Photobiology of Vision and Photosynthesis

University Of Illinois At Urbana-Champaign, Urbana IL

Investigators

Abstract

The goal of this research is to combine classical and quantum mechanical modeling to investigate the spectral characteristics of human visual pigments and light harvesting complexes in purple bacteria, cyanobacteria, green algae, and higher plants, as well as study processes in these systems subsequent to light absorption. For this purpose, the newly available atomic structures of some of these protein-pigment complexes will be used to construct physical models, which will then be studied through molecular dynamics and quantum chemistry, employing concepts of condensed matter and statistical physics. Many organisms have evolved a visual and photosynthetic apparatus to efficiently detect and harvest light. Interaction of light with matter, in particular living matter, is governed by fundamental physics, especially quantum theory. As such, vision and photosynthesis both pose conceptual challenges to biologists and physicists alike. This provides genuine opportunities for interdisciplinary activities between physics, chemistry, and biology, making also use of the computational resources at the NSF centers. Accordingly, there exist exceptional research training opportunities for participating graduate and undergraduate students as well as postdoctoral associates arriving from any of these diverse backgrounds. These activities will extend strong outreach activities that already exist in our group. Quantum chemistry visualization tools will be added to the freely available leading molecular graphics software VMD distributed by our group to over 20,000 users and experiments related to the theme "Physics in People, Physics in Plants" will be developed in collaboration with the UIUC Physics Department's traveling science show for children, the Physics Van. This project is supported by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences in the Directorate for Biological Sciences and the Division of Physics in the Mathematical and Physical Sciences Directorate.