The role of CP 47 in the evolution of oxygen and the binding of the extrinsic 33-kDa protein to the core complex of Photosystem II as determined by limited proteolysis

Effect of protein modification by malondialdehyde on the interaction between the oxygen-evolving complex 33 kDa protein and photosystem II core proteins

Previously we observed that the oxygen-evolving complex 33 kDa protein (OEC33) which stabilizes the Mn cluster in photosystem II (PSII), was modified with malondialdehyde (MDA), an end-product of peroxidized polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the modification increased in heat-stressed plants (Yamauchi et al. 2008). In this study, we examined whether the modification of OEC33 with MDA affects its binding to the PSII complex and causes inactivation of the oxygen-evolving complex. Purified OEC33 and PSII membranes that had been removed of extrinsic proteins of the oxygen-evolving complex (PSIIOEE) of spinach (Spinacia oleracea) were separately treated with MDA. The binding was diminished when both OEC33 and PSIIOEE were modified, but when only OEC33 or PSIIOEE was treated, the binding was not impaired. In the experiment using thylakoid membranes, release of OEC33 from PSII and corresponding loss of oxygen-evolving activity were observed when thylakoid membranes were treated with MDA at 40 degrees C but not at 25 degrees C. In spinach leaves treated at 40 degrees C under light, maximal efficiency of PSII photochemistry (F(v)/F(m) ratio of chlorophyll fluorescence) and oxygen-evolving activity decreased. Simultaneously, MDA contents in heat-stressed leaves increased, and OEC33 and PSII core proteins including 47 and 43 kDa chlorophyll-binding proteins were modified with MDA. In contrast, these changes were to a lesser extent at 40 degrees C in the dark. These results suggest that MDA modification of PSII proteins causes release of OEC33 from PSII and it is promoted in heat and oxidative conditions.

Structures and functions of the extrinsic proteins of photosystem II from different species

This minireview presents a summary of information available on the variety and binding properties of extrinsic proteins that form the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II (PSII) of cyanobacteria, red alga, diatom, green alga, euglena, and higher plants. In addition, the structure and function of extrinsic PsbO, PsbV, and PsbU proteins are summarized based on the crystal structure of thermophilic cyanobacterial PSII together with biochemical and genetic studies from various organisms.

Dynamics of electron transfer in photosystem II

Photosystem II, being a constituent of light driven photosynthetic apparatus, is a highly organized pigment-protein-lipid complex. The arrangement of PSII active redox cofactors insures efficiency of electron transfer within it. Donation of electrons extracted from water by the oxygen evolving complex to plastoquinones requires an additional activation energy. In this paper we present theoretical discussion of the anharmonic fluctuations of the protein-lipid matrix of PSII and an experimental evidence showing that the fluctuations are responsible for coupling of its donor and acceptor side. We argue that the fast collective motions liberated at temperatures higher that 200 K are crucial for the two final steps of the water splitting cycle and that one can distinguish three different dynamic regimes of PSII action which are controlled by the timescales of forward electron transfer, which vary with temperature. The three regimes of the dynamical behavior are related to different spatial domains of PSII.

The mystery of oxygen evolution: analysis of structure and function of photosystem II, the water-plastoquinone oxido-reductase

Photosystem II (PS II) of thylakoid membrane of photosynthetic organisms has drawn attention of researchers over the years because it is the only system on Earth that provides us with oxygen that we breathe. In the recent past, structure of PS II has been the focus of research in plant science. The report of X-ray crystallographic structure of PS II complex by the research groups of James Barber and So Iwata in UK is a milestone in the area of research in photosynthesis. It follows the pioneering and elegant work from the laboratories of Horst Witt and W. Saenger in Germany, and J. Shen in Japan. It is time to analyze the historic events during the long journey made by the researchers to arrive at this point. This review makes an attempt to critically review the growth of the advancement of concepts and knowledge on the photosystem in the background of technological development. We conclude the review with perspectives on research and technology that should reveal the complete story of PS II of thylakoid in the future.

