Fykobilinejä

Fykobilinejä are protein pigments found in cyanobacteria, red algae, and certain dinoflagellates. They belong to the phycobilin family, which are light-harvesting pigments. Fykobilinejä are water-soluble and are housed within phycobilisomes, large protein complexes attached to the surface of thylakoid membranes. Their primary function is to capture light energy, particularly in wavelengths that chlorophyll cannot efficiently absorb, and transfer this energy to photosystems involved in photosynthesis.

There are several types of fykobilinejä, with the most common being phycoerythrin and phycocyanin. Phycoerythrin absorbs light in the green and yellow regions of the spectrum, appearing red or orange. Phycocyanin absorbs light in the green and orange regions, appearing blue. Allophycocyanin, another type, absorbs in the orange-red region and is crucial for the final transfer of energy to chlorophyll.

The specific types and proportions of fykobilinejä present in an organism can vary depending on the light conditions it inhabits. For example, organisms living in deeper water with less green light may have more phycoerythrin to capture the available light. The structure of fykobilinejä involves a protein backbone with covalently bound tetrapyrrole chromophores, similar to those found in heme and chlorophyll. This unique structure allows them to efficiently absorb and transfer light energy.