1 research outputs found
Excitation Energy-Transfer Dynamics of Brown Algal Photosynthetic Antennas
Fucoxanthin–chlorophyll-<i>a</i>/<i>c</i> protein (FCP) complexes from brown algae Cladosiphon
okamuranus TOKIDA (Okinawa Mozuku in Japanese) contain
the only species of carbonyl carotenoid, fucoxanthin, which exhibits
spectral characteristics attributed to an intramolecular charge-transfer
(ICT) property that arises in polar environments due to the presence
of the carbonyl group in its polyene backbone. Here, we investigated
the role of the ICT property of fucoxanthin in ultrafast energy transfer
to chlorophyll-<i>a</i>/<i>c</i> in brown algal
photosynthesis using femtosecond pump–probe spectroscopic measurements.
The observed excited-state dynamics show that the ICT character of
fucoxanthin in FCP extends its absorption band to longer wavelengths
and enhances its electronic interaction with chlorophyll-<i>a</i> molecules, leading to efficient energy transfer from fucoxanthin
to chlorophyll-<i>a</i>