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Detecting and Characterizing Protein Self-Assembly In Vivo by Flow Cytometry
Published on: July 17, 2019
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Submolecular Gates Self-Assemble for Hot-Electron Transfer in Proteins
Neta Filip-Granit1, Eran Goldberg1, Ilan Samish1
1Department of Plant and Environmental Sciences, ‡Department of Organic Chemistry, and §Department of Chemical Research Support, Weizmann Institute of Science , Rehovot, 7610001, Israel.
The Journal of Physical Chemistry. B
|May 13, 2017
Summary
Bacteriochlorophyll molecules self-assemble to optimize charge transfer in photosynthesis. Chemically resolved electrical measurements reveal how their spatial arrangement enhances electron transport for efficient energy conversion.
Area of Science:
- Biophysics
- Biochemistry
- Molecular Biology
Background:
- Redox reactions are crucial for biological processes.
- The spatial organization of redox cofactors is key for efficient charge transfer.
- Understanding structure-function relationships in biological redox centers is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the self-assembly strategies of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) derivatives.
- To probe atom-specific electrostatic potentials (ESPs) and their role in charge mobilization.
- To provide insights into the design of artificial photosynthesis systems.
Main Methods:
- Utilized chemically resolved electrical measurements (CREM) to analyze BChl arrays.
- Employed computational methods to determine ESPs and predict transport efficiency.
- Studied artificial BChl arrays as model systems for photoexcited electron transfer.
Main Results:
- Native BChl molecules self-assemble into aligned gates for functional charge transfer.
- Site-specific polarizability perpendicular to the molecular plane enhances hot-electron transport.
- Maximal transport efficiency is predicted at a specific distance (∼5 Å) above metalized BChl.
Conclusions:
- The study provides new metrics for analyzing biological redox centers.
- Findings offer guidelines for designing efficient charge-mobilizing artificial photosynthesis systems.
- The self-assembly of BChl cofactors is evolutionarily optimized for charge transfer.
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