Chromatophore (bacteria)

{{Distinguish|text = chromatophores, pigment-containing and light-reflecting cells}}

In some forms of photosynthetic bacteria, a chromatophore is a pigmented(coloured), membrane-associated vesicle used to perform photosynthesis. They contain different coloured pigments.

Chromatophores contain bacteriochlorophyll pigments and carotenoids.{{cite journal | last1=Salton | first1=MR | title=Bacterial membrane proteins | journal=Microbiological Sciences | volume=4 | issue=4 | pages=100–5 | year=1987 | pmid=3153178 }} In purple bacteria, such as Rhodospirillum rubrum, the light-harvesting proteins are intrinsic to the chromatophore membranes. However, in green sulfur bacteria, they are arranged in specialised antenna complexes called chlorosomes.{{cite journal | last1=Frigaard | first1=NU | last2=Bryant | first2=DA | title=Seeing green bacteria in a new light: genomics-enabled studies of the photosynthetic apparatus in green sulfur bacteria and filamentous anoxygenic phototrophic bacteria | journal=Archives of Microbiology | volume=182 | issue=4 | pages=265–76 | year=2004 | pmid=15340781 | doi=10.1007/s00203-004-0718-9 | bibcode=2004ArMic.182..265F }}