Triplet-triplet energy transfer in fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein from diatom Cyclotella meneghiniana: insights into the structure of the complex.

Although the major light harvesting complexes of diatoms, called FCPs (fucoxanthin chlorophyll a/c binding proteins), are related to the cab proteins of higher plants, the structures of these light harvesting protein complexes are much less characterized. Here, a structural/functional model for the "core" of FCP, based on the sequence homology with LHCII, in which two fucoxanthins replace the central luteins and act as quenchers of the Chl a triplet states, is proposed. Combining the information obtained by time-resolved EPR spectroscopy on the triplet states populated under illumination, with quantum mechanical calculations, we discuss the chlorophyll triplet quenching in terms of the geometry of the chlorophyll-carotenoid pairs participating to the process. The results show that local structural rearrangements occur in FCP, with respect to LHCII, in the photoprotective site.