Requirements for different combinations of the extrinsic proteins in specific cyanobacterial photosystem II mutants

The crystallographic data available for Photosystem II (PS II) in cyanobacteria has now provided complete structures for loop E from CP43 and CP47 as well as the extrinsic subunits PsbO, PsbU and PsbV. Protein interactions between these subunits are essential for stable water splitting and there is evidence that the binding of PsbU facilitates optimal energy transfer from the phycobilisome. Interactions between PsbO and CP47 may also play a role in dimer stabilization while loop E of CP43 contributes directly to the water-splitting reaction. Recent evidence also suggests that homologs of PsbP and PsbQ play key roles in cyanobacterial PS II, and under nutrient-deficient conditions PsbQ appears essential for photoautotrophic growth.

N-terminus of the photosystem II manganese stabilizing protein: effects of sequence elongation and truncation

The importance of the N-terminal domain of manganese stabilizing protein in binding to photosystem II has been previously demonstrated [Eaton-Rye and Murata (1989) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 977, 219-226; Odom and Bricker (1992) Biochemistry 31, 5616-5620]. In this paper, we report results from a systematic study of functional and structural consequences of N-terminal elongation and truncation of manganese stabilizing protein. Precursor manganese stabilizing protein is the unprocessed wild-type protein, which carries an N-terminal extension of 84 amino acids in the form of its chloroplastic signal peptide. Despite its increased size, this protein is able to reconstitute O(2) evolution activity to levels observed with the mature, processed protein, but it also binds nonspecifically to PSII. Truncation of wild-type manganese stabilizing protein by site-directed mutagenesis to remove three N-terminal amino acids, resulting in a mutant called DeltaG3M, causes no loss of activity reconstitution, but this protein also exhibits nonspecific binding. Further truncation of the wild-type protein by ten N-terminal amino acids, producing DeltaE10M, limits binding of manganese stabilizing protein to 1 mol/mol of photosystem II and decreases activity reconstitution to about 65% of that obtained with the wild-type protein. Because two copies of wild type normally bind to photosystem II, amino acids in the domain (4)K-(10)E must be involved in the binding of one copy of manganese stabilizing protein to photosystem II. Spectroscopic analysis (CD and UV spectra) reveals that N-terminal elongation and deletion of manganese stabilizing protein influence its overall conformation, even though secondary structure content is not perturbed. Our data suggest that the solution structure of manganese stabilizing protein attains a more compact solution structure upon removal of N-terminal amino acids.

Mutations of arginine 64 within the putative Ca(2+)-binding lumenal interhelical a-b loop of the photosystem II D1 protein disrupt binding of the manganese stabilizing protein and cytochrome c(550) in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803

Mutations D1-R64E, D1-R64Q, and D1-R64V in the putative calcium-binding lumenal interhelical a-b loop of the photosystem II (PSII) D1 protein were characterized in terms of impact on growth, extrinsic protein binding, photoactivation, and properties of the H(2)O-oxidation complex. The D1-R64E charge reversal mutation greatly weakened the binding of the extrinsic manganese-stabilizing protein (MSP) and, to a considerably lesser extent, weakened the binding of cytochrome c(550) (c550). Both D1-R64Q and D1-R64E exhibited an increased requirement for Ca(2+) in the cell growth medium. Bare platinum electrode measurements of O(2)-evolving membranes showed a retarded appearance of O(2) following single turn-over flashes, especially in the case of the D1-R64E mutant. The D1-R64E mutant also had a pronounced tendency to lose O(2) evolution activity in the dark and exhibited an increased relative quantum yield of photoactivation, which are characteristics shared by mutants that lack extrinsic proteins. S(2) and S(3) decay measurements in the isolated membranes indicate that D1-R64E and D1-R64Q have faster decays of these higher S-states as compared to the wild-type. However, fluorescence decay in the presence of DCMU, which monitors primarily Q(A)(-) charge recombination with PSII donors, showed somewhat slower decays. Taken together, the fluorescence and S-state decay indicate that the midpoint of either Q(B)(-) has been modified to be more negative in the mutants or that a recombination path presumably involving either Q(B)(-) or Y(D) has become kinetically more accessible.

