Dissecting the function of the LH2 pucBA multigene family in Rhodospeudomonas palustris.

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Purple photosynthetic bacteria, such as Rhodopsuedomonas palustris, have proved to be excellent model organisms for use in trying to understand the detailed molecular mechanisms involved in the early reactions of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis begins with the absorption of solar energy by pigment-protein complexes called light harvesting complexes. Rps. palustris contains a multigene faimly that encodes light harvesting complexes that have different absorption spectra. These different complexes allow the bacterium to grow over a wide range of incident light intensities and are therefore important for allowing them to be competitive in the wild. This project aims to understand how the different members of this multigene family produce light harvesting complexes wth different absorption spectra and how this enables them to harvest light energy efficiently at different incident light intensities. This information is not only fundamental in trying to understand a basic piece of biology but also for research into bioenergy. One way to use solar energy more efficiently is to devise ways of carrying out artificial photosynthesis. Producing such systems requires the design of the initial solar energy collectors ie. the light harvesting complexes. The results of this project will reveal how to control where light harvesting pigments absorb and so aid the design of such artificial solar energy collectors.