Chlorophyll-Binding Proteins of Higher Plants and Cyanobacteria

Abstract

This chapter focuses on the structural aspects and the organization of the chlorophyll-binding complexes of higher plants and cyanobacteria. We have included a discussion of both the proteins and the chro- mophores, with particular attention to the comparison of similar systems in different organisms and dif- ferent members of a protein family. In the last few years the structures of many components of the photosynthetic apparatus have become available at high and intermediate resolution; comparison of these systems in organisms which are separated by a billion years of evolution has allowed the identifi cation of the building blocks of the photosynthetic apparatus. Moreover, the differences between the complexes in different organisms are mainly related to the adaptation of the organism to specifi c environmental condi- tions. The appearance of the structures has also allowed us to organize in a “visual framework” the large amount of information obtained during the last 20 years by genetic, biochemical and biophysical methods and