Synthesis and Functional Reconstitution of Light-Harvesting Complex II into Polymeric Membrane Architectures.

One of most important processes in nature is the harvesting and dissipation of solar energy with the help of light-harvesting complex II (LHCII). This protein, along with its associated pigments, is the main solar-energy collector in higher plants. We aimed to generate stable, highly controllable, and sustainable polymer-based membrane systems containing LHCII-pigment complexes ready for light harvesting. LHCII was produced by cell-free protein synthesis based on wheat-germ extract, and the successful integration of LHCII and its pigments into different membrane architectures was monitored. The unidirectionality of LHCII insertion was investigated by protease digestion assays. Fluorescence …

Funktionelle Synthese des Lichtsammelkomplexes II in Polymermembran‐Architekturen

Cationized albumin-biocoatings for the immobilization of lipid vesicles

Tethered lipid membranes or immobilized lipid vesicles are frequently used as biomimetic systems. In this article, the authors presented a suitable method for efficient immobilization of lipid vesicles onto a broad range of surfaces, enabling analysis by quantitative methods even under rigid, mechanical conditions-bare surfaces such as hydrophilic glass surfaces as well as hydrophobic polymer slides or metal surfaces such as gold. The immobilization of vesicles was based on the electrostatic interaction of zwitterionic or negatively charged lipid vesicles with two types of cationic chemically modified bovine serum albumin (cBSA) blood plasma proteins (cBSA-113 and cBSA-147). Quantitative an…