Regensburg 2007 – scientific programme

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BP: Fachverband Biologische Physik

BP 26: Poster Session II

BP 26.15: Poster

Thursday, March 29, 2007, 17:00–19:30, Poster B

Artificial Chloroplasts from Giant Unilamellar Vesicles — •Jakob Schweizer and Petra Schwille — Biophysics, Biotec, TU Dresden, Tatzberg 47, 01307 Dresden, Germany

Giant unilamellar vesicles (GUVs) serve as a minimalistic model system for biological cells and especially cell membranes. However, they are also an ideal tool to synthesize sub-cellular structures in order to mimic intracellular processes. Here we present a way to construct a rudimentary artificial chloroplast from purely biological raw materials using merely three main components: lipids, bacteriorhodopsin and F0F1-ATP synthase. Powered by photon absorption bacteriorhodopsin pumps protons into the vesicle, whereas the F0F1-ATP synthase utilizes the emerging proton gradient to produce ATP. The most crucial step is therefore the reconstitution of the functional proteins into the GUVs in the correct orientation. Establishing an artificial chloroplast can provide further insight into the evolution of biological chloroplasts. Moreover, these photo-sensitive systems will also serve as miniature power plants, providing the ATP essential for more complicated cellular model systems.