The oxidation state of the photosystem II manganese cluster influences the structure of manganese stabilizing protein

Exposure of photosystem II membranes to trypsin that has been treated to inhibit chymotrypsin activity produces limited hydrolysis of manganese stabilizing protein. Exposure to chymotrypsin under the same conditions yields substantial digestion of the protein. Further probing of the unusual insensitivity of manganese stabilizing protein to trypsin hydrolysis reveals that increasing the temperature from 4 to 25 degrees C will cause some acceleration in the rate of proteolysis. However, addition of low (100 microM) concentrations of NH2OH, that are sufficient to reduce, but not destroy, the photosystem II Mn cluster, causes a change in PS II-bound manganese stabilizing protein that causes it to be rapidly digested by trypsin. Immunoblot analyses with polyclonal antibodies directed against the N-terminus of the protein, or against the entire sequence show that trypsin cleavage produces two distinct peptide fragments estimated to be in the 17-20 kDa range, consistent with proposals that there are 2 mol of the protein/mol photosystem II. The correlation of trypsin sensitivity with Mn redox state(s) in photosystem II suggest that manganese stabilizing protein may interact either directly with Mn, or alternatively, that the polypeptide is bound to another protein of the photosystem II reaction center that is intimately involved in binding and redox activity of Mn.

Revealing the structure of the photosystem II chlorophyll binding proteins, CP43 and CP47

A review of the structural properties of the photosystem II chlorophyll binding proteins, CP47 and CP43, is given and a model of the transmembrane helical domains of CP47 has been constructed. The model is based on (i) the amino acid sequence of the spinach protein, (ii) an 8 A three-dimensional electron density map derived from electron crystallography and (iii) the structural homology which the membrane spanning region of CP47 shares with the six N-terminal transmembrane helices of the PsaA/PsaB proteins of photosystem I. Particular emphasis has been placed on the position of chlorophyll molecules assigned in the 8 A three-dimensional map of CP47 (K.-H. Rhee, E.P. Morris, J. Barber, W. Kühlbrandt, Nature 396 (1998) 283-286) relative to histidine residues located in the transmembrane regions of this protein which are likely to form axial ligands for chlorophyll binding. Of the 14 densities assigned to chlorophyll, the model predicted that five have their magnesium ions within 4 A of the imidazole nitrogens of histidine residues. For the remaining seven histidine residues the densities attributed to chlorophylls were within 4-8 A of the imidazole nitrogens and thus too far apart for direct ligation with the magnesium ion within the tetrapyrrole head group. Improved structural resolution and reconsiderations of the orientation of the porphyrin rings will allow further refinement of the model.

Mutation of Phe-363 in the photosystem II protein CP47 impairs photoautotrophic growth, alters the chloride requirement, and prevents photosynthesis in the absence of either PSII-O or PSII-V in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

The deletion of the amino acids between Gly-351 and Thr-365 within the large, lumen-exposed, hydrophilic region (loop E) of the photosystem II (PSII) chlorophyll a-binding protein CP47 produced a strain of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 that failed to assemble stable PSII centers [Eaton-Rye, J. J., and Vermaas, W. F. J. (1991) Plant Mol. Biol. 17, 1165-1177]. The importance of two conserved Phe residues at positions 362 and 363 within this deletion has been investigated. The F363R strain had impaired photoautotrophic growth and an enhanced sensitivity to photoinactivation, demonstrating that Phe is required at position 363 for normal PSII function. In contrast, photoautotrophic growth in strains N361K and F362R was unaffected. Uniquely, among the mutant strains tested, F363R was unable to grow under chloride-limiting conditions, and this effect was reversed by replacing chloride with bromide. The removal of the manganese-stabilizing protein (PSII-O), the 12 kDa extrinsic protein (PSII-U), and cytochrome c-550 (PSII-V) was investigated in each mutant in vivo. In N361K and F362R, removal of PSII-V produced a more deleterious effect than the removal of PSII-O, but even so, all strains remained photoautotrophic. In contrast, the absence of PSII-V and PSII-O in F363R produced obligate photoheterotrophic strains. The removal of PSII-U increased the susceptibility of PSII to heat inactivation and further decreased the stability of PSII in F363R, demonstrating that PSII-U can contribute to the stabilization of mutations that have been introduced into CP47. The order of importance of the selective removal of the extrinsic proteins in strains carrying mutations in loop E of CP47 was found to be as follows: DeltaPSII-V >/= DeltaPSII-O > DeltaPSII-U.

