Chlorobium FMO antenna complex characterisation
Chlorobaculum FMO Orientation discovery
A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis, lead by Robert Blankenship, has pioneered a new method of discovering protein orientation in living systems (1). By combining chemical labeling with mass spectroscopy, these scientists brought forth knowledge of the structure/function relationship of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein in Chlorobaculum tepidum. C. tepidum is a member of the Chlorobium bacteria and are closely related, yet distinct from, the Bacteroides phylum (2).
Characteristics of Green Sulfur Bacteria
Independent of light, life on earth would not exist. Biological photosynthesis is among the most important reactions on planet earth that allows life to thrive. Green Sulfur Bacteria are photosynthetic microbes that are capable of thriving in ecological regions that have extremely low levels of solar radiation. It has been proposed that certain types of green sulfur bacteria use what is know as Geothermal Light to supplement their chemotrophic metabolism. The emission of photons from geothermal vents could have provided a selective advantage to chemotrophic ancestors of modern day green sulfur bacteria that utilized light sensing systems to perform phototaxis towards sulfur-rich geothermal vents (3). On Earth, the discovery of a photosynthetic species capable of using geothermal radiation, rather than solar sources, helps support the hypothesis that life exists on other planets devoid of star-light.
In green sulfur bacteria, the harvesting of light is in part carried out by the Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein (FMO). Based on the current literature, the FMO protein is thought to be unique to the green sulfur bacteria.
Chlorobaculum tepidum Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) Antenna Protein
In C. tepidum, the Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein is part of a light-harvesting complex that consists of three major components: 1. Chlorosome 2. Aforementioned FMO protein, and 3. Reaction center. This system captures electromagnetic radiation from the sun and forms a funnel-like system that directs energy transfer.
Introduction to the FMO protein
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[edit] Section 2
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[edit] Discovering the Shape
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[edit] Conclusion
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[edit] References
(1)Washington University in St. Louis. "'Taco Shell' Protein: Orientation Of Antenna Protein In Photosynthetic Bacteria Described." ScienceDaily 9 April 2009. 12 April 2009 <http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2009/04/090402171438.htm>.
(2)D.A. Bryant & N.-U. Frigaard (November 2006). "Prokaryotic photosynthesis and phototrophy illuminated". Trends Microbiol. 14 (11): 488. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2006.09.001
(3) Beatty, J.T.; Overmann, J.; Lince, M.T.; Mansket, A.K.; Lang, A.S.; Blankenship, R.E.; Van Dover, C.L.; Martinson, T.A.; Plumley, F.G. “ An obligately photosynthetic bacterial anaerobe from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent”. PNAS June 28, 2005 vol. 102 no. 26 9306-9310
Edited by student of Joan Slonczewski for BIOL 238 Microbiology, 2009, Kenyon College.
