Direct energy transfer from the major antenna to the photosystem II core complexes in the absence of minor antennae in liposomes

Excess manganese increases photosynthetic activity via enhanced reducing center and antenna plasticity in Chlorella vulgaris

Photosynthesis relies on many easily oxidizable/reducible transition metals found in the metalloenzymes that make up much of the photosynthetic electron transport chain (ETC). One of these is manganese, an essential cofactor of photosystem II (PSII) and a component of the oxygen-evolving complex, the only biological entity capable of oxidizing water. Additionally, manganese is a cofactor in enzymatic antioxidants, notably the superoxide dismutases-which are localized to the chloroplastic membrane. However, unlike other metals found in the photosynthetic ETC, previous research has shown exposure to excess manganese enhances photosynthetic activity rather than diminishing it. In this study, the impact of PSII heterogeneity on overall performance was investigated using chlorophyll fluorescence, a rapid, non-invasive technique that probed for overall photosynthetic efficiency, reducing site activity, and antenna size and distribution. These measurements unveiled an enhanced plasticity of PSII following excess manganese exposure, in which overall performance and reducing center activity increased while antenna size and proportion of PSIIβ centers decreased. This enhanced activity suggests manganese may hold the key to improving photosynthetic efficiency beyond that which is observed in nature.

An innovative artificial photosystem II constructed from PSII core of Thermosynechococcus vulcanus and LHCII of Pisum sativum - A new approach for studying the function of photosynthetic antenna

In photosynthesis, the antenna system captures solar energy and transfers the excitations to photosystem II (PSII) core complex where charge separation, water splitting and oxygen evolution occur. In the evolution of photosynthesis from aquatic to terrestrial environments, the structure of PSII core complex was highly conserved while a variety of antenna forms became differentiated. In order to study the principles for energy transport from antenna to the PSII reaction center, we have explored whether the major light harvesting complex of PSII (LHCII) of higher plants can transfer energy to the cyanobacteria PSII core complexes (CC). For this purpose, LHCII from pea and CC from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus were isolated and co-reconstituted into liposome at LHCII:CC molar ratios of 2:1, 4:1 and 6:1, respectively. Chemical-cross linking followed by LC-MS/MS analysis confirmed the biochemical interaction between LHCII and CC in the liposome membrane. The analyses of 77 K fluorescence emission spectra and antenna cross section of PSII indicated that LHCII can transfer energy directly to the cyanobacterial CC. The study has laid the basis for further research on the mechanism of energy transfer from LHCII to PSII CC. This result may also open a new possibility for design and development of new artificial PSII in the application of solar energy conversion.

A novel porous nickel-foam filled CO2 absorptive photobioreactor system to promote CO2 conversion by microalgal biomass

In order to solve problems associated with a short residence time and low conversion efficiency when CO₂ gas is aerated directly into raceway ponds, a novel porous nickel-foam filled CO₂ absorptive photobioreactor system was developed to promote CO₂ conversion to NaHCO₃ in a short time to improve photosynthesis of microalgal cells. Numerical simulation showed that the porous nickel-foam promoted the Na₂CO₃ solution radial velocity and CO₂ volume fraction in the CO₂ absorption reactor, which enhanced the reaction rate of CO₂ gas and soluble Na₂CO₃. The conversion efficiency of CO₂ gas to soluble NaHCO₃ gradually increased with an increasing nickel-foam pore diameter and a decreasing CO₂ gas outflow rate, while it first increased and then decreased with an increasing relative nickel-foam height in the CO₂ absorption reactor. The conversion efficiency from soluble NaHCO₃ to microalgal biomass first increased and then decreased with an increasing nickel-foam pore diameter (peaking at 2 mm) and relative height (peaking at 0.24); and CO₂ gas outflow rate (peaking at 2 L/min). The chlorophyll fluorescence measurements showed that a sufficient HCO₃^- supply promoted the quantum ratio used for electron transfer (from 0.19 to 0.23) and the maximum photochemical efficiency (from 0.48 to 0.52), resulting in an increased biomass growth rate (by 1.1 times) when the nickel-foam pore diameter increased from 0.1 to 2 mm.

