Structural Changes in a Photosynthetic Protein Demonstrated in Four Dimensions

Biophysics researchers used a free-electron laser to detect light-induced structural changes with the utmost in temporal and spatial precision. No 250/2019 from Sep 04, 2019 The process by which light energy translates into a change in protein structure plays a crucial role in many areas of life, from vision to photosynthesis. A team of researchers from the Department of Physics at Freie Universität Berlin has used a free-electron laser and femtosecond laser systems to study the first processes of a light-active protein. The experiments, which were conducted under the leadership of Professor Ilme Schlichting, Director of the Department of Biomolecular Mechanisms, Max-Planck Institute for Medical Research, received key support from researchers affiliated with the Collaborative Research Center (Sonderforschungsbereich, SFB) 1078 "Protonation Dynamics in Protein Function" at Freie Universität Berlin. Dr. Ramona Schlesinger's working group provided the extremely large volumes of purified membrane protein. Electronic and oscillatory transitions were studied by the working group headed by Dr. Karsten Heyne in femtosecond experiments. Dr. Joachim Heberle's working group contributed expertise in spectroscopy, helping to ensure that this extremely complex experiment was a success.