Abstract
We have introduced functional membrane protein complex into a silica mesoporous material (SMM) that has the nano-scale pores of honeycomb-like hexagonal cylindrical structure in its inside. The photosynthetic reaction center (RC) complex (129 kDa) and light-harvesting LH2-complex (137 kDa) that were purified from a thermophilic purple photosynthetic bacterium Thermochromatium tepidum were introduced into SMM already shown to be (ref.).
In this study, we introduced the trimer complex of photosystem I (PS I) reaction center (1068 kDa) purified from a thermophilic photosynthetic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus (T.) elongatus into SMM that has pore of 23.5 nm diameter. The photochemical activity and pigment assembly as well as the protein structure are almost intact inside SMM. Adsorption to SMM were increased the heat stability of P700 photochemical activity and protein structure.
The PS1-SMM conjugate can be a new material for the solar energy conversion.
Ref.I.Oda,Y.Shibata.T.kajino,Y.Fukushima,S.Iwai,S.Ithoh. J.Phys.Chem.B2006,110,1114-1120
