Aggregation of bacteriochlorophyll c homologs to dimers, tetramers, and polymers in water-saturated carbon tetrachloride

Remembering John M. Olson (1929-2017)

Here we provide reflections of and a tribute to John M. Olson, a pioneering researcher in photosynthesis. We trace his career, which began at Wesleyan University and the University of Pennsylvania, and continued at Utrech in The Netherlands, Brookhaven National Laboratory, and Odense University in Denmark. He was the world expert on pigment organization in the green photosynthetic bacteria, and discovered and characterized the first chlorophyll-containing protein, which has come to be known as the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein. He also thought and wrote extensively on the origin and early evolution of photosynthesis. We include personal comments from Brian Matthews, Raymond Cox, Paolo Gerola, Beverly Pierson and Jon Olson.

Supramolecular Organogelation of Bacteriochlorophyll-c Possessing an Isobutyl Substituent at the 8-Position in Carbon Tetrachloride

The supramolecular organogelation of bacteriochlorophyll(BChl)-c carrying an isobutyl substituent at the 8-position was observed in carbon tetrachloride at a concentration of about 10 mm at room temperature. The BChl-c gel was evaluated by several spectroscopic measurements: the electronic absorption spectrum exhibited a far-red shift of the Qy-absorption from 660 to 748 nm and the FTIR spectrum showed a shorter frequency shift of the 13-C=O stretching from 1683 to 1643 cm^-1 compared to the shifts of the corresponding monomer solution in tetrahydrofuran. These observations strongly indicate that the gelating BChl-c molecules form self-aggregates that are reminiscent of light-harvesting chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria. The present supramolecular organogel prepared from natural chlorophylls is promising for the creation of an intelligent soft material involving artificial photosynthesis.

Regioisomerically Controlled Self-Aggregation of Zinc 3-Hydroxymethyl-13-formyl-chlorin/Porphyrin and Their 3,13-Inverted Pigments

Zinc 3-hydroxymethyl-13-formyl-chlorin, 1, and its 3,13-inverted (3-formyl-13-hydroxymethyl) regioisomer, 2, and their corresponding 17,18-dehydrogenated porphyrins, 3 and 4, were synthesized for models of natural bacteriochlorophylls-c/d/e possessing 3(1)-OH and 13-C=O groups which self-aggregate in main light-harvesting antenna systems of green photosynthetic bacteria. Zinc chlorins 1 and 2 were monomers in neat THF and gave an obvious difference in their visible absorption spectra, indicating that sole inversion of the 3- and 13-substituents in a chlorin chromophore controlled their optical properties. In an aqueous Triton X-100 solution (a nonionic surfactant), zinc 3(1)-OH-13-CHO-chlorin 1 and porphyrin 3 self-aggregated as do natural bacteriochlorophylls, while zinc 3-CHO-13(1)-OH chlorin 2 and porphyrin 4 (the 3,13-inverted regioisomers of 1 and 3) hardly formed such large oligomers, showing that the inversion of the peripheral 3,13-substituents made their oligomerization unfavorable. FT-IR spectra of aggregated 1-4 in the solid film and their molecular modeling calculations suggested that the 17(2)-C=O moiety in inverted 2/4 interacted with its own 13(1)-OH group to disturb further aggregation.

Self-aggregation of synthetic zinc chlorophyll derivative possessing a perfluoroalkyl group in a fluorinated solvent

Zinc 3(1)-hydroxy-13(1)-oxo-chlorin possessing a perfluoroheptyl group on the 17-propionate was prepared by modifying chlorophyll a. The synthetic compound self-aggregated in 0.1% (v/v) THF and HCFC225cb (CClF2CF2CHClF) to give similar large oligomers to natural light-harvesting antennae of green photosynthetic bacteria and their models. Visible absorption, circular dichroism, and fluorescence emission spectra showed that F-F interaction between the perfluoroheptyl side chain and the fluorinated solvent (HCFC225cb) stabilized the supramolecular structure. The core part of the supramolecular structure was constructed by a special bond of Zn...O3(1)-H...O=C13(1) and pi-pi stacking, and the 17-propionates were at the peripheral part.

