Peridinin is a light-harvesting apocarotenoid, a pigment associated with chlorophyll and found in the peridinin-chlorophyll-protein (PCP) light-harvesting complex in , best studied in Amphidinium carterae.
Biological significance
Peridinin is an
apocarotenoid pigment that some organisms use in
photosynthesis. Many photosynthetic
use peridinin, which absorbs blue-green light in the 470–550 nm range, outside the range accessible to
chlorophyll molecules. The peridinin-chlorophyll-protein complex is a specialized molecular complex consisting of a boat-shaped protein molecule with a large central cavity that contains peridinin, chlorophyll, and lipid molecules, usually in a 4:1 ratio of peridinin to chlorophyll.
Spectral characteristics
-
Absorption maximum: 483 nm
-
Emission maximum: 676 nm
-
Extinction coefficient (ε): 1.96 x 106 M−1cm−1
-
A483/A280 ≥ 4.6
Applications
Peridinin chlorophyll (PerCP) is commonly used in
immunoassays such as fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and
flow cytometry. The fluorophore is covalently linked to proteins or antibodies for use in research applications.
