Arthrospira maxima

The crystal structure of the OCP from Arthrospira maxima has been solved to 2.1 A resolution (Kerfeld et al. 2003). It is composed of two domains and the carotenoid, 3 -hydroxyechinenone, spans both. The carotenoid is almost completely buried within the protein only 3.4% of the pigment surface is accessible to solvent (see Figure 1.3a). The OCP is a dimer in solution the intermolecular interactions are largely mediated by hydrogen bonding among the N-terminal 30 amino acids, as shown in Figure 1.3b... 

Knutson, R. (1998). The red carotenoid protein from Arthrospira maxima. MS thesis, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN. 

Polfvka, T., C. A. Kerfeld, T. Pascher, and V. Sundstrom (2005). Spectroscopic properties of the carotenoid 3 -hydroxyechinenone in the orange carotenoid protein from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima. Biochemistry 44(10) 3994—4003. 

Sawaya MR, Krogmann DW, Serag A et al. Structures of cytochrome c-549 and cytochrome c6 from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima. Biochemistry 2001 40 9215-9225. 

---