Architecture of the photosynthetic oxygen-evolving center

Controlled Redox Conversion of New X-ray-Characterized Mono- and Dinuclear Heptacoordinated Mn(II) Complexes into Di-μ-oxo-dimanganese Core Complexes

Two heptacoordinated Mn(II) complexes are isolated and X-ray characterized using the well-known tpen ligand (tpen = N,N,N',N'-tetrakis(2-pyridylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine): [(tpen)Mn(OH(2))](ClO(4))(2) (1(ClO(4))(2)) and [(tpen)Mn(micro-OAc)Mn(tpen)](ClO(4))(3).2H(2)O (2(ClO(4))(3).2H(2)O). Crystallographic data for 1(ClO(4))(2) at 110(2) K (respectively at 293(2) K): monoclinic, space group C2/c, a = 15.049(3) A (15.096(3) A), b = 9.932(2) A (10.105(2) A), c = 19.246(4) A (19.443(4) A), beta = 94.21(3) degrees (94.50(3) degrees ), Z = 4. Crystallographic data for 2(ClO(4))(3).0.5(C(2)H(5))(2)O at 123(2) K: triclinic, space group P, a = 12.707(3) A, b = 12.824(3) A, c = 19.052(4) A, alpha = 102.71(3) degrees, beta = 97.83(3) degrees, gamma = 98.15(3) degrees, Z = 2. Investigation of the variation upon temperature of the molar magnetic susceptibility of compound 2(ClO(4))(3).2H(2)O reveals a weak antiferromagnetic exchange interaction between the two high-spin Mn(II) ions (J = -0.65 +/- 0.05 cm(-)(1), H = -JS(1).S(2)). EPR spectra are recorded on powder samples and on frozen acetonitrile solutions, demonstrating the maintenance upon dissolution of the heptacoordination of Mn in complex 1 while complex 2 partially dissociates. Electrochemical responses of complexes 1 and 2 are investigated in acetonitrile, and bulk electrolyses are performed at oxidative potential in the presence of various amounts of 2,6-lutidine (0-2.65 equiv per Mn ion). The formation from either 1 or 2 of the mixed-valent complex [(tpen)Mn(III)(micro-O)(2)Mn(IV)(tpen)](3+) (3) is established from mass spectrometry and EPR and IR spectroscopy measurements. When reaction is started from 2, formation of [(tpen)Mn(IV)(micro-O)(2)(micro-OAc)Mn(IV)](3+) (4) is evidenced from cyclic voltammetry, EPR, and UV-vis data. The Mn vs tpen ratio in the electrogenerated complexes is accurately controlled by the quantity of additional 2,6-lutidine. The role of tpen as a base is discussed.

Biosynthetic Ca2+/Sr2+ Exchange in the Photosystem II Oxygen-evolving Enzyme of Thermosynechococcus elongatus

The thermophilic cyanobacterium, Thermosynechococcus elongatus, has been grown in the presence of Sr2+ instead of Ca2+ with the aim of biosynthetically replacing the Ca2+ of the oxygen-evolving enzyme with Sr2+. Not only were the cells able to grow normally with Sr2+, they actively accumulated the ion to levels higher than those of Ca2+ in the normal cultures. A protocol was developed to purify a fully active Sr(2+)-containing photosystem II (PSII). The modified enzyme contained a normal polypeptide profile and 1 strontium/4 manganese, indicating that the normal enzyme contains 1 calcium/4 manganese. The Sr(2+)- and Ca(2+)-containing enzymes were compared using EPR spectroscopy, UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, and O2 polarography. The Ca2+/Sr2+ exchange resulted in the modification of the EPR spectrum of the manganese cluster and a slower turnover of the redox cycle (the so-called S-state cycle), resulting in diminished O2 evolution activity under continuous saturating light: all features reported previously by biochemical Ca2+/Sr2+ exchange in plant PSII. This allays doubts that these changes could be because of secondary effects induced by the biochemical treatments themselves. In addition, the Sr(2+)-containing PSII has other kinetics modifications: 1) it has an increased stability of the S3 redox state; 2) it shows an increase in the rate of electron donation from TyrD, the redox-active tyrosine of the D2 protein, to the oxygen-evolving complex in the S3-state forming S2; 3) the rate of oxidation of the S0-state to the S1-state by TyrD* is increased; and 4) the release of O2 is slowed down to an extent similar to that seen for the slowdown of the S3TyrZ* to S0TyrZ transition, consistent with the latter constituting the limiting step of the water oxidation mechanism in Sr(2+)-substituted enzyme as well as in the normal enzyme. The replacement of Ca2+ by Sr2+ appears to have multiple effects on kinetics properties of the enzyme that may be explained by S-state-dependent shifts in the redox properties of both the manganese complex and TyrZ as well as structural effects.

