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Three-dimensional structure of plant light-harvesting complex determined by electron crystallography

Abstract

The structure of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex, a membrane protein serving as the major antenna of solar energy in plant photosynthesis, has been determined at 6 Å resolution by electron crystallography. Within the complex, three membrane-spanning α helices and 15 chlorophyll molecules are resolved. There is an intramolecular diad relating two of the α helices and some of the chlorophylls. The spacing of the chlorophylls suggests energy transfer by delocalized exciton coupling and Förster mechanisms.

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K¨hlbrandt, W., Wang, D. Three-dimensional structure of plant light-harvesting complex determined by electron crystallography. Nature 350, 130–134 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1038/350130a0

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