Molecular design of light-harvesting complex absorbing whole visible light

2022 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K19085
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Research (Exploratory)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Medium-sized Section 38:Agricultural chemistry and related fields
• Research Institution: Okayama University
• Principal Investigator: Nagao Ryo 岡山大学, 異分野基礎科学研究所, 特任講師 (30633961)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-07-09 – 2023-03-31
• Keywords: 光合成 / 植物・藻類 / 集光性色素タンパク質

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This study aims to molecularly design light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) of photosynthetic organisms, to clarify the binding selectivity of pigment molecules to LHC apoproteins and the function of holoproteins, and to create LHCs that can capture a wide range of visible light. We constructed an expression system of LHCs by E. coli, and then reconstituted pigment molecules with the expressed LHCs. We also examined the function of reconstituted LHCs. Since it is difficult to make an expression of holo-LHCs by E. coli, we chose the reconstituted system by refolding. As a result, pigment molecules from not only diatoms but also land plants were bound to the recombinant LHCs, suggesting that LHCs do not have specificity in the binding of pigment molecules irrespective of the species of photosynthetic organisms.

Free Research Field

光合成

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、褐色LHCに陸上植物の色素分子が結合することを示した。このことは、どの生物種のLHCでも多様な色素分子を結合することを示唆した。この成果は、光合成生物の光捕集系を自在に変える分子デザインを基盤とした光合成の実現につながり、将来的にはどんな光エネルギーでも高効率の光合成を行う人工光合成生物の創出への展望が期待される。