1
|
Semenov AY, Tikhonov AN. Electrometric and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Measurements of a Difference in the Transmembrane Electrochemical Potential: Photosynthetic Subcellular Structures and Isolated Pigment-Protein Complexes. MEMBRANES 2023; 13:866. [PMID: 37999352 PMCID: PMC10673362 DOI: 10.3390/membranes13110866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023]
Abstract
A transmembrane difference in the electrochemical potentials of protons (ΔμH+) serves as a free energy intermediate in energy-transducing organelles of the living cell. The contributions of two components of the ΔμH+ (electrical, Δψ, and concentrational, ΔpH) to the overall ΔμH+ value depend on the nature and lipid composition of the energy-coupling membrane. In this review, we briefly consider several of the most common instrumental (electrometric and EPR) methods for numerical estimations of Δψ and ΔpH. In particular, the kinetics of the flash-induced electrometrical measurements of Δψ in bacterial chromatophores, isolated bacterial reaction centers, and Photosystems I and II of the oxygenic photosynthesis, as well as the use of pH-sensitive molecular indicators and kinetic data regarding pH-dependent electron transport in chloroplasts, have been reviewed. Further perspectives on the application of these methods to solve some fundamental and practical problems of membrane bioenergetics are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Yu. Semenov
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physical-Chemical Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russia;
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tikhonov AN. Electron Transport in Chloroplasts: Regulation and Alternative Pathways of Electron Transfer. BIOCHEMISTRY. BIOKHIMIIA 2023; 88:1438-1454. [PMID: 38105016 DOI: 10.1134/s0006297923100036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/09/2023] [Indexed: 12/19/2023]
Abstract
This work represents an overview of electron transport regulation in chloroplasts as considered in the context of structure-function organization of photosynthetic apparatus in plants. Main focus of the article is on bifurcated oxidation of plastoquinol by the cytochrome b6f complex, which represents the rate-limiting step of electron transfer between photosystems II and I. Electron transport along the chains of non-cyclic, cyclic, and pseudocyclic electron flow, their relationships to generation of the trans-thylakoid difference in electrochemical potentials of protons in chloroplasts, and pH-dependent mechanisms of regulation of the cytochrome b6f complex are considered. Redox reactions with participation of molecular oxygen and ascorbate, alternative mediators of electron transport in chloroplasts, have also been discussed.
Collapse
|
3
|
Sarewicz M, Szwalec M, Pintscher S, Indyka P, Rawski M, Pietras R, Mielecki B, Koziej Ł, Jaciuk M, Glatt S, Osyczka A. High-resolution cryo-EM structures of plant cytochrome b 6f at work. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd9688. [PMID: 36638176 PMCID: PMC9839326 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add9688] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Plants use solar energy to power cellular metabolism. The oxidation of plastoquinol and reduction of plastocyanin by cytochrome b6f (Cyt b6f) is known as one of the key steps of photosynthesis, but the catalytic mechanism in the plastoquinone oxidation site (Qp) remains elusive. Here, we describe two high-resolution cryo-EM structures of the spinach Cyt b6f homodimer with endogenous plastoquinones and in complex with plastocyanin. Three plastoquinones are visible and line up one after another head to tail near Qp in both monomers, indicating the existence of a channel in each monomer. Therefore, quinones appear to flow through Cyt b6f in one direction, transiently exposing the redox-active ring of quinone during catalysis. Our work proposes an unprecedented one-way traffic model that explains efficient quinol oxidation during photosynthesis and respiration.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Sarewicz
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Mateusz Szwalec
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Sebastian Pintscher
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB), Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Paulina Indyka
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB), Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
- National Synchrotron Radiation Centre SOLARIS, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Michał Rawski
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB), Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Rafał Pietras
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Bohun Mielecki
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Łukasz Koziej
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB), Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Marcin Jaciuk
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB), Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Sebastian Glatt
- Małopolska Centre of Biotechnology (MCB), Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| | - Artur Osyczka
- Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics, and Biotechnology, Jagiellonian University, Kraków, Poland
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Szwalec M, Bujnowicz Ł, Sarewicz M, Osyczka A. Unexpected Heme Redox Potential Values Implicate an Uphill Step in Cytochrome b6f. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:9771-9780. [PMID: 36399615 PMCID: PMC9720722 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c05729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Cytochromes bc, key enzymes of respiration and photosynthesis, contain a highly conserved two-heme motif supporting cross-membrane electron transport (ET) that connects the two catalytic quinone-binding sites (Qn and Qp). Typically, this ET occurs from the low- to high-potential heme b, but in photosynthetic cytochrome b6f, the redox midpoint potentials (Ems) of these hemes remain uncertain. Our systematic redox titration analysis based on three independent and comprehensive low-temperature spectroscopies (continuous wave and pulse electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and optical spectroscopies) allowed for unambiguous assignment of spectral components of hemes in cytochrome b6f and revealed that Em of heme bn is unexpectedly low. Consequently, the cross-membrane ET occurs from the high- to low-potential heme introducing an uphill step in the energy landscape for the catalytic reaction. This slows down the ET through a low-potential chain, which can influence the mechanisms of reactions taking place at both Qp and Qn sites and modulate the efficiency of cyclic and linear ET in photosynthesis.
