ABSTRACT
Light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2) is an integral membrane protein in purple photosynthetic bacteria. This protein possesses two types of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a, termed B800 and B850, which exhibit lowest-energy absorption bands (Qy bands) around 800 and 850 nm. These BChl a pigments in the LH2 protein play crucial roles not only in photosynthetic functions but also in folding and maintaining its protein structure. We report herein the reversible structural changes in the LH2 protein derived from a purple photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodoblastus acidophilus, induced by the removal of B800 BChl a (denoted as B800-free LH2) and the reconstitution of exogenous BChl a. Atomic force microscopy observation clearly visualized the nonameric ring structure of the B800-free LH2 with almost the same diameter as the native LH2. Size exclusion chromatography measurements indicated a considerable decrease in the size of the protein induced by the removal of B800 BChl a. The protein size was almost recovered by the insertion of BChl a pigments into the B800 binding sites. The decrease in the LH2 size would mainly originate from the shrinkage of the B800 binding sites perpendicular to the macrocycle of B800 BChl a without deformation of the circular arrangement. The reversible changes in the LH2 structure induced by the removal and reconstitution of B800 BChl a will be helpful for understanding the structural principle and the folding mechanism of photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes.