Changing the site energy of per-614 in the Peridinin-chlorophyll a -protein does not alter its capability of chlorophyll triplet quenching

Abstract The peridinin–chlorophyll- a protein (PCP) is a water-soluble light harvesting protein of the dinoflagellate Amphidinium carterae , employing peridinin (Per) as the main carotenoid to fulfil light harvesting and photo-protective functions. Per molecules bound to the protein experience specific molecular surroundings which lead to different electronic and spectral properties. In the refolded N89 L variant PCP (N89 L-RFPCP) a significant part of the intensity on the long wavelength side of the absorption spectrum is shifted to shorter wavelengths due to a significant change in the Per-614 site energy. Since Per-614 has been shown to be the main chlorophyll (Chl) triplet quencher in the protein, and the relative geometry of pigments is not affected by the mutation as verified by X-ray crystallography, this variant is ideally suited to study the dependence of the triplet-triplet energy transfer (TTET) mechanism on the pigment site energy. By using a combination of Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR), pulse Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) and Electron Nuclear DOuble Resonance (ENDOR) we found that PCP maintains the efficient Per-614-to-Chl- a TTET despite the change of Per-614 local energy. This shows the robustness of the photoprotective site, which is very important for the protection of the system.