Biophysical Techniques in Photosynthesis

✍ Scribed by Simon Scheuring (auth.), Thijs J. Aartsma, Jörg Matysik (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer Netherlands
• Year: 2008
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 537
• Series: Advances in Photosynthesis and Respiration 26
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Since the first volume on Biophysical Techniques in Photosynthesis Research, published in 1996, new experimental techniques and methods have been devised at a rapid pace. The present book is a sequel which complements the first volume (Volume 3 in the Series) by providing a comprehensive overview of the most important new techniques developed over the past ten years, especially those that are relevant for research on the mechanism and fundamental aspects of photosynthesis. The contributions are written by leading scientists in their field. The book has 5 sections: Imaging; Structure; Optical and laser spectroscopy; Magnetic resonance; Theory. Each chapter describes the basic concepts of the technique, practical applications and scientific results. Possibilities and limitations from a technical as well as a scientific point of view are addressed, allowing the reader not only to recognize the potential of a particular method for his/her own quest, but also to assess the resources that are required for implementation. The book is intended for use by graduate students and researchers in photosynthesis as well as in (bio)physics, (bio)chemistry and biology in general.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xxxi
The Supramolecular Architecture of the Bacterial Photosynthetic Apparatus Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM)....Pages 1-11
Three-Dimensional Electron Microscopy. A Gateway to Photosynthetic Structure....Pages 13-34
Non-Linear Contrast Mechanisms for Optical Microscopy....Pages 35-54
Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Plants: Water Balance and Water Transport in Relation to Photosynthetic Activity....Pages 55-75
Crystallization Methods of Membrane Proteins: Practical Aspects of Crystallizing Plant Light-Harvesting Complexes....Pages 77-96
X-ray Crystallography of Photosynthetic Proteins....Pages 97-124
Electron Crystallography in Photosynthesis Research....Pages 125-150
X-ray Scattering for Bio-Molecule Structure Characterization....Pages 151-165
Mass Spectrometry-Based Methods for Studying Kinetics and Dynamics in Biological Systems....Pages 167-190
Femtosecond Time-Resolved Infrared Spectroscopy....Pages 191-200
Nonlinear Femtosecond Optical Spectroscopy Techniques in Photosynthesis....Pages 201-222
(Sub)-Picosecond Spectral Evolution of Fluorescence Studied with a Synchroscan Streak-Camera System and Target Analysis....Pages 223-240
Optical Spectroscopy of Individual Light-Harvesting Complexes....Pages 241-266
High-Field/High-Frequency Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Involving Single- and Multiple-Transition Schemes....Pages 267-304
High-Time Resolution Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Study of Quantum Beat Oscillations Observed in Photosynthetic Reaction Center Proteins....Pages 305-323
Distance Measurements in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers by Pulsed EPR....Pages 325-343
Spin Labeling of Photosynthetic Systems....Pages 345-359
Magic Angle Spinning (MAS) NMR for Structure Determination in Photosynthesis....Pages 361-383
Photochemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization (Photo-CIDNP) Magic-Angle Spinning NMR....Pages 385-399
Calculations of Electrostatic Energies in Proteins Using Microscopic, Semimicroscopic and Macroscopic Models and Free-Energy Perturbation Approaches....Pages 401-420
Theory of Excitation Energy Transfer and Optical Spectra of Photosynthetic Systems....Pages 421-443
Molecular Dynamics Methods for Bioelectronic Systems in Photosynthesis....Pages 445-464
Equilibrium and Dynamical Path Integral Methods in Bacterial Photosynthesis....Pages 465-485
Density Functional Theory and Car-Parrinello Molecular Dynamics Methods....Pages 487-499
Back Matter....Pages 501-519

✦ Subjects

Plant Sciences; Plant Physiology