Lipidic Cubic Phase Crystal Structure of the Photosynthetic Reaction Centre from Rhodobacter sphaeroides at 2.35 Å Resolution

Well-ordered crystals of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction centre from Rhodobacter sphaeroides were grown from a lipidic cubic phase. Here, we report the type I crystal packing that results from this crystallisation medium, for which 3D crystals grow as stacked 2D crystals, and the reaction centre X-ray structure is refined to 2.35 Å resolution. In this crystal form, the location of the membrane bilayer could be assigned with confidence. A cardiolipin-binding site is found at the protein–protein interface within the membrane-spanning region, shedding light on the formation of crystal contacts within the membrane. A chloride-binding site was identified in the membrane-spanning region, which suggests a putative site for interaction with the light-harvesting complex I, the cytochrome bc1 complex or PufX. Comparisons with the X-ray structures of this reaction centre deriving from detergent-based crystals are drawn, indicating that a slight compression occurs in this lipid-rich environment.