Specific requirements for cytochrome c-550 and the manganese-stabilizing protein in photoautotrophic strains of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 with mutations in the domain Gly-351 to Thr-436 of the chlorophyll-binding protein CP47

The requirement of cytochrome c-550 (PSII-V) in photosystem II (PSII) has been assessed in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 containing mutations between Gly-351 and Thr-436 of the loop E domain of the chlorophyll a-binding protein CP47. Six photoautotrophic strains were utilized to compare the effect of removal of either the manganese-stabilizing protein (PSII-O) or PSII-V on PSII activity in vivo. These were a wild-type control; two strains with amino acid deletions, Delta(R384-V392) and Delta(G429-T436); and three carrying specific amino acid substitutions, G351L/T365Q, G351L/E364Q/T365Q, and G351L/E353Q/E355Q/T365Q. The removal of PSII-O prevented the assembly of PSII in Delta(G429-T436) but not in Delta(R384-V392). Neither Delta(G429-T436) nor Delta(R384-V392) could support photoautotrophic growth in the absence of PSII-V. In chloride-limiting conditions, the photoautotrophic growth of Delta(R384-V392) was severely impaired and that of Delta(G429-T436) totally inhibited, and no strains lacking PSII-V could grow in chloride-limiting or calcium-limiting media. Substitutions at Gly-351, Glu-353, Glu-355, and Thr-365 produced phenotypes that were similar to those of the control in the presence or absence of PSII-O and PSII-V, but removal of PSII-O from G351L/E364Q/T365Q produced a significant reduction of assembled PSII centers and an enhanced sensitivity to photoinactivation while removal of PSII-V prevented photoautotrophic growth. The additional mutants E364Q:DeltaPSII-V and E364G:DeltaPSII-V demonstrated that this inhibition was a consequence of the mutation at Glu-364. These results also show that the removal of PSII-V, in vivo, produces phenotypes in the CP47 mutants examined that are either similar or more severe than those resulting from the removal of PSII-O.

Photoassembly of the photosystem II (Mn)4 cluster in site-directed mutants impaired in the binding of the manganese-stabilizing protein

Photoactivation is the light-dependent ligation of Mn2+ into the H2O oxidation complex of photosystem II (PSII) and culminates in the formation of an enzymatically active complex containing Ca2+ and four Mn>/=3+. Previous kinetic analysis demonstrated that the genetic removal of the extrinsic manganese-stabilizing protein (MSP) increases the quantum yield of photoactivation 4-fold relative to that of the wild type, consistent with the hypothesis that MSP hinders access of Mn2+ to a site of photoligation [Burnap, R. L., et al. (1996) Biochemistry35, 874-882]. In this report, several Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 mutants with defined amino acid substitutions in the N-terminal region of MSP or the e-loop of intrinsic PSII protein CP47 [Putnam-Evans, C., et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 4046-4053] were characterized in terms of the binding of MSP to the intrinsic portion of the PSII complex and in terms of photoactivation kinetics. The charge-pair switch mutation, Arg384Arg385 --> Glu384Glu385 in the lumenal e-loop of CP47 (CP47 RR384385EE), exhibited the most severe impairment of MSP binding, whereas the Arg384Arg385 --> Gly384Gly385 (CP47 RR384385GG) mutation caused a more moderate impairment in binding. Single-substitution mutations at the highly conserved Asp9 or Asp10 positions in the amino-terminal region of MSP also resulted in a reduced binding affinity, but not as severe as that in CP47 RR384385EE. The relative quantum yield of photoactivation of hydroxylamine-extracted mutant PSII was generally found to correlate with the degree of MSP binding impairment, with the CP47 RR384385 mutants exhibiting the highest quantum yields. A two-locus, double-mutant construct involving deletion of MSP in the CP47 RR384385EE background was found to be only slightly more impaired in H2O oxidation activity than either of the corresponding single-locus mutant derivatives, indicating that mutations at these genetically separate loci encode physically interacting products affecting the same reaction parameter during H2O oxidation. Taken together, the results reinforce the concept that MSP interacts with the e-loop of CP47 at Arg384Arg385 and that disruption of this interaction causes significant alterations of the site of H2O oxidation in terms of assembly and enzymatic activity of the Mn cluster.

