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DOE OSTI · 1768403

Ultrafast structural changes within a photosynthetic reaction centre

Dods, Robert·Båth, Petra·Morozov, Dmitry·Gagnér, Viktor Ahlberg·Arnlund, David·Luk, Hoi Ling·Kübel, Joachim·Maj, Michał·Vallejos, Adams·Wickstrand, Cecilia·Bosman, Robert·Beyerlein, Kenneth R.·Nelson, Garrett·Liang, Mengning·Milathianaki, Despina·Robinson, Joseph·Harimoorthy, Rajiv·Berntsen, Peter·Malmerberg, Erik·Johansson, Linda·Andersson, Rebecka·Carbajo, Sergio·Claesson, Elin·Conrad, Chelsie E.·Dahl, Peter·Hammarin, Greger·Hunter, Mark S.·Li, Chufeng·Lisova, Stella·Royant, Antoine·Safari, Cecilia·Sharma, Amit·Williams, Garth J.·Yefanov, Oleksandr·Westenhoff, Sebastian·Davidsson, Jan·DePonte, Daniel P.·Boutet, Sébastien·Barty, Anton·Katona, Gergely·Groenhof, Gerrit·Brändén, Gisela·Neutze, Richard
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Abstract

Photosynthetic reaction centres harvest the energy content of sunlight by transporting electrons across an energy-transducing biological membrane. In this study we use time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography using an X-ray free-electron laser to observe light-induced structural changes in the photosynthetic reaction centre of Blastochloris viridis on a timescale of picoseconds. Structural perturbations first occur at the special pair of chlorophyll molecules of the photosynthetic reaction centre that are photo-oxidized by light. Electron transfer to the menaquinone acceptor on the opposite side of the membrane induces a movement of this cofactor together with lower amplitude protein rearrangements. These observations reveal how proteins use conformational dynamics to stabilize the charge-separation steps of electron-transfer reactions.

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Dods, Robert, Båth, Petra, Morozov, Dmitry, Gagnér, Viktor Ahlberg, Arnlund, David, Luk, Hoi Ling, Kübel, Joachim, Maj, Michał, Vallejos, Adams, Wickstrand, Cecilia, Bosman, Robert, Beyerlein, Kenneth R., Nelson, Garrett, Liang, Mengning, Milathianaki, Despina, Robinson, Joseph, Harimoorthy, Rajiv, Berntsen, Peter, Malmerberg, Erik, Johansson, Linda, Andersson, Rebecka, Carbajo, Sergio, Claesson, Elin, Conrad, Chelsie E., Dahl, Peter, Hammarin, Greger, Hunter, Mark S., Li, Chufeng, Lisova, Stella, Royant, Antoine, Safari, Cecilia, Sharma, Amit, Williams, Garth J., Yefanov, Oleksandr, Westenhoff, Sebastian, Davidsson, Jan, DePonte, Daniel P., Boutet, Sébastien, Barty, Anton, Katona, Gergely, Groenhof, Gerrit, Brändén, Gisela, Neutze, Richard. 2020-12-02. Ultrafast structural changes within a photosynthetic reaction centre. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-3000-7

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