plasma membrane-derived chromatophore membrane

GO:0042717 · Membrane organelle · Membrane · Proposed

The lipid bilayer associated with a plasma membrane-derived chromatophore; surrounds chromatophores that form complete vesicles. [GO:0042717]

Synonyms: cellular chromatophore membrane; chromatophore membrane

Xrefs: uniprot.location:SL-0042 — Cellular chromatophore membrane

UniProt location names: UniProt Consortium, CC BY 4.0. Reference label and route sources.

Components

Component	Type	Part of / acts on	Grounding	Essential	Role
chromatophore lipid bilayer	Lipid	part of		ESSENTIAL	Plasma-membrane-derived bilayer that forms an internal purple-bacterial photosynthetic membrane and houses the pigment-protein and electron-transfer complexes used for photophosphorylation. `GO:0042717` GO:0042717 defines the plasma membrane-derived chromatophore membrane as the lipid bilayer associated with bacterial chromatophores. `uniprot.location:SL-0042` — Cellular chromatophore membrane UniProt Subcellular Location SL-0042 describes the cellular chromatophore membrane as an internal, plasma-membrane-derived photosynthetic membrane in purple photosynthetic bacteria.
RC-LH1-PufX core complex	Protein complex	part of	`cellstructuremech:rc_lh1_pufx_core_complex`	UNKNOWN	Dimeric reaction-center and LH1 antenna hub that performs charge separation and receives excitation energy from surrounding LH2 antennae. `DOI:10.1038/nature02823` Bahatyrova et al. 2004 used atomic force microscopy to resolve linear arrays of dimeric RC-LH1-PufX core complexes in native Rhodobacter sphaeroides photosynthetic membranes. `DOI:10.1074/jbc.M412088200` Comayras et al. 2005 connected the organization of Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction-center antenna complexes to quinone and excitation-transfer behavior in chromatophores.
LH2 peripheral light-harvesting antenna complexes	Protein complex	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Peripheral antenna complexes that extend the bacteriochlorophyll light-harvesting network and feed excitation energy toward RC-LH1 cores. `DOI:10.1038/nature02823` Bahatyrova et al. 2004 imaged LH2 antenna complexes interconnecting and clustering around RC-LH1-PufX core arrays in native Rhodobacter sphaeroides photosynthetic membranes. `uniprot.location:SL-0042` — Cellular chromatophore membrane UniProt SL-0042 lists antenna complexes among the contents of cellular chromatophore membranes.
chromatophore cytochrome bc1 complex	Protein complex	part of	`cellstructuremech:chromatophore_cytochrome_bc1_complex`	UNKNOWN	Membrane oxidoreductase that oxidizes quinol and returns electrons toward the reaction center through cytochrome c2 during cyclic photosynthetic electron transport. `uniprot.location:SL-0042` — Cellular chromatophore membrane UniProt SL-0042 lists cytochrome bc1 among the complexes contained in cellular chromatophore membranes. `DOI:10.1074/jbc.M412088200` Comayras et al. 2005 modeled the functional consequences of photosynthetic-apparatus organization in Rhodobacter sphaeroides chromatophores, including quinone traffic between reaction centers and cytochrome bc1.
F0F1-ATP synthase	Protein complex	part of	Reviewed label only (reviewed name; no accession asserted)	UNKNOWN	Proton-driven rotary enzyme that uses the light-generated proton motive force across chromatophore membranes to synthesize ATP. `uniprot.location:SL-0042` — Cellular chromatophore membrane UniProt SL-0042 lists F0F1-ATPase among the complexes contained in cellular chromatophore membranes. `DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75470-2` Feniouk et al. 2002 quantified ATP synthase in Rhodobacter capsulatus chromatophore vesicles and analyzed proton-driven ATP synthesis across those vesicles.

Taxonomic distribution

NCBITaxon:2 Bacteria — RARE: Plasma membrane-derived chromatophore membranes occur in purple photosynthetic bacteria rather than broadly across bacteria. [uniprot.location:SL-0042 — Cellular chromatophore membrane]

Canonical examples

NCBITaxon:1063 Cereibacter sphaeroides — Purple photosynthetic bacterium, still commonly cited under the synonym Rhodobacter sphaeroides, whose native chromatophore membrane architecture was resolved by atomic force microscopy. [DOI:10.1038/nature02823]

Functions

photosynthetic electron transport chain GO:0009767 — Chromatophore membranes organize reaction-center antenna cores, peripheral antenna complexes and quinone-linked cytochrome bc1 so light absorption drives cyclic electron transport and builds a proton motive force.
- DOI:10.1038/nature02823 Bahatyrova et al. 2004 directly imaged native chromatophore membranes and resolved how LH2 complexes are arranged around RC-LH1-PufX core arrays.
- DOI:10.1074/jbc.M412088200 Comayras et al. 2005 studied excitation transfer and quinone domains in Rhodobacter sphaeroides chromatophore membranes.
photosynthetic phosphorylation — The sealed chromatophore vesicle membrane can maintain a light-driven electrochemical gradient that F0F1-ATP synthase uses to produce ATP.
- DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75470-2 Feniouk et al. 2002 assayed ATP synthesis in Rhodobacter capsulatus chromatophore vesicles driven by a transmembrane proton motive force.

