Pigment–protein architecture in the light‐harvesting antenna complexes of purple bacteria: does the crystal structure reflect the native pigment–protein arrangement?

Structural analysis of crystallized peripheral (LH2) and core antenna complexes (LH1) of purple bacteria has revealed circular aggregates of high rotational symmetry (C8, C9 and C16, respectively). Quantum-chemical calculations indicate that in particular the waterwheel-like arrangements of pigments should show characteristic structure-sensitive spectroscopic behavior in the near infrared absorption region. Laser-spectroscopic data obtained with non-crystallized, isolated LH2 of Rhodospirillum molischianum are in line with a highly symmetric (C8) circular aggregate, but deviations have been found for LH2 of Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas acidophila. For both the latter, C-shaped incomplete circular aggregates (as seen only recently in electron micrographs of crystallized LH1-reaction center complexes) may be a suitable preliminary model.