The role of carotenoids in the photoadaptation of the brown-colored sulfur bacterium Chlorobium phaeobacteroides

The brown-colored sulfur bacterium Chlorobium (Cb.) phaeobacteroides 1549 (new name, Chlorobaculum limnaeum 1549) contains many kinds of carotenoids as well as bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) e. These carotenoids were identified with C18-high-performance liquid chromatography, absorption, mass and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopies and were divided into two groups: the first is carotenoid with one or two phi-end groups such as isorenieratene and beta-isorenieratene and the second is carotenoid with one or two beta-end groups such as p-zeacarotene, beta-carotene and 7,8-dihydro-beta-carotene. The latter 7,8-dihydro-beta-carotene was found to be a novel carotenoid in nature. OH-gamma-Carotene glucoside laurate and OH-chlorobactene glucoside laurate were also found as minor components. The distribution of BChl e homologs in Cb. phaeobacteroides cultivated under various light intensities did not change, but the carotenoid to BChl e ratio changed markedly: carotenoid with the phi-end group maintained the same ratio to BChl e, whereas that with the beta-end group increased with increasing light intensity. The cells cultured under low-light intensity contained more phi-end carotenoids than beta-end. In Cb. phaeobacteroides the wavelength of the Qy band of BChl e aggregates did not change. We suggested that Cb. phaeobacteroides photoadapts to light intensity by changing the carotenoid composition.

Regio- and stereoisomeric control of the aggregation of zinc-chlorins possessing inverted interactive hydroxyl and carbonyl groups

As models for a self-aggregative, naturally occurring magnesium-chlorin bacteriochlorophyll-d possessing 3(1)-secondary alcoholic hydroxyl and 13(1)-oxo groups, zinc-chlorins were synthesized with 3(1)-oxo and 13(1)-secondary (1) or tertiary hydroxyl groups (2). Compared to the monomers in a tetrahydrofuran solution, diastereomers 13(1)R-1R and 13(1)S-1S gave red-shifted absorption maxima (643 --> 674 nm in 1R and 708 nm in 1S) in 1 v/v% CH(2)Cl(2)-hexane solution, indicating their self-aggregation. Therefore, the positioning of the two groups at 3(1)/13(1) or 13(1)/3(1) on the N21-N23 molecular (Q(y)) axis is not necessarily important for the self-aggregation. The (1)H NMR and CD spectroscopic studies showed that the 674 nm absorbing species of 1R was characterized as a face-to-face "closed" dimer, while the 708 nm absorbing species of 1S was a large oligomer constructed with aggregation of head-to-tail "open" dimers. This diastereomeric control over the aggregation of 1R and 1S is more pronounced than that observed in the regioisomerically 3(1)-secondary alcoholic R/S-diastereomers 3R and 3S. The difference is ascribable to the conformational fixation of the 13(1)-hydroxyl group of the exo five-membered ring in 1. In contrast to self-aggregative 3(1)-tertiary alcoholic 4, both 13(1)-epimers of 13(1)-tertiary alcoholic 2 were monomeric even in nonpolar organic media: the additional 13(1)-methyl group (1 --> 2) drastically suppressed the self-aggregation due to the interference of the methyl group in intermolecular pi-pi interaction.

The effects of epimerization at the 3(1)-position of bacteriochlorophylls c on their aggregation in chlorosomes of green sulfur bacteria. Control of the ratio of 3(1) epimers by light intensity

R- and S-epimerization at the 3(1) position of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c and the formation of rod-like aggregates in chlorosomes of green sulfur bacteria were markedly affected in Chlorobium (Cb.) tepidum and Cb. limicola by cultivation under various light intensities (photon fluence rate). The stronger the light, the higher the ratio of the S-epimer to the R-epimer for each homolog of BChl c in the bacteria. S[P,E] BChl cF and S[I,E] BChl cF were found to be the major S-epimers in Cb. tepidum and Cb. limicola, respectively. R[P,E] BChl cF decreased markedly compared to R[E,E] BChl cF in Cb. tepidum, whereas no observable change in the ratio of R[P,E]/R[E,E] was detected for Cb. limicola. With increase in light intensity the Qy absorption maximum of the bacteria shifted to shorter wavelengths. In vitro spectroscopic studies of the aggregates showed a marked difference in the formation of aggregates from R- and S-epimers of BChl c; the S-epimers formed aggregates much more slowly than did the R-epimers. These results suggest that the ratio of the epimers of BChl c might significantly affect the aggregation of BChl in the chlorosome. We propose different roles for the R- and S-epimers in chlorosomes of Cb. limicola and Cb. tepidum.

