Synthetic phytanyl-chained glycolipid vesicle membrane as a novel matrix for functional reconstitution of cyanobacterial photosystem II complex

The vesicles composed of synthetic phytanyl-chained glycolipid and natural sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol at 9:1 molar ratio were successfully applied to functional reconstitution of photosystem II complex (PS II) from a therm ophilic cyanobacterium. The synthetic glycolipid employed was one of our mo del archaeal diether lipids, 1,3-di-O-phytanyl-2-O-(beta-D-maltotriosyl)gly cerol. The light-induced oxygen-evolving activity of PS II reconstituted in the glycolipid vesicles was approximately 6-fold higher than that reconsti tuted in several phosphatidylcholine vesicles. The present results reveal t he first evidence that a well-designed synthetic glycolipid is effective fo r the functional reconstitution of complicated and labile membrane protein complexes, such as PS II. (C) 1999 Academic Press.