Light-harvesting mechanisms in purple photosynthetic bacteria

The processes by which photosynthetic bacteria capture light and transfer the energy to the reaction centre continue to be studied using an array of methodologies, both physical and biological. With the publication this year of the crystal structure of the LH2 complex from Rhodopseudomonas acidophila and the projection structure of the LH1 complex from Rhodospirillum rubrum, structural models now exist for all the components in the bacterial photosynthetic apparatus.