The influence of the presence of lipid on the aggregation of 8,12-diethyl farnesyl bacteriochlorophyll c located in adsorbed layers and monolayers

The photoacoustic spectra and time-resolved delayed luminescence spectra in the microsecond time range were measured for layers of 8,12-diethyl farnesyl bacteriochlorophyll c adsorbed on quartz supports by solvent evaporation and as Langmuir-Blodgett monolayers. Both types of model system were also investigated with the addition of lipid. The data showed a very strong influence of lipid addition on pigment aggregation. In samples with synthetic and natural lipid addition, the pigments were found to be predominantly in the monomeric and dimeric states, whereas in the same type of sample without lipid, the pigments were aggregated to a higher degree. The influence of the presence of lipid on the aggregation of bacteriochlorophyll c in monolayers and adsorbed layers may also suggest that the contact of various pigment molecules with the lipids surrounding the chlorosome may influence the formation of various pigment aggregates in vivo. The synthetic lipid L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine dipalmitoyl and the natural lipid L-alpha-phosphatidylcholine type IVS from soy beans were used. In the latter case, only adsorbed layers were investigated. Our interpretation is preliminary as only one 8,12-diethyl farnesyl bacteriochlorophyll c homologue was present in our systems.

Self quenching of chlorosome chlorophylls in water and hexanol-saturated water

The optical properties of a methyl ester homolog of bacteriochlorophylld (BChld M ) and bacteriochlorophyllc (BChlc) in H2O, hexanol-saturated H2O and methanol were studied by absorption, fluorescence emission, and circular dichroism (CD). In H2O, BChld M spontaneously forms an aggregate similar to that formed in hexane, with absorption maximum at 730 nm and fluorescence emission at 748 nm. For the pigment sample in hexanol-saturated H2O, while the absorption peaks at 661 nm, only slightly red-shifted compared to the monomer, the fluorescence emission is highly quenched. When diluted 2-3 fold with H2O, the absorption returns to around 720 nm, characteristic of an aggregate. The CD spectrum of the H2O aggregate exhibits a derivative-shaped feature with positive and negative peaks, while the amplitude is lower than that of chlorosomes. The Fourier transform infrared spectra of BChld M aggregates in H2O and hexane were measured. A 1644 cm(-1) band, indicative of a bonded 13(1)-keto group, is detected for both samples. A marker band for 5-coordinated Mg was observed at 1611 cm(-1) for the two samples as well. To study the kinetic behavior of the samples, both single-photon counting (SPC) fluorescence and transient absorption difference spectroscopic measurements were performed. For BChld M in hexanol-saturated H2O, a fast decay component with a lifetime of 10 to 14 ps was detected using the two different techniques. The fast decay could be explained by the concentration quenching phenomenon due to a high local pigment concentration. For the pigment sample in H2O, SPC gave a 16 ps component, whereas global analysis of transient absorption data generated two fast components: 3.5 and 26 ps. The difference may arise from the different excitation intensities. With a much higher excitation in the latter measurements, other quenching processes, e.g. annihilation, might be introduced, giving the 3.5 ps component. Finally, atomic force microscopy was used to examine the ultrastructure of BChld M in H2O and hexanol-saturated H2O. Pigment clusters with diameters ranging from 15 to 45 nm were observed in both samples.

Rearrangement of light harvesting bacteriochlorophyll homologues as a response of green sulfur bacteria to low light intensities

The pigment composition of two species of green-colored BChl c-containing green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobium limicola and C. chlorovibrioides) and two species of brown-colored BChl e-containing ones (C. phaeobacteroides and C. phaeovibrioides) incubated at different light intensities have been studied. All species responded to the reduction of light intensity from 50 to 1 μEinstein(E) m(-2) s(-1) by an increase in the specific content of light harvesting pigments, bacteriochlorophylls and carotenoids. At critical light intensities (0.5 to 0.1 μE m(-2) s(-1)) only brown-colored chlorobia were able to grow, though at low specific rates (0.002 days(-1) mg prot(-1)). High variations in the relative content of farnesyl-bacteriochlorophyll homologues were found, in particular BChl e 1 and BChl e 4, which were tentatively identified as [M, E] and [I, E] BChlF e, respectively. The former was almost completely lost upon reduction of light intensity from 50 to 0.1 μE m(-2) s(-1), whereas the latter increased from 7.2 to 38.4% and from 13.6 to 42.0% in C. phaeobacteroides and C. phaeovibrioides, respectively. This increase in the content of highly alkylated pigment molecules inside the chlorosomes of brown species is interpreted as a physiological mechanism to improve the efficiency of energy transfer towards the reaction center. This study provides some clues for understanding the physiological basis of the adaptation of brown species to extremely low light intensities.