Collapse
|
5
|
Ustynyuk LY, Tikhonov AN. Plastoquinol Oxidation: Rate-Limiting Stage in the Electron Transport Chain of Chloroplasts. BIOCHEMISTRY (MOSCOW) 2022; 87:1084-1097. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006297922100029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
|
6
|
Ruuge EK, Tikhonov AN. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance: Study of the Regulatory Mechanisms of Light Phases of Photosynthesis in Plants. Biophysics (Nagoya-shi) 2022. [DOI: 10.1134/s0006350922030186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
|
7
|
Tikhonov AN, Vershubskii AV. Temperature-dependent regulation of electron transport and ATP synthesis in chloroplasts in vitro and in silico. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2020; 146:299-329. [PMID: 32780309 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-020-00777-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The significance of temperature-dependent regulation of photosynthetic apparatus (PSA) is determined by the fact that plant temperature changes with environmental temperature. In this work, we present a brief overview of temperature-dependent regulation of photosynthetic processes in class B chloroplasts (thylakoids) and analyze these processes using a computer model that takes into account the key stages of electron and proton transport coupled to ATP synthesis. The rate constants of partial reactions were parametrized on the basis of experimental temperature dependences of partial photosynthetic processes: (1) photosystem II (PSII) turnover and plastoquinone (PQ) reduction, (2) the plastoquinol (PQH2) oxidation by the cytochrome (Cyt) b6f complex, (3) the ATP synthase activity, and (4) the proton leak from the thylakoid lumen. We consider that PQH2 oxidation is the rate-limiting step in the intersystem electron transport. The parametrization of the rate constants of these processes is based on earlier experimental data demonstrating strong correlations between the functional and structural properties of thylakoid membranes that were probed with the lipid-soluble spin labels embedded into the membranes. Within the framework of our model, we could adequately describe a number of experimental temperature dependences of photosynthetic reactions in thylakoids. Computer modeling of electron and proton transport coupled to ATP synthesis supports the notion that PQH2 oxidation by the Cyt b6f complex and proton pumping into the lumen are the basic temperature-dependent processes that determine the overall electron flux from PSII to molecular oxygen and the net ATP synthesis upon variations of temperature. The model describes two branches of the temperature dependence of the post-illumination reduction of [Formula: see text] characterized by different activation energies (about 60 and ≤ 3.5 kJ mol-1). The model predicts the bell-like temperature dependence of ATP formation, which arises from the balance of several factors: (1) the thermo-induced acceleration of electron transport through the Cyt b6f complex, (2) deactivation of PSII photochemistry at sufficiently high temperatures, and (3) acceleration of the passive proton outflow from the thylakoid lumen bypassing the ATP synthase complex. The model describes the temperature dependence of experimentally measured parameter P/2e, determined as the ratio between the rates of ATP synthesis and pseudocyclic electron transport (H2O → PSII → PSI → O2).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander N Tikhonov
- Faculty of Physics, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia.
- N.M. Emanuel Institute of Biochemical Physics of Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Bujnowicz Ł, Borek A, Kuleta P, Sarewicz M, Osyczka A. Suppression of superoxide production by a spin‐spin coupling between semiquinone and the Rieske cluster in cytochrome
bc
1. FEBS Lett 2018; 593:3-12. [DOI: 10.1002/1873-3468.13296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2018] [Revised: 11/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Łukasz Bujnowicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Arkadiusz Borek
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Patryk Kuleta
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Marcin Sarewicz
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| | - Artur Osyczka
- Department of Molecular Biophysics Faculty of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Biotechnology Jagiellonian University Kraków Poland
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Dibrova DV, Shalaeva DN, Galperin MY, Mulkidjanian AY. Emergence of cytochrome bc complexes in the context of photosynthesis. PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2017; 161:150-170. [PMID: 28493482 PMCID: PMC5600118 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.12586] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2017] [Revised: 04/22/2017] [Accepted: 05/04/2017] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
The cytochrome bc (cyt bc) complexes are involved in Q-cycling; they oxidize membrane quinols by high-potential electron acceptors, such as cytochromes or plastocyanin, and generate transmembrane proton gradient. In several prokaryotic lineages, and also in plant chloroplasts, the catalytic core of the cyt bc complexes is built of a four-helical cytochrome b (cyt b) that contains three hemes, a three-helical subunit IV, and an iron-sulfur Rieske protein (cytochrome b6 f-type complexes). In other prokaryotic lineages, and also in mitochondria, the cyt b subunit is fused with subunit IV, yielding a seven- or eight-helical cyt b with only two hemes (cyt bc1 -type complexes). Here we present an updated phylogenomic analysis of the cyt b subunits of cyt bc complexes. This analysis provides further support to our earlier suggestion that (1) the ancestral version of cyt bc complex contained a small four-helical cyt b with three hemes similar to the plant cytochrome b6 and (2) independent fusion events led to the formation of large cyts b in several lineages. In the search for a primordial function for the ancestral cyt bc complex, we address the intimate connection between the cyt bc complexes and photosynthesis. Indeed, the Q-cycle turnover in the cyt bc complexes demands high-potential electron acceptors. Before the Great Oxygenation Event, the biosphere had been highly reduced, so high-potential electron acceptors could only be generated upon light-driven charge separation. It appears that an ancestral cyt bc complex capable of Q-cycling has emerged in conjunction with the (bacterio)chlorophyll-based photosynthetic systems that continuously generated electron vacancies at the oxidized (bacterio)chlorophyll molecules.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daria V. Dibrova
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119991Russia
| | - Daria N. Shalaeva
- School of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119991Russia
- School of PhysicsUniversity of OsnabrueckOsnabrueckD‐49069Germany
| | - Michael Y. Galperin
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, National Library of MedicineNational Institutes of HealthBethesdaMD20894USA
| | - Armen Y. Mulkidjanian
- A.N. Belozersky Institute of Physico‐Chemical BiologyLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119991Russia
- School of Bioengineering and BioinformaticsLomonosov Moscow State UniversityMoscow119991Russia
- School of PhysicsUniversity of OsnabrueckOsnabrueckD‐49069Germany
| |
Collapse
|