Light-harvesting complex protein (LHC)

Light-harvesting complex (LHC) proteins are a diverse family of pigment-binding proteins essential for photosynthesis in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria [1, 3]. These proteins are embedded in the thylakoid membranes and function as an antenna system, capturing solar energy and transferring it to the reaction centers of Photosystem I and II via Förster resonance energy transfer [1, 14]. They bind a variety of pigments, including chlorophylls a and b, as well as carotenoids like xanthophylls and carotenes, which allow the organism to utilize a broader spectrum of light [4, 5]. Beyond their role in energy collection, LHC proteins are critical for photoprotection; they can dissipate excess absorbed energy as heat through non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) to prevent the formation of reactive oxygen species and subsequent photo-oxidative damage [14, 15]. While LHC proteins are not therapeutic targets for human diseases, they are of significant interest in agricultural science as components of the photosynthetic machinery affected by various herbicides, such as atrazine and diuron [8, 11]. Furthermore, specific LHC proteins like the Peridinin-Chlorophyll-Protein (PerCP) complex are widely utilized in biotechnology and clinical diagnostics as fluorescent markers for flow cytometry [6].

Other names

Antenna complexChlorophyll a/b-binding proteinCAB proteinLight-harvesting chlorophyll a/b-binding proteinLHCPLHCIILHCI

Inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport and disruption of energy transfer from antenna complexes to reaction centers.