Congratulations to our PhD student Amanda Arcidiacono for her work entitled "Atomistic simulations reveal the photoactivation mechanism of a carotenoid-binding photoreceptor", published on Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The work combines diverse multiscale approaches to provide a computational understanding of the photoactivation cycle of the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP), a carotenoid-binding photoreceptor essential for the photoprotection of cyanobacteria.
The very promising results show that a photoisomerization of the carotenoid is the key for the initiating the photoactivation mechanism. This paves the way for new experimental investigations that may lead to a complete understanding of the photocycle of OCP.
