Structural biology of phycobilisome-tetrameric photosystem I supercomplex

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 20H02914
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 38030:Applied biochemistry-related
• Research Institution: Japan Synchrotron Radiation Research Institute (2022); Okayama University (2020-2021)
• Principal Investigator: Kato Koji 公益財団法人高輝度光科学研究センター, 構造生物学推進室, テニュアトラック研究員 (30452428)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 長尾 遼 静岡大学, 農学部, 准教授 (30633961)
• Project Period (FY): 2020-04-01 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 生体超分子複合体 / 光化学系タンパク質 / 構造生物学 / クライオ電子顕微鏡 / X線結晶構造解析

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Oxygenic photosynthesis of cyanobacteria, various algae, and land plants converts light energy from the sun into biologically useful chemical energy concomitant with the evolution of molecular oxygen. The central part of the light-energy conversion is two multi-subunit pigment-protein complexes, photosystem I and photosystem II (PSI and PSII, respectively), which perform light-driven charge separation and a series of electron-transfer reactions.
In this study, the structure of the super-complex composed of PSI and antenna protein and the energy conversion mechanism in response to the conditions in the growth environment were investigated using X-ray crystallography, cryo-electron microscopy single-particle analysis, and biochemical analysis.

Free Research Field

構造生物学

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

立体構造解析によって生物の多様性を明らかにした本研究の知見は生物が行う光合成のメカニズムの解明、そして効率化へとつながる。このような知見を人工光合成研究に取り入れることで、高効率光エネルギー伝達システムの構築が進展し、持続可能な社会の実現へ近づくことが期待できる。