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Updated: May 28, 2026

In Vitro Reconstitution of Light-harvesting Complexes of Plants and Green Algae
Published on: October 10, 2014
Elucidation of structure-function relationships in plant major light-harvesting complex (LHC II) by nonlinear
Heiko Lokstein1, Alexander Betke, Maria Krikunova
1Institut für Biochemie und Biologie/Pflanzenphysiologie, Universität Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, Haus 20, 14476, Potsdam-Golm, Germany. lokstein@uni-potsdam.de
Abstract:
Conventional linear and time-resolved spectroscopic techniques are often not appropriate to elucidate specific pigment-pigment interactions in light-harvesting pigment-protein complexes (LHCs). Nonlinear (laser-) spectroscopic techniques, including nonlinear polarization spectroscopy in the frequency domain (NLPF) as well as step-wise (resonant) and simultaneous (non-resonant) two-photon excitation spectroscopies may be advantageous in this regard. Nonlinear spectroscopies have been used to elucidate substructure(s) of very complex spectra, including analyses of strong excitonic couplings between chlorophylls and of interactions between (bacterio)chlorophylls and "optically dark" states of carotenoids in LHCs, including the major antenna complex of higher plants, LHC II. This article shortly reviews our previous study and outlines perspectives regarding the application of selected nonlinear laser-spectroscopic techniques to disentangle structure-function relationships in LHCs and other pigment-protein complexes.
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