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Christopher Maffeo, University of Illinois
The model of the chromatophore is spherically round, scientists used computers with an enormous capacity to develop it. The simulation behaves in exactly the same way as its counterpart in nature.
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The conversion of sunlight into chemical energy is essential for life. In one of the largest simulations of a biosystem worldwide, scientists have mimicked his complex process for a component of a bacterium - on the computer, atom by atom. The work, which has now been published in the journal "Cell", is an important step towards a better understanding of photosynthesis in some biological structures. Headed by the University of Illinois, a team from Jacobs University Bremen was also involved in the international research cooperation.
The project was initiated by the late German-American physics professor Klaus Schulten from the University of Illinois, who researched the understanding and representation of atomic interactions of living systems. His research group modelled the chromatophore, a light-absorbing part of a cell that releases chemical energy in the form of a molecule called ATP. These chromatophores are found in plant cells as well as in some bacteria.
"They act like a solar cell of the cell. With their antenna complexes, they absorb light and release energy in the form of ATP for all other cell activities," says Ulrich Kleinekathöfer. The professor of theoretical physics at Jacobs University worked on the project together with his doctoral student Ilaria Mallus. Based on the data of their American colleagues, they performed quantum mechanical calculations for the model.
To find out how this system works, the international research group dissected the chromatophore with every tool available to science, from laboratory experiments over atomic force microscopy to software innovations. All parts were reassembled in the 136 million atom model, which behaves like its counterpart in nature. This was only possible with the help of enormously powerful supercomputers. "Standard simulations work with about 100,000 atoms, this model is 1,000 times larger, it is an advance into new dimensions," says Kleinekathöfer
So far, researchers have usually only been able to simulate individual proteins. The model shows the interplay of very many proteins along the entire process chain, from light absorption to the production of ATP. "At some point, we will be able to simulate an entire bacterium or cell," believes Kleinekathöfer. "This is an important step towards this goal."
Research success: CO₂ fixation in the production of succinic acid
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Breakthrough in the field of precious metal-oxo chemistry
Scientists at Jacobs University Bremen led by Ulrich Kortz, Professor of Chemistry, have achieved a breakthrough in the field of precious metal-oxo chemistry. For the first time, researchers have synthesized cationic, meaning positively charged, metal-oxo clusters based on palladium. They r ... more
Breakthrough in Cell Research: New Method for Drug Delivery
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Chlorogenic acids (CGAs) are, by definition, esters formed from hydroxycinnamic acids and quinic acid. As such, they are produced by almost all plant species as secondary metabolites. In our diet, we take up substantial amounts of this class of compounds – around 1 g per day, in extreme cas ... more
Nikolai Kuhnert, born in 1967, studied Chemistry at Würzburg University (Germany) and earned his PhD in 1995 in the field of Inorganic Chemistry and Pharmaceutical Biology. After holding further positions in England (Cambridge, Oxford and Guildford), he has been working as Professor of Anal ... more
Sabur Badmos, born in 1977, studied Biochemistry at the Universities of Lagos and Ibadan in Nigeria. He completed his PhD at Jacobs University Bremen (Germany) as a member of the working group led by Nikolai Kuhnert. His research interests lie in the field of analytical chemistry, with a pa ... more
New US and German collaboration aims to produce green hydrogen more efficiently
Through a new award program, the U.S. National Science Foundation and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation, DFG) have joined forces to award the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Technical University of Darmstadt a three-year $720,000 research grant ($50 ... more
Turn plastic waste into edible food
Merck announced the winners of this year’s Future Insight Prize. The € 1 million prize in the category of “Food Generation” was awarded today during the Future Insight Days in Darmstadt, Germany, to Ting Lu, Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA, an ... more
Growth factors in single cells counted for the first time
Whether healthy or diseased, human cells exhibit behaviors and processes that are largely dictated by growth factor molecules, which bind to receptors on the cells. For example, growth factors tell the cells to divide, move, and when to die--a process known as apoptosis. When growth factor ... more
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