Tyrosyl radicals in Photosystem II

In PSII, there are two redox-active tyrosines, D and Z, with different midpoint potentials and different reduction kinetics. The factors responsible for these functional differences have not yet been elucidated. Recent model compound studies of tyrosinate and of tyrosine-containing dipeptides have demonstrated that perturbations of the amino and amide/imide group occur when the tyrosyl aromatic ring is oxidized [J. Am. Chem. Soc. 124 (2002) 5496]. Accompanying density functional calculations suggested that this perturbation is due to spin density delocalization from the aromatic ring onto the amino nitrogen. The implication of this finding is that spin density delocalization may occur in redox-active, tyrosine-containing enzymes, like Photosystem II. In this paper, we review the supporting evidence for the hypothesis that tyrosyl radical spin density delocalizes into the peptide bond in a conformationally sensitive, sequence-dependent manner. Our experimental measurements on tyrosyl radicals in dipeptides have suggested that the magnitude of the putative spin migration may be sequence-dependent. Vibrational spectroscopic studies on the tyrosyl radicals in Photosystem II, which are consistent with spin migration, are reviewed. Migration of the unpaired spin may provide a mechanism for control of the direction and possibly the rate of electron transfer.

Mn oxidation states in tri- and tetra-nuclear Mn compounds structurally relevant to photosystem II: Mn K-edge X-ray absorption and Kβ X-ray emission spectroscopy studies

X-Ray spectroscopy is used to examine the effect of the manganese oxidation state for a series of Mn model compounds. Sensitive to Mn oxidation and structural symmetry, X-ray absorption and emission spectroscopy (XAS and XES) provide complementary insights. However, few benchmark examples of complexes with similar structures but in different oxidation states are available to evaluate data from unknown structures like the oxygen evolving complex (OEC) of Photosystem II (PSII). This study examines two types of compounds prepared in a variety of Mn oxidation states and which possess chemical structures with Mn-Mn interactions (~2.7 Å and ~3.3 Å) that have been observed in the OEC. Model complexes with core compositions Mn3O and Mn4O2 contain combinations of Mn in either a reduced (II) or oxidized (III) state. Within each set of compounds, complexes with higher Mn oxidation states have absorption K-edge energy values that are higher (1.6-2.2 eV) than those of their more reduced counterparts. This trend is accordingly reversed in the Kβ emission spectroscopy where the first moment energy values are lower (0.09-0.12 eV) for compounds with higher Mn oxidation states. We will discuss in detail, how these trends can be quantitatively used to characterize the effects of the Mn oxidation state as well as the surrounding ligand environment on the observed X-ray spectra. The results are discussed with respect to previously obtained data on different S-states of the OEC.

Palladium(ii) diamine complex induces reduction of glutathione disulfide

Reaction of [Pd(1R,2R-diaminocyclohexane)Cl(2)] with the oxidised form of the tripeptide glutathione ([gamma]-l-glutamyl-l-cysteinyl-glycine) in aqueous solution leads to reductive cleavage of the disulfide bond.

Structure, function and assembly of Photosystem II and its light-harvesting proteins

Photosystem II (PSII) is a multisubunit chlorophyll-protein complex that drives electron transfer from water to plastoquinone using energy derived from light. In green plants, the native form of PSII is surrounded by the light-harvesting complex (LHCII complex) and thus it is called the PSII-LHCII supercomplex. Over the past several years, understanding of the structure, function, and assembly of PSII and LHCII complexes has increased considerably. The unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has been an excellent model organism to study PSII and LHCII complexes, because this organism grows heterotrophically and photoautotrophically and it is amenable to biochemical, genetic, molecular biological and recombinant DNA methodology. Here, the genes encoding and regulating components of the C. reinhardtii PSII-LHCII supercomplex have been thoroughly catalogued: they include 15 chloroplast and 20 nuclear structural genes as well as 13 nuclear genes coding for regulatory factors. This review discusses these molecular genetic data and presents an overview of the structure, function and assembly of PSII and LHCII complexes.

The Native Reaction Centre of Photosystem II: A New Paradigm for P680

Low-temperature spectra of fully active (oxygen-evolving) Photosystem II (PSII) cores prepared from spinach exhibit well developed structure. Spectra of isolated sub-fragments of PSII cores establish that the native reaction centre is better structured and red-shifted compared to the isolated reaction centre. Laser illumination of PSII cores leads to efficient and deep spectral hole-burning. Measurements of homogeneous hole-widths establish excited-state lifetimes in the 40–300 ps range. The high hole-burning efficiency is attributed to charge separation of P680 in native PSII that follows reaction-centre excitation via ‘slow transfer’ states in the inner light-harvesting assemblies CP43 and CP47. The ‘slow transfer’ state in CP47 and that in CP43 can be distinguished in the hole-burning action spectrum and high-resolution hole-burning spectra. An important observation is that 685–700 nm illumination gives rise to efficient P680 charge separation, as established by QA− formation. This leads to a new paradigm for P680. The charge-separating state has surprisingly weak absorption and extends to 700 nm.