Mutation Val235Ala weakens binding of the 33-kDa manganese stabilizing protein of photosystem II to one of two sites

The 33-kDa protein of the photosynthetic O2-evolving complex, also known as manganese stabilizing protein, contributes to the structural stability of the photosystem II tetranuclear Mn cluster and stimulates the water-oxidizing activity of this cluster. Quantification of extrinsic polypeptides in photosystem II has yielded data that support stoichiometries of either one or two copies of each protein per photosystem II reaction center. We recently described the cold-sensitive assembly of a mutant 33-kDa protein with a single amino acid replacement (Val235Ala) [Betts, S. D., Ross, J. R., Pichersky, E., & Yocum, C. F. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 6302-6307]. We have extended the characterization of this mutation. When photosystem II membranes depleted of the 33 kDa extrinsic protein are exposed to mixtures of wild type and Val235Ala manganese stabilizing protein, binding of the wild type protein is strongly preferred. If, however, protein containing the Val235Ala mutation is first bound to photosystem II only half of this protein (about 1 mol/mol of photosystem II reaction centers) is susceptible to displacement by the wild type protein, even after multiple exposures to the latter. These results support the conclusion that 2 mol of manganese stabilizing protein are bound per reaction center. Our data show as well that the mutant 33-kDa protein competes with the wild type protein for at least one of two binding sites on photosystem II and that the mutant protein binds tightly to only one of two sites. These results demonstrate that the two binding sites on photosystem II for the 33-kDa protein have different properties with respect to recognition and binding of this protein.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the CP 47 protein of photosystem II: alteration of conserved charged residues which lie within lethal deletions of the large extrinsic loop E

The intrinsic chlorophyll-protein CP 47 is a component of photosystem II which functions in both light-harvesting and oxygen evolution. The large extrinsic loop E of this protein has been shown to interact with the oxygen-evolving site. Previously, Vermaas and coworkers have produced a number of deletions within loop E which yielded mutants which were unable to grow photoautotrophically and which could not evolve oxygen at normal rates. During the course of our site-directed mutagenesis program in Synechocystis 6803, we have altered all of the conserved charged residues which were present within six of these deletions. All ten of these mutants were photoautotrophic and evolved oxygen at normal rates. We speculate that the severe phenotypes of the deletion mutants observed by Vermaas and coworkers is due to large structural perturbations in the extrinsic loop E of CP 47.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the CP 47 protein of photosystem II: 167W in the lumenally exposed loop C is required for photosystem II assembly and stability

The intrinsic chlorophyll-protein CP 47 is a component of photosystem II which functions in both light-harvesting and oxygen evolution. Using site-directed mutagenesis we have produced the mutant W167S which lies in loop C of CP 47. This strain exhibited a 75% loss in oxygen evolution activity and grew extremely slowly in the absence of glucose. Examination of normalized oxygen evolution traces indicated that the mutant was susceptible to photoinactivation. Analysis of the variable fluorescence yield indicated that the mutant accumulated very few functional PS II reaction centers. This was confirmed by immunoblotting experiments. Interestingly, when W167S was grown in the presence of 20 microM DCMU, the mutant continued to exhibit these defects. These results indicate that tryptophan 167 in loop C of CP 47 is important for the assembly and stability of the PS II reaction center.

THE CHLOROPHYLL-CAROTENOID PROTEINS OF OXYGENIC PHOTOSYNTHESIS

The chlorophyll-carotenoid binding proteins responsible for absorption and conversion of light energy in oxygen-evolving photosynthetic organisms belong to two extended families: the Chl a binding core complexes common to cyanobacteria and all chloroplasts, and the nuclear-encoded light-harvesting antenna complexes of eukaryotic photosynthesizers (Chl a/b, Chl a/c, and Chl a proteins). There is a general consensus on polypeptide and pigment composition for higher plant pigment proteins. These are reviewed and compared with pigment proteins of chlorophyte, rhodophyte, and chromophyte algae. Major advances have been the determination of the structures of LHCII (major Chl a/b complex of higher plants), cyanobacterial Photosystem I, and the peridinen-Chl a protein of dinoflagellates to atomic resolution. Better isolation methods, improved transformation procedures, and the availability of molecular structure models are starting to provide insights into the pathways of energy transfer and the macromolecular organization of thylakoid membranes.

