Molecular Biology of Membrane-Bound Complexes in Phototrophic Bacteria


Book Description

A selection of 56 papers from a symposium in Breisgan, Germany, in August 1989. Treats the structure and regulation of genes coding for pigment-binding membrane proteins and enzymes for bacteriochlorophyll, carotenoid, and cytochrome synthesis under the control of oxygen and light gradients. Discussions of the composition, structure, organization,




The Photochemistry of Carotenoids


Book Description

Written by leading experts in the area of carotenoid research, this book gives a comprehensive overview of a various topics in the field. The contributions review the basic hypotheses about how carotenoids function and give details regarding testing different molecular models using state-of-the-art experimental methodologies.







Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria


Book Description

Anoxygenic Photosynthetic Bacteria is a comprehensive volume describing all aspects of non-oxygen-evolving photosynthetic bacteria. The 62 chapters are organized into themes of: Taxonomy, physiology and ecology; Molecular structure of pigments and cofactors; Membrane and cell wall structure: Antenna structure and function; Reaction center structure and electron/proton pathways; Cyclic electron transfer; Metabolic processes; Genetics; Regulation of gene expression, and applications. The chapters have all been written by leading experts and present in detail the current understanding of these versatile microorganisms. The book is intended for use by advanced undergraduate and graduate students and senior researchers in the areas of microbiology, genetics, biochemistry, biophysics and biotechnology.




The Photosynthetic Apparatus: Molecular Biology and Operation


Book Description

The Photosynthetic Apparatus: Molecular Biology and Operation: Cell Culture and Somatic Cell Genetics of Plants, Volume 7B is a collection of papers that discuss plastids – organelles found in plants that set them apart from other organisms. The book is divided into two parts. Coverage of Part I includes concepts such as photosynthesis and the photosynthetic apparatus - light energy and photosynthetic electronic transport, photosynthetic phosphorylation, and fractionation of the photosynthetic apparatus; photosystem II – its protein components, genetic aspects, and structure and function; the cytochrome b6/f complex; and the structure and function of coupling factor components. Coverage of Part II includes the biochemistry and molecular biology of chlorophyll; genes and enzymes for carotenoid biosynthesis; photoregulated development of chloroplasts; and the differentiation of amyloplasts and chromoplasts. The text is recommended for botanists, molecular biologists, and biochemists who are interested in the study of plant cells and photosynthesis.




Protein Export and Membrane Biogenesis


Book Description

The incentive for putting together Volume 4 of this series was to review the wealth of new information that has become available in prokaryotic organisms in protein export and membrane biogenesis. Just in the last several years, protein translocation has now been efficiently reconstituted using defined components and the mechanism by which proteins are moved across membrane bilayers is now being examined at a higher resolution. In addition, because of a new technical breakthrough using osmolytes, it is now possible to reconstitute a number of channel proteins, ATPase, receptors, and transporters. In many cases, it is possible to successfully predict the membrane topology of these types of proteins using both "hydrophobicity analysis" and the "positive inside" rule. In this volume, two chapters focus on protein translocation across membranes (Biochemical Analyses of Components Comprising the Protein Translocation Machinery of E. Coli; Protein Translocation Genetics), while several others on how proteins assemble into the ineer membrane of E. Coli (Membrane Protein Assembly; Membrane Insertion of Small Proteins: Evolutionary and Functional Aspects; Pigment-Protein Complex Assembly in Rhodobacter sphaeroides and Rhodobacter Capsulatus). Other sections review recent progress on transporters (Identification and Reconstitution of Anion Exchange Mechanisms in Bacteria; Helic Packing in the C-Terminal Half of Lactose Permease) and signal transduction (Mechanism of Transmembrane Signaling in Osmoregulation) as well as the assembly of prints into the outer membrane (Export and Assembly of Outer Membrane Proteins in E. coli). Although the emphasis of the book is on proteins, the role of phospholipids in controlling various cell surface processes is reviewed (Role of Phospholipids in coli Cell Function). I should point out the reason for the rapid progress in bacteria research is because of the possibility to apply biochemistry and genetics in this organism.




