Polychromatic solar energy conversion in pigment-protein chimeras that unite the two kingdoms of (bacterio)chlorophyll-based photosynthesis

Abstract

Natural photosynthesis can be divided between the chlorophyll-containing plants, algae and cyanobacteria that make up the oxygenic phototrophs and a diversity of bacteriochlorophyllcontaining bacteria that make up the anoxygenic phototrophs. Photosynthetic light harvesting and reaction centre proteins from both kingdoms have been exploited for solar energy conversion, solar fuel synthesis and sensing technologies, but the energy harvesting abilities of these devices are limited by each protein's individual palette of pigments. In this work we demonstrate a range of genetically-encoded, self-assembling photosystems in which recombinant plant light harvesting complexes are covalently locked with reaction centres from a purple photosynthetic bacterium, producing macromolecular chimeras that display mechanisms of polychromatic solar energy harvesting and conversion. Our findings illustrate the power of a synthetic biology approach in which bottom-up construction of photosystems using naturally diverse but mechanistically complementary components can be achieved in a predictable fashion through the encoding of adaptable, plug-and-play covalent interfaces.

Power to the protein: enhancing and combining activities using the Spy toolbox

“…60 Similarly, to increase solar energy conversion, plant light harvesting complexes have recently been covalently combined with reaction centres from a purple photosynthetic bacterium to give complementary light absorption. 61…”

An overview of anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria and their applications in environmental biotechnology for sustainable Resource recovery

“…Most photosynthetic proteins are limited in their use of solar energy due to specific light-harvesting pigments that absorb light at particular wavelengths. To improve photosynthetic efficiency, Liu et al [ 238 ] designed a self-assembling photoprotein chimera using the reaction center (RC) of R. sphaeroides and the light-harvesting component II (LH2) from Arabidopsis thaliana. This engineered chimera enabled polychromatic harvesting and conversion of solar energy that extended through the near-UV, visible and near-IR region.…”

Membrane Protein Modified Electrodes in Bioelectrocatalysis

“…The absorption spectral range can be enhanced by attaching complementary chromophores to light-harvesting complex proteins [188]. It also can be improved by integrating biological light-harvesting antenna complexes or organic dyes/synthetic compounds to the RCs [189,190].…”