indirect Cost

  Institution

Name
University of Connecticut
Department
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
City
Storrs-Mansfield
State
CT
Country
United States
Zip Code
06269

  Publications

Polivka, Tomas; Frank, Harry A (2010) Molecular factors controlling photosynthetic light harvesting by carotenoids. Acc Chem Res 43:1125-34
Cai, Jianfeng; Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M; Frank, Harry A et al. (2010) Ultrafast energy transfer within pyropheophorbide-a tethered to self-assembling DNA quadruplex. Chem Commun (Camb) 46:544-6
Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M; Enriquez, Miriam M; Lafountain, Amy M et al. (2010) Ultrafast Time-resolved Absorption Spectroscopy of Geometric Isomers of Xanthophylls. Chem Phys 373:80-89
Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M; Chatterjee, Nirmalya; Enriquez, Miriam M et al. (2009) Spectroscopic investigation of peridinin analogues having different pi-electron conjugated chain lengths: exploring the nature of the intramolecular charge transfer state. J Phys Chem B 113:13604-12
Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M; Sandberg, Daniel J; Cong, Hong et al. (2009) Ultrafast Time-resolved Absorption Spectroscopy of Geometric Isomers of Carotenoids. Chem Phys 357:4-16
Chatterjee, Nirmalya; Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M; Aoki, Kazuyoshi et al. (2009) Effect of structural modifications on the spectroscopic properties and dynamics of the excited states of peridinin. Arch Biochem Biophys 483:146-55
Kajikawa, Takayuki; Hasegawa, Shinji; Iwashita, Takashi et al. (2009) Syntheses of C33-, C35-, and C39-peridinin and their spectral characteristics. Org Lett 11:5006-9
Schulte, Tim; Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz M; Birge, Robert R et al. (2009) Identification of a single peridinin sensing Chl-a excitation in reconstituted PCP by crystallography and spectroscopy. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106:20764-9
Kajikawa, Takayuki; Aoki, Kazuyoshi; Singh, Ram Shanker et al. (2009) Syntheses of allene-modified derivatives of peridinin toward elucidation of the effective role of the allene function in high energy transfer efficiencies in photosynthesis. Org Biomol Chem 7:3723-33
Ryppa, Claudia; Niedzwiedzki, Dariusz; Morozowich, Nicole L et al. (2009) Stepwise conversion of two pyrrole moieties of octaethylporphyrin to pyridin-3-ones: synthesis, mass spectral, and photophysical properties of mono and bis(oxypyri)porphyrins. Chemistry 15:5749-62

Showing the most recent 10 out of 66 publications