Pigment—Protein Complexes in Plastids


Book Description

Pigment-Protein Complexes in Plastids: Synthesis and Assembly covers the different aspects of biosynthesis, assembly, and function of pigment-protein complexes. This book focuses on the molecular biology and physiological relevance of chlorophyll-protein complexes. The regulation and biosynthesis of chlorophyll proteins that involve a coordinated expression of nuclear and plastid genes and require communication among the cell organelles to respond properly to changing light and temperature conditions are also deliberated. This publication is intended for researchers in the fields of plant molecular biology, genetics, plant physiology and biochemistry, and cell biology, as well as students and teachers in agriculture, horticulture, biology, and biochemistry interested in pigment-protein complexes.




Photosynthesis :


Book Description

Photosynthesis is a process on which virtually all life on Earth depends. To answer the basic questions at all levels of complexity, from molecules to ecosystems, and to establish correlations and interactions between these levels, photosynthesis research - perhaps more than any other discipline in biology - requires a multidisciplinary approach. Congresses probably provide the only forums where progress throughout the whole field can be overviewed. The Congress proceedings give faithful pictures of recent advances in photosynthesis research and outline trends and perspectives in all areas, ranging from molecular events to aspects of photosynthesis on the global scale. The Proceedings Book, a set of 4 (or 5) volumes, is traditionally highly recognized and intensely quoted in the literature, and is found on the shelves of most senior scientists in the field and in all major libraries.




Assembly of the Photosystem II Membrane-Protein Complex of Oxygenic Photosynthesis


Book Description

Photosystem II is a 700-kDa membrane-protein super-complex responsible for the light-driven splitting of water in oxygenic photosynthesis. The photosystem is comprised of two 350-kDa complexes each made of 20 different polypeptides and over 80 co-factors. While there have been major advances in understanding the mature structure of this photosystem many key protein factors involved in the assembly of the complex do not appear in the holoenzyme. The mechanism for assembling this super-complex is a very active area of research with newly discovered assembly factors and subcomplexes requiring characterization. Additionally the ability to split water is inseparable from light-induced photodamage that arises from radicals and reactive O2 species generated by Photosystem II chemistry. Consequently, to sustain water splitting, a “self repair” cycle has evolved whereby damaged protein is removed and replaced so as to extend the working life of the complex. Understanding how the biogenesis and repair processes are coordinated is among several important questions that remain to be answered. Other questions include: how and when are the inorganic cofactors inserted during the assembly and repair processes and how are the subcomplexes protected from photodamage during assembly? Evidence has also been obtained for Photosystem II biogenesis centers in cyanobacteria but do these also exist in plants? Do the molecular mechanisms associated with Photosystem II assembly shed fresh light on the assembly of other major energy-transducing complexes such as Photosystem I or the cytochrome b6/f complex or indeed other respiratory complexes? The contributions to this Frontiers in Plant Science Research Topic are likely to reveal new details applicable to the assembly of a range of membrane-protein complexes, including aspects of self-assembly and solar energy conversion that may be applied to artificial photosynthetic systems. In addition, a deeper understanding of Photosystem II assembly — particularly in response to changing environmental conditions — will provide new knowledge underpinning photosynthetic yields which may contribute to improved food production and long-term food security.




The Photosynthetic Membrane


Book Description

The proteins that gather light for plant photosynthesis are embedded within cell membranes in a site called the thylakoid membrane (or the "photosynthetic membrane"). These proteins form the light harvesting antenna that feeds with energy a number of vital photosynthetic processes such as water oxidation and oxygen evolution, the pumping of protons across the thylakoid membranes coupled with the electron transport chain of the photosystems and cytochrome b6f complex, and ATP synthesis by ATP synthase utilizing the generated proton gradient. The Photosynthetic Membrane: Molecular Mechanisms and Biophysics of Light Harvesting is an introduction to the fundamental design and function of the light harvesting photosynthetic membrane, one of the most common and most important structures of life. It describes the underlying structure of the membrane, the variety and roles of the membrane proteins, the atomic structures of light harvesting complexes and their macromolecular assemblies, the molecular mechanisms and dynamics of light harvesting and primary energy transformations, and the broad range of adaptations to different light environments. The book shows, using the example of the photosynthetic membrane, how complex biological structures utilize principles of chemistry and physics in order to carry out biological functions. The Photosynthetic Membrane: Molecular Mechanisms of Light Harvesting will appeal to a wide audience of undergraduate and postgraduate students as well as researchers working in the fields of biochemistry, molecular biology, biophysics, plant science and bioengineering.