Exciton Description of Chlorosome to Baseplate Excitation Energy Transfer in Filamentous Anoxygenic Phototrophs and Green Sulfur Bacteria

Abstract

A description of intra-chlorosome and from chlorosome to baseplate excitation energy transfer in green sulfur bacteria and in filamentous anoxygenic phototrophs is presented. Various shapes and sizes, single and multiwalled tubes, cylindrical spirals and lamellae of the antenna elements mimicking pigment organization in chlorosomes were generated by using molecular mechanics calculations, and the absorption, LD, and CD spectra of these were predicted by using exciton theory. Calculated absorption and LD spectra were similar for all modeled antenna structures; on the contrary, CD spectra turned out to be sensitive to the size and pigment orientations in the antenna. It was observed that, bringing two tubular antennae at close enough interaction distance, the exciton density of the lowest energy state became localized on pigments facing each other in the antenna dimer. Calculations predicted for stacked tubular antenna elements extremely fast, faster than 500 fs, intra-chlorosome energy transfer toward the baseplates in the direction perpendicular to the chlorosome long axis. Downhill excitation energy transfer according to our model is driven by interactions of the antennae with their immediate surroundings. Energy transfer from the chlorosome to the baseplate, consisting of 2D lattices of monomeric and dimeric bacteriochlorophyll a molecules, was predicted to occur in 5-15 ps, in agreement with experimental findings. Advancement of excitation through a double tube antenna stack, a model for antenna element organization in chlorosomes of green sulfur bacteria, to a monomeric baseplate was visualized in space and in time.