A new fluorescent particle prepared by chemical stabilized phycobilisome

Natural phycobilisomes (PBSs) were isolated and purified from a red macroalga, Polysiphonia urceolata, by multi-step of sucrose gradient centrifugation, and were chemically stabilized by small molecule cross-linker formaldehyde. The stabilized PBSs showed similar absorption and fluorescent properties at room temperature compared to natural PBSs and kept a steady F672/F580 value during more than 3 months of storage in 0.45 mol/L phosphate buffer (pH 6.8) or at low temperature at 77 K. The stabilized PBS migrated as a single band at mild PAGE and in 14–18 h of sucrose gradient centrifugation. All these characters indicated that the stabilized PBSs were stable, soluble, homogenous fluorescent particles with favorable spectroscopic features prepared under present conditions.