Energy transfer between antenna complexes in the purple sulfur bacteria Chromatium tepidum and Chromatium vinosum Original Research Article

Energy transfer between antenna complexes was studied by means of time resolved absorption spectroscopy in the purple sulfur bacteria Chromatium tepidum and C. vinosum. The first species contains only one peripheral antenna complex, B800-B50, the other one has two, B800-850 and B800-820. Results obtained with chromatophores of C. tepidum indicated two time constants for energy transfer from B800-850 to the core complex, of 10 ps and a smaller one of 30 ps, suggesting non-uniform distances between the peripheral and core complexes. Similar results were obtained with C. vinosum, where time constants of 7 and 30 ps were found. Energy transfer from B800-820 to B800-850 was significantly faster. These results show that the rates of energy transfer from bacteriochlorophyll 850 to the core complex in the purple sulfur bacteria studied are quite similar to those found in purple non-sulfur bacteria. This may seem remarkable in view of the fact that the core antenna in C. tepidum absorbs at the unusually long wavelength of 918 nm, but a calculation indicates that the overlap integral for energy transfer to the core is not dramatically less than in C. vinosum.