Search

Presopore-specific antigen (PsA) is a cell surface glycoprotein of the cellular slime mould Dictyostelium discoidum implicated in cell adhesion. The (15)N, (13)C and (1)H chemical shift assignments of PsA were determined from multidimensional, multinuclear NMR experiments. Resonance assignments have been made for both the N-terminal globular domain and its attached O-glycosylated PTVT linker motif.

Unicellular cryptophyte algae employ antenna proteins with phycobilin chromophores in their photosynthetic machinery. The mechanism of light harvesting in these organisms is significantly different than the energy funneling processes in phycobilisomes utilized by cyanobacteria and red algae. One of the most striking features of cryptophytes is the location of the water-soluble phycobiliproteins, which are contained within the intrathylakoid spaces and are not on the stromal side of the lamellae as in the red algae and cyanobacteria. Studies of mobility of phycobiliproteins at the lumenal side of the thylakoid membranes and how their diffusional behavior may influence the energy funneling steps in light harvesting are reported. Confocal microscopy and fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) are used to measure the diffusion coefficient of phycoerythrin 545 (PE545), the primary light harvesting protein of Rhodomonas CS24, in vivo. It is concluded that the diffusion of PE545 in the lumen is inhibited, suggesting possible membrane association or aggregation as a potential source of mobility hindrance.

Steady-state and femtosecond time-resolved optical methods have been used to study spectroscopic features and energy transfer dynamics in the soluble antenna protein phycocyanin 645 (PC645), isolated from a unicellular cryptophyte Chroomonas CCMP270. Absorption, emission and polarization measurements as well as one-colour pump-probe traces are reported in combination with complementary quantum chemical calculations of electronic transitions of the bilins. Estimation of bilin spectral positions and energy transfer rates aids in the development of a model for light harvesting by PC645. At higher photon energies light is absorbed by the centrally located dimer (DBV, beta50/beta61) and the excitation is subsequently funneled through a complex interference of pathways to four peripheral pigments (MBV alpha19, PCB beta158). Those chromophores transfer the excitation energy to the red-most bilins (PCB beta82). We suggest that the final resonance energy transfer step occurs between the PCB 82 bilins on a timescale estimated to be approximately 15 ps. Such a rapid final energy transfer step cannot be rationalized by calculations that combine experimental parameters and quantum chemical calculations, which predict the energy transfer time to be 40 ps.

We live on a cold planet where more than 80% of the biosphere is permanently below 5 degrees C, and yet comparatively little is known about the genetics and physiology of the microorganisms inhabiting these environments. Based on molecular probe and sequencing studies, it is clear that Archaea are numerically abundant in diverse low-temperature environments throughout the globe. In addition, non-low-temperature-adapted Archaea are commonly exposed to sudden decreases in temperature, as are other microorganisms, animals, and plants. Considering their ubiquity in nature, it is perhaps surprising to find that there is such a lack of knowledge regarding low-temperature adaptation mechanisms in Archaea, particularly in comparison to what is known about archaeal thermophiles and hyperthermophiles and responses to heat shock. This review covers what is presently known about adaptation to cold shock and growth at low temperature, with a particular focus on Antarctic Archaea. The review highlights the similarities and differences that exist between Archaea and Bacteria and eukaryotes, and addresses the potentially important role that protein synthesis plays in adaptation to the cold. By reviewing the present state of the field, a number of important areas for future research are identified.