Just published – a fresh look at the largest photosynthetic antenna
Chlorosomes are light-harvesting antennas of green photosynthetic bacteria. In contrast to other photosynthetic complexes, organization of the vast majority of pigments in chlorosomes is based on self-assembly. This feature, together with their high light-harvesting efficiency, attracts attention to chlorosomes as a model system for artificial harnessing of light energy. On the other hand, the same feature prevents high-resolution structure determination. Here, we present results of cryoelectron tomography combined with molecular dynamics calculations, which reveal the details of the aggregate structure and the driving forces behind self-assembly. The results provide plausible explanation for the observed structural heterogeneity of chlorosomes from different species.