FT-IR and near-infrared FT-Raman study of aggregation of bacteriochlorophyll c in solutions: evidence for involvement of the ester group in the aggregation

Ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) absorption, Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR), and near-infrared (NIR)-excited FT-Raman spectra have been measured for bacteriochlorophyll c (BChl-c) in acetone, tetrahydrofuran (THF), pyridine-d5, carbon disulfide (CS2), and water-saturated carbon tetrachloride (CCl4) to investigate its aggregation in vitro. The UV-Vis absorption spectra can be classified into two groups. Group I (acetone, THF, and pyridine-d5 solutions) gives a spectrum with a Qy band around 665 nm while group II (CS2 and water-saturated CCl4 solutions) shows a spectrum typical of BChl-c aggregates with a broader red-shifted Qy band. All the NIR-FT-Raman spectra, which are preresonant with the Qy band, are very close to those of chlorophyll a (Chl-a) measured in the corresponding solutions. Bands due to a C = O stretching mode of free and strongly hydrogen-bonded 13(1)-keto carbonyl groups appear near 1685 and 1645 cm-1, respectively. In contrast to the FT-Raman spectra, FT-IR spectra of the pyridine-d5 solution and group II are largely different from those of Chl-a in the corresponding solutions, suggesting that BChl-c forms quite different types of aggregates. It is clear from the IR spectra that the ester carbonyl group plays an important role in the aggregation for the pyridine-d5 and group II solutions. Of particular note is that bands due to C = O stretching modes of the ester group are observed at 1733, 1719, and 1705 cm-1 in the spectrum of BChl-c in water-saturated CCl4.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Aggregation of 8,12-diethyl farnesyl bacteriochlorophyll c at low temperature

The effect of temperature on the aggregation of 3(l)R-8,12-diethyl farnesyl bacteriochlorophyll c in a mixture of n-pentane and methylcyclohexane (1/1, v/v) was studied by means of absorption, circular dichroism and fluorescence spectroscopy. At room temperature essentially only two aggregate species, absorbing at 702 nm (A-702) and 719 nm (A-719), were present. Upon cooling to 219 K, A-702 was quantitatively converted to A-719. Further lowering of the temperature led to the stepwise formation of larger aggregates by the conversion of A-719 to aggregate species absorbing at 743 nm (A-743) and 755 nm (A-755). All absorption changes were reversible. A-719 was highly fluorescent (maximum at 192 K: 744 nm), while A-743 and especially A-755 were weakly fluorescent. Below 130 K the mixture solidified, and no major changes in the absorption spectrum were observed upon further cooling. At 45 K, however, a relatively strong emission at 775 nm was observed. Below 200 K, the absorption, fluorescence and circular dichroism spectra resembled that of the chlorosome. These results open up the possibility to study higher aggregates of BChl c as models for the chlorosome by various methods at low temperature, thus avoiding interference by thermal processes.

Hole burning study of excited state structure and energy transfer dynamics of bacteriochlorophyll c in chlorosomes of green sulphur photosynthetic bacteria

Results of low temperature fluorescence and spectral hole burning experiments with whole cells and isolated chlorosomes of the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium limicola containing BChl c are reported. At least two spectral forms of BChl c (short-wavelength and long-wavelength absorbing BChl c) were identified in the second derivative fluorescence spectra. The widths of persistent holes burned in the fluorescence spectrum of BChl c are determined by excited state lifetimes due to fast energy transfer. Different excited state lifetimes for both BChl c forms were observed. A site distribution function of the lowest excited state of chlorosomal BChl c was revealed. The excited state lifetimes are strongly influenced by redox conditions of the solution. At anaerobic conditions the lifetime of 5.3 ps corresponds to the rate of energy transfer between BChl c clusters. This time shortens to 2.6 ps at aerobic conditions. The shortening may be caused by introducing a quencher. Spectral bands observed in the fluorescence of isolated chlorosomes were attributed to monomeric and lower state aggregates of BChl c. These forms are not functionally connected with the chlorosome.

Dimerization of synthetic zinc aminochlorins in non-polar organic solvents

UV-visible spectra of synthetic zinc aminochlorins were measured in 99:1 (v/v) cyclohexane-dichloromethane solution. The compounds formed anti-parallel dimers with mutual coordination of the central zinc in one molecule to the amino nitrogen in the other (Qy band red-shift of about 500 cm(-1)). Such a dimer arrangement appears to be too stable to form far-red (> 1500 cm(-1)) shifted oligomers which have been observed with bacteriochlorophylls-c (possessing a hydroxy group and a central magnesium) and with their model compounds (with a hydroxy group and a central zinc) in non-polar organic solvents.

