Atomic model of plant light-harvesting complex by electron crystallography.

The structure of the light-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-protein complex, an integral membrane protein, has been determined at 3.4 A resolution by electron crystallography of two-dimensional crystals. Two of the three membrane-spanning alpha-helices are held together by ion pairs formed by charged residues that also serve as chlorophyll ligands. In the centre of the complex, chlorophyll a is in close contact with chlorophyll b for rapid energy transfer, and with two carotenoids that prevent the formation of toxic singlet oxygen.