A 12 Å carotenoid translocation in a photoswitch associated with cyanobacterial photoprotection

• DOI: 10.1126/science.aaa7234
• Publication Date: 2015-06-25T18:15:05Z
• Authors: Ryan L. Leverenz; Markus Sutter; Adjélé Wilson; Sayan Gupta; Adrien Thurotte; Céline Bourcier d...; Christopher J. Pe...; Corie Ralston; François Perreau; Diana Kirilovsky; Cheryl A. Kerfeld
• Keywords: 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences

Protection from too much light

Photosynthetic organisms protect themselves from too much light using pigment photoswitches that absorb excess energy. Leverenz et al. analyzed the structure of an active, energy-dissipating form of the orange carotenoid protein (OCP) from a cyanobacterium. When activated by excess light, OCP moves its hydrophobic carotenoid pigment 12 Å within the protein to accommodate nonphotochemical quenching by the broader photosynthetic antenna complex.

Science , this issue p. 1463