NIH Resource for Macromolecular Modeling & Visualization University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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The Chromatophore and its Constituent Proteins

Chromatophore

Light-Harvesting Complex 1 and Reaction Center (Blue)

Light-Harvesting Complex 2

BC1 Complex

ATP Synthase

For more details on the chromatophore structure, see the following website:
Atomic level structure and function of a photosynthetic vesicle

Video of Chromatophore Interlocking Processes

The chromatophore converts sunlight into ATP and this movie (8 minutes) illustrates all the processes involved in creating this chemical form of energy. Klaus Schulten spent over forty years of his career working on each individual process and protein. Now TCBG takes a "systems biophysics" approach in its research, looking at all the interlocking processes of this cellular machine. This movie highlights how the chromatophore works like fine Swiss watch. It illustrates how photons are absorbed, the energy is transmitted, and then photon and electron transfer occurs; finally, a proton gradient across the membrane powers ATP synthesis.

The Photosynthetic Membrane of Purple Bacteria: A Clockwork of Proteins and Processes from TCBG on Vimeo.

Funded by a grant from
the National Institute of
General Medical Sciences
of the National Institutes
of Health

Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology // National Institutes of Health // National Science Foundation // Physics, Computer Science, and Biophysics at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign