Superradiance of bacteriochlorophyll c aggregates in chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria. 2021

Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
Department of Chemical Physics and Optics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic.

Chlorosomes are the main light-harvesting complexes of green photosynthetic bacteria that are adapted to a phototrophic life at low-light conditions. They contain a large number of bacteriochlorophyll c, d, or e molecules organized in self-assembling aggregates. Tight packing of the pigments results in strong excitonic interactions between the monomers, which leads to a redshift of the absorption spectra and excitation delocalization. Due to the large amount of disorder present in chlorosomes, the extent of delocalization is limited and further decreases in time after excitation. In this work we address the question whether the excitonic interactions between the bacteriochlorophyll c molecules are strong enough to maintain some extent of delocalization even after exciton relaxation. That would manifest itself by collective spontaneous emission, so-called superradiance. We show that despite a very low fluorescence quantum yield and short excited state lifetime, both caused by the aggregation, chlorosomes indeed exhibit superradiance. The emission occurs from states delocalized over at least two molecules. In other words, the dipole strength of the emissive states is larger than for a bacteriochlorophyll c monomer. This represents an important functional mechanism increasing the probability of excitation energy transfer that is vital at low-light conditions. Similar behaviour was observed also in one type of artificial aggregates, and this may be beneficial for their potential use in artificial photosynthesis.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D010788 Photosynthesis The synthesis by organisms of organic chemical compounds, especially carbohydrates, from carbon dioxide using energy obtained from light rather than from the oxidation of chemical compounds. Photosynthesis comprises two separate processes: the light reactions and the dark reactions. In higher plants; GREEN ALGAE; and CYANOBACTERIA; NADPH and ATP formed by the light reactions drive the dark reactions which result in the fixation of carbon dioxide. (from Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, 2001) Calvin Cycle,Calvin-Benson Cycle,Calvin-Benson-Bassham Cycle,Carbon Fixation, Photosynthetic,Reductive Pentose Phosphate Cycle,Dark Reactions of Photosynthesis,Calvin Benson Bassham Cycle,Calvin Benson Cycle,Cycle, Calvin,Cycle, Calvin-Benson,Cycle, Calvin-Benson-Bassham,Photosynthesis Dark Reaction,Photosynthesis Dark Reactions,Photosynthetic Carbon Fixation
D010860 Pigments, Biological Any normal or abnormal coloring matter in PLANTS; ANIMALS or micro-organisms. Biological Pigments
D004735 Energy Transfer The transfer of energy of a given form among different scales of motion. (From McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed). It includes the transfer of kinetic energy and the transfer of chemical energy. The transfer of chemical energy from one molecule to another depends on proximity of molecules so it is often used as in techniques to measure distance such as the use of FORSTER RESONANCE ENERGY TRANSFER. Transfer, Energy
D001419 Bacteria One of the three domains of life (the others being Eukarya and ARCHAEA), also called Eubacteria. They are unicellular prokaryotic microorganisms which generally possess rigid cell walls, multiply by cell division, and exhibit three principal forms: round or coccal, rodlike or bacillary, and spiral or spirochetal. Bacteria can be classified by their response to OXYGEN: aerobic, anaerobic, or facultatively anaerobic; by the mode by which they obtain their energy: chemotrophy (via chemical reaction) or PHOTOTROPHY (via light reaction); for chemotrophs by their source of chemical energy: CHEMOLITHOTROPHY (from inorganic compounds) or chemoorganotrophy (from organic compounds); and by their source for CARBON; NITROGEN; etc.; HETEROTROPHY (from organic sources) or AUTOTROPHY (from CARBON DIOXIDE). They can also be classified by whether or not they stain (based on the structure of their CELL WALLS) with CRYSTAL VIOLET dye: gram-negative or gram-positive. Eubacteria
D001426 Bacterial Proteins Proteins found in any species of bacterium. Bacterial Gene Products,Bacterial Gene Proteins,Gene Products, Bacterial,Bacterial Gene Product,Bacterial Gene Protein,Bacterial Protein,Gene Product, Bacterial,Gene Protein, Bacterial,Gene Proteins, Bacterial,Protein, Bacterial,Proteins, Bacterial
D001429 Bacteriochlorophylls Pyrrole containing pigments found in photosynthetic bacteria. Bacteriochlorophyll
D066329 Protein Aggregates Any mixture of secondary, tertiary, or quaternary protein molecules which appear as clumps in or outside the cell. Protein Aggregate,Aggregate, Protein,Aggregates, Protein

Related Publications

Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
August 2006, Journal of bioscience and bioengineering,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
December 2023, Biochemistry. Biokhimiia,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
March 1969, Archives of biochemistry and biophysics,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
October 1996, Biochemistry and molecular biology international,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
December 1987, Biochemistry,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
July 2004, Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
July 1994, Photosynthesis research,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
October 1994, Photosynthesis research,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
August 1992, Journal of photochemistry and photobiology. B, Biology,
Tomáš Malina, and Rob Koehorst, and David Bína, and Jakub Pšenčík, and Herbert van Amerongen
September 1995, Biophysical journal,
Copied contents to your clipboard!