Mechanism graphs

Purple-bacterial chromatophores couple light harvesting to ATP synthesis (FUNCTION)

LH2 antenna complexes and RC-LH1-PufX cores organize inside the plasma membrane-derived chromatophore membrane. Cyclic electron transport through quinone and cytochrome bc1 is coupled to F0F1-ATP synthase use of a chromatophore transmembrane proton motive force.

Subject	Predicate	Object	Evidence
LH2 peripheral light-harvesting antenna complexes	transfers excitation energy to	RC-LH1-PufX core complex	`DOI:10.1038/nature02823` Bahatyrova et al. 2004 imaged LH2 complexes as interconnecting RC-LH1-PufX arrays in the native Rhodobacter photosynthetic membrane.
RC-LH1-PufX core complex	reduces	quinone pool	`DOI:10.1074/jbc.M412088200` Comayras et al. 2005 modeled quinone-domain behavior and excitation transfer in Rhodobacter sphaeroides chromatophores and reaction-center antenna complexes.
cytochrome bc1 complex	oxidizes	quinone pool	`DOI:10.1074/jbc.M412088200` Comayras et al. 2005 studied chromatophore quinone traffic between reaction-center antenna complexes and cytochrome bc1.
plasma membrane-derived chromatophore membrane	maintains	chromatophore transmembrane proton motive force	`DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75470-2` Feniouk et al. 2002 analyzed ATP synthesis in chromatophore vesicles driven by a proton motive force across the vesicle membrane.
F0F1-ATP synthase	uses	chromatophore transmembrane proton motive force	`DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75470-2` Feniouk et al. 2002 studied ATP synthesis in Rhodobacter capsulatus chromatophore vesicles driven by a proton motive force.
chromatophore transmembrane proton motive force	drives	photosynthetic phosphorylation	`DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75470-2` Feniouk et al. 2002 analyzed proton-driven ATP synthesis in bacterial chromatophore vesicles.

Discussions

INTERPRETATION (RESOLVED): Should the bacterial chromatophore membrane be merged with the Paulinella organellar chromatophore membrane terms?
CURATION_TODO (OPEN): Resolve exact source-neutral component groundings for LH2 and F0F1-ATP synthase complexes in purple-bacterial chromatophore membranes. LH2 antennae and F0F1-ATP synthase are supported as chromatophore constituents, but remain label-only components until exact source-neutral complex accessions are curated or minted.

Evidence

GO:0042717 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the plasma membrane-derived chromatophore membrane.
GO:0034357 Gene Ontology cellular-component term for the broader photosynthetic membrane class.
GO:0009767 Gene Ontology biological-process term for the photosynthetic electron transport chain.
uniprot.location:SL-0042 — Cellular chromatophore membrane UniProt Subcellular Location entry for the cellular chromatophore membrane; maps to GO:0042717.
DOI:10.1038/nature02823 Bahatyrova et al. 2004, The native architecture of a photosynthetic membrane, Nature.
DOI:10.1074/jbc.M412088200 Comayras, Jungas and Lavergne 2005, Functional Consequences of the Organization of the Photosynthetic Apparatus in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Journal of Biological Chemistry.
DOI:10.1016/S0006-3495(02)75470-2 Feniouk et al. 2002, Chromatophore vesicles of Rhodobacter capsulatus contain on average one F0F1-ATP synthase each, Biophysical Journal.

Curation history

2026-09-12T16:58:10Z codex · CREATED_RECORD — Scaffolded by scripts/new_record.py
2026-09-12T16:59:25Z codex · EXPANDED_RECORD — Added the UniProt SL xref and synonyms, photosynthetic-membrane parentage, purple-bacterial chromatophore complexes, Cereibacter/Rhodobacter evidence, photophosphorylation functions, a nonmechanistic energy-transduction graph, and a TODO for exact complex groundings.
2026-09-12T17:07:53Z codex · ADDRESS_REVIEW — Resolved #680 by downgrading the ambiguous chromatophore membrane synonym to RELATED_SYNONYM; resolved #681 by replacing a UniProt-localization-backed proton-motive-force edge with a Feniouk-backed chromatophore-vesicle membrane edge.
2026-09-13T07:17:11Z codex · ADDRESS_REVIEW — #760: grounded the RC-LH1-PufX chromatophore component to cellstructuremech:rc_lh1_pufx_core_complex now that PR #759 mints the internal structure record.
2026-09-13T07:28:09Z codex · REFINED_RECORD — Grounded the cytochrome bc1 chromatophore component to cellstructuremech:chromatophore_cytochrome_bc1_complex now that the internal structure record has been minted.
2026-09-13T07:29:02Z codex · REFINED_RECORD — Narrowed the chromatophore complex-grounding TODO after RC-LH1-PufX and cytochrome bc1 gained internal CellStructureMech groundings.
2026-09-13T07:35:09Z codex · ADDRESS_REVIEW — #762: changed the proactive chromatophore cytochrome bc1 link-back event from ADDRESS_REVIEW to REFINED_RECORD.
2026-09-20T21:55:39Z codex · ADDRESSED_REVIEW — Retyped the locally grounded RC-LH1-PufX and cytochrome bc1 complex graph nodes as STRUCTURE.

Source: data/structures/membrane_organelle/plasma_membrane_derived_chromatophore_membrane.yaml