Site-directed mutagenesis of the CP 47 protein of photosystem II: alteration of conserved charged residues in the domain 364E-444R

The intrinsic chlorophyll-protein CP 47 is a component of photosystem II in higher plants, green algae and cyanobacteria. We had shown previously by biochemical methods that the domain 364E-440D of CP 47 interacts with the 33 kDa extrinsic protein of photosystem II [Odom, W. R., & Bricker, T. M. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 5616-5620]. In this study, using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803, mutations at 17 conserved charged residues were introduced into the domain 364E-444R of the CP 47 protein. Only mutations introduced at positions 384R and 385R led to a modified PS II phenotype. We previously described a mutation at (RR384385GG) which resulted in a mutant with a defective oxygen-evolving complex [Putnam-Evans, C., & Bricker, T. M. (1992) Biochemistry 31, 11482-11488]. An additional set of mutations, 384R to 384G, 385R to 385G, and 384,385RR to 384,385EE has now been introduced at this site yielding the mutants R384G, R385G, and RR384385EE, respectively. Steady state oxygen evolution measurements and quantum yield measurements demonstrated that these mutants exhibited significant alterations in their ability to evolve oxygen. Total fluorescence yield measurements indicated that all of these mutants contained about 85%-90% of the PS II reaction centers found in the control strain. This decrease was insufficient to explain the oxygen evolution results. Analysis of oxygen flash yield parameters indicated that there was little change in the S-state parameters alpha, beta, gamma, or delta. Measurement of the S2 lifetime, however, demonstrated that the S2 lifetime of the mutants was 2-3 times longer than that of the control. Additionally, examination of the risetime of the oxygen signal indicated that there was a significant retardation (6-7-fold) in the rate of oxygen release, suggesting a retarded S3-[S4]-S0 transition. These data reinforce our hypothesis that the positive charge density at positions 384R and 385R in the large extrinsic loop of CP 47 is necessary for its function in water oxidation. We speculate that this positive charge density may be an important factor in establishing the proper interaction between CP 47 and the 33kDa extrinsic protein.

Functional characterization of mutant strains of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 lacking short domains within the large, lumen-exposed loop of the chlorophyll protein CP47 in photosystem II

Several autotrophic mutant strains of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 carrying short deletions or a single-site mutation within the large, lumen-exposed loop (loop E) of the chlorophyll a-binding photosystem II core protein, CP47, are analyzed for their functional properties by measuring the flash-induced pattern of thermoluminescence, oxygen yield, and fluorescence quantum yield. A physiological and biochemical characterization of these mutant strains has been given in two previous reports [Eaton-Rye, J.J., & Vermaas, W.F.J. (1991) Plant Mol. Biol. 17, 1165-1177; Haag, E., Eaton-Rye, J.J., Renger, G., & Vermaas, S. F.J. (1993) Biochemistry 32, 4444-4454]. The results of the present study show that deletion of charged and conserved amino acids in a region roughly located between residues 370 and 390 decreases the binding affinity of the extrinsic PS II-O protein to photosystem II. Marked differences with PSII-O deletion mutants are observed with respect to Ca2+ requirement and the flash-induced pattern of oxygen evolution. Under conditions where a sufficient light activation is provided, the psbB mutants assayed in this study reveal normal S-state parameters and lifetimes. The results bear two basic implications: (i) the manganese involved in water oxidation can still be bound in a functionally normal or only slightly distorted manner, and (ii) the binding of the extrinsic PS II-O protein to photosystem II is impaired in mutants carrying a deletion in the domain between residues 370 and 390, but the presence of the PS II-O protein is still of functional relevance for the PS II complex, e.g., for maintenance of a high-affinity binding site for Ca2+ and/or involvement during the process of photoactivation.