Crystal Structure of LH1-RC Complex

Abstract

In purple photosynthetic bacteria, the light-harvesting core antenna (LH1) and the reaction center (RC) form a supramolecular complex (LH1-RC). The crystal structure of the LH1-RC complex from Thermochromatium tepidum was determined at a resolution of 3.0 Å. The RC is completely surrounded by the LH1 ring which is composed of 16 αβ-heterodimers. The atomic structure enables us to meet further challenge to elucidating the mechanism of color tuning, excited energy transfer and ubiquinone shuttling in the bacterial photosystem.