Achievement

Task 1 collaborators Bruce, Buckley, Frymier, Le, and O’Neill studied the solution structure of cyanobacteria photosystem I using the Bio-SANS small angle neutron scattering instrument at the Department of Energy's (DOE) Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The group examined the structure of the large trimeric transmembrane protein, which is one of two proteins (photosystems I and II) in green plants, algae, and cyanobacteria that are responsible for capturing light energy. The group imaged the purified protein in a solution of detergent molecules. Comparison with molecular simulations of the protein showed that the detergent is present in a toroidal belt around the protein, as well as in the interstices between the three monomeric units. A manuscript is currently being written to document the results of the study.