Activity of photosynthetic Reaction Centers coated with polydopamine

Dilute aqueous solutions of dopamine buffered to an alkaline pH and in the presence of dissolved oxygen undergo to a series of autoxidation and rearrangement reactions that lead to the formation of a dark insoluble material called polydopamine (PDA) with melanin reminiscent properties. In this work we carried out this reaction in the presence of the photosynthetic reaction center (RC), a transmembrane pigment-protein complex responsible for the first light-induced reactions in the photosynthetic process. We have found that PDA grows in colloidal form around the RC and in the appropriate conditions the protein is entrapped in the PDA matrix without loss of functionality. The protein is still capable to perform its natural photocycle leading to the generation of photocurrents and the ubiquinone acceptor complex function is modulated by the PDA/RC ratio.