Bioenergy and Protein Design

Our group applies computational protein design tools in order to construct novel protein-cofactor complexes that serve as minimal versions of the elaborate complexes that comprise the natural photosynthetic apparatus.

Our major cofactors of interest are chlorophylls - the main pigments of photosynthetic light-harvesting proteins, and drivers of light-induced electron transport in reaction centers, bilins - the pigments of the phyobilisomes - the gigantic light-harvesting antenna complexes of cyanobacteria and red-algae, and iron-sulfur clusters - the redox centers at the reducing end of the photosynthetic electron-transport chain, and of numerous soluble electron transport proteins.

In designing and constructing minimal functional analogues of photosynthetic proteins we set a dual goal: Understanding the molecular design and assembly principles of the solar energy conversion machinery in photosynthesis, and making novel building blocks for the construction of elaborate bio-inspired solar energy conversion devices.

To reach our ambitious goals, we carry out highly interdisciplinary research that includes  high-level quantum chemical calculations for understanding how the protein environment tunes the electronic structures of its embedded cofactors, computational protein design techniques for making new protein structures, preparative and analytical biochemical methods for production, purification, assembly, and structural characterization of protein-cofactor complexes, and optical spectroscopy and electrochemistry for assessing their functionality. Simultaneously, we are exploring ways of integrating natural photosynthetic components, their artificial analogues, and other natural or modified redox enzymes outside their native context in order to construct biohybrid molecular solar energy conversion systems.