Separation of bacteriochlorophyll homologues from green photosynthetic sulfur bacteria by reversed-phase HPLC

A reversed-phase High Performance Liquid Cromatography (HPLC) method has been developed to accurately separate bacteriochlorophyllsc, d ande homologues in a reasonably short run time of 60 minutes. By using this method, two well-defined groups of bacteriochlorophyll homologue peaks can be discriminated. The first one consists of 4 peaks (min 24 to 30), which corresponds to the four main farnesyl homologues. The second peak subset is formed by a cluster of up to 10 minor peaks (min 33 to 40). These peaks can be related with series of several alcohol esters of the different chlorosome chlorophylls. The number of homologues was, however, quite variable depending on both, the bacteriochlorophyll and the bacterial species. The method hereby described, also provides a good separation of other photosynthetic pigments, either bacterial (Bacteriochlorophylla, chlorobactene, isorenieratene and okenone) or algal ones (Chlorophylla, Pheophytina and β-carotene). A preliminary screening of the homologue composition of several green photosynthetic bacterial species and isolates, has revealed different relative quantitative patterns. These differences seem to be related to physiological aspects rather than to taxonomic ones. The application of the method to the study of natural populations avoids the typical drawbacks on the pigment identification of overlapping eukaryotic and prokaryotic phototrophic microorganisms, giving further information about their physiological status.

The formation and characterization of the in vitro polymeric aggregates of bacteriochlorophyllc homologs fromChlorobium limicola in aqueous suspension in the presence of monogalactosyl diglyceride

Artificial aggregates of bacteriochlorophyllc (BChlc) were formed in an aqueous medium in the presence of a lipid, monogalactosyl diglyceride (MGDG), and the optical properties of those aggregates were studied by absorption and circular dichroism (CD) mainly. Four BChlc homologs, ([E,E]BChlc F, [P,E]BChlc F, [E,M]BChlc F and [I,E]BChlc F), were isolated from the green photosynthetic bacteriumChlorobium limicola strain 6230. Above 0.0004%, MGDG induced a red-shift of the absorption maxima of BChlc aggregates. At 0.003% MGDG BChlc aggregates showed absorption maxima in the range of 724 to 745 (±3) nm with a shift of 12 to 24 (±3) nm depending on the homolog species. Four kinds of BChlc-MGDG aggregates showed characteristic CD spectra. [E,M]BChlc F gave rise to a CD spectrum similar to that of chlorosomes, while the other three gave spectra of opposite sign. These aggregates are sensitive to 1-hexanol treatment; in a saturating amount (0.85%) of 1-hexanol, all the homologs gave a monomer-like absorption spectrum peaking at 670nm. At an intermediate concentration (0.5%), [E,M]BChlc F showed an enhanced CD intensity, as observed in native chlorosomes. Resonance Raman spectra of the monomer-like BChlc samples indicated that the keto vibrational band at ca. 1640 cm(-1) was considerably weakened by the 0.85% 1-hexanol treatment, however the 1680 cm(-1) band characteristic of a free keto group did not appear. These results indicate that the artificial aggregates formed by purified BChlc homologs and MGDG are good models for studying chlorosomes structure.

Fluorescence detected magnetic resonance (FDMR) of green sulfur photosynthetic bacteria Chlorobium sp

Fluorescence Detected Magnetic Resonance (FDMR) spectra have been measured for whole cells and isolated chlorosomal fractions for the green photosyntheic bacteria Chlorobium phaeobacteroides (containing bacteriochlorophyll e, and isorenieratene as major carotenoid) and Chlorobium limicola (containing bacteriochlorophyll c, and chlorobactene as major carotenoid). The observed transition at 237 MHz (identical in both bacteria) and > 1100 MHz can be assigned, by analogy with published data on other carotenoids, to the 2E and D + E transitions, respectively, of Chlorobium carotenoids. Their zero field splitting (ZFS) parameters are estimated to be: |D|=0.0332 cm(-1) and |E|=0.0039 cm(-1) (chlorobactene), and |D|=0.0355 cm(-1) and |E|=0.0039 cm(-1) (isorenieratene). In the intermediate frequency range 300-1000 MHz the observed transitions can be assigned to chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls c and e, and to bacteriochlorophyll a located in the chlorosome envelope and water-soluble protein. The bacteriochlorophyll e triplet state measured in 750 nm fluorescence (aggregated chlorosomal BChl e) is characterised by the ZFS parameters: |D|=0.0251 cm(-1) and |E|=0.0050 cm(-1).