Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence of phycobiliproteins

Fischer, R.; Gottstein, J.; Scheer, Hugo; Geiselhart, P. and Schneider, Siegfried (5. April 1990): Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence of phycobiliproteins. Subunits of phycocyanin from Mastigocladus laminosus. In: Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology B: Biology, Vol. 5, No. 2: pp. 151-165

Abstract

The α- and β-subunits of C-phycocyanin from Mastigocladus laminosus were prepared according to revised procedures. Both subunits are isolated as dimers, which can be dissociated into monomers with detergent mixtures. The fluorescence decay kinetics are similar for the respective monomers and dimers. In no case could they be fitted by only one (α-subunit) or two exponentials (β-subunit) which are predicted by theory for samples with a unique chromophore—protein arrangement containing one and two chromophores, respectively. It is suggested that there exists a heterogeneity among the chromophores of the subunits, which may persist in the highly aggregated complexes present in cyanobacterial antennas.

• Item Type: Journal article
• Keywords: Cyanobacteria; photosynthesis; phycobiliproteins; phycocyanin; subunit; aggregation; fluorescence polarization; fluorescence kinetics; energy transfer.
• Faculties: Biology
• Subjects: 500 Science > 570 Life sciences; biology