Correlated fluorescence quenching and topographic mapping of Light-Harvesting Complex II within surface-assembled aggregates and lipid bilayers

Light-Harvesting Complex II (LHCII) is a chlorophyll-protein antenna complex that efficiently absorbs solar energy and transfers electronic excited states to photosystems I and II. Under excess light intensity LHCII can adopt a photoprotective state in which excitation energy is safely dissipated as heat, a process known as Non-Photochemical Quenching (NPQ). In vivo NPQ is triggered by combinatorial factors including transmembrane ΔpH, PsbS protein and LHCII-bound zeaxanthin, leading to dramatically shortened LHCII fluorescence lifetimes. In vitro, LHCII in detergent solution or in proteoliposomes can reversibly adopt an NPQ-like state, via manipulation of detergent/protein ratio, lipid/protein ratio, pH or pressure. Previous spectroscopic investigations revealed changes in exciton dynamics and protein conformation that accompany quenching, however, LHCII-LHCII interactions have not been extensively studied. Here, we correlated fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) of trimeric LHCII adsorbed to mica substrates and manipulated the environment to cause varying degrees of quenching. AFM showed that LHCII self-assembled onto mica forming 2D-aggregates (25-150 nm width). FLIM determined that LHCII in these aggregates were in a quenched state, with much lower fluorescence lifetimes (~0.25 ns) compared to free LHCII in solution (2.2-3.9 ns). LHCII-LHCII interactions were disrupted by thylakoid lipids or phospholipids, leading to intermediate fluorescent lifetimes (0.6-0.9 ns). To our knowledge, this is the first in vitro correlation of nanoscale membrane imaging with LHCII quenching. Our findings suggest that lipids could play a key role in modulating the extent of LHCII-LHCII interactions within the thylakoid membrane and so the propensity for NPQ activation.

Frequently asked questions about chlorophyll fluorescence, the sequel

Using chlorophyll (Chl) a fluorescence many aspects of the photosynthetic apparatus can be studied, both in vitro and, noninvasively, in vivo. Complementary techniques can help to interpret changes in the Chl a fluorescence kinetics. Kalaji et al. (Photosynth Res 122:121-158, 2014a) addressed several questions about instruments, methods and applications based on Chl a fluorescence. Here, additional Chl a fluorescence-related topics are discussed again in a question and answer format. Examples are the effect of connectivity on photochemical quenching, the correction of F V /F M values for PSI fluorescence, the energy partitioning concept, the interpretation of the complementary area, probing the donor side of PSII, the assignment of bands of 77 K fluorescence emission spectra to fluorescence emitters, the relationship between prompt and delayed fluorescence, potential problems when sampling tree canopies, the use of fluorescence parameters in QTL studies, the use of Chl a fluorescence in biosensor applications and the application of neural network approaches for the analysis of fluorescence measurements. The answers draw on knowledge from different Chl a fluorescence analysis domains, yielding in several cases new insights.

Challenges facing an understanding of the nature of low-energy excited states in photosynthesis

While the majority of the photochemical states and pathways related to the biological capture of solar energy are now well understood and provide paradigms for artificial device design, additional low-energy states have been discovered in many systems with obscure origins and significance. However, as low-energy states are naively expected to be critical to function, these observations pose important challenges. A review of known properties of low energy states covering eight photochemical systems, and options for their interpretation, are presented. A concerted experimental and theoretical research strategy is suggested and outlined, this being aimed at providing a fully comprehensive understanding.

Structure of spinach photosystem II-LHCII supercomplex at 3.2 Å resolution

During photosynthesis, the plant photosystem II core complex receives excitation energy from the peripheral light-harvesting complex II (LHCII). The pathways along which excitation energy is transferred between them, and their assembly mechanisms, remain to be deciphered through high-resolution structural studies. Here we report the structure of a 1.1-megadalton spinach photosystem II-LHCII supercomplex solved at 3.2 Å resolution through single-particle cryo-electron microscopy. The structure reveals a homodimeric supramolecular system in which each monomer contains 25 protein subunits, 105 chlorophylls, 28 carotenoids and other cofactors. Three extrinsic subunits (PsbO, PsbP and PsbQ), which are essential for optimal oxygen-evolving activity of photosystem II, form a triangular crown that shields the Mn4CaO5-binding domains of CP43 and D1. One major trimeric and two minor monomeric LHCIIs associate with each core-complex monomer, and the antenna-core interactions are reinforced by three small intrinsic subunits (PsbW, PsbH and PsbZ). By analysing the closely connected interfacial chlorophylls, we have obtained detailed insights into the energy-transfer pathways between the antenna and core complexes.

Simultaneous refolding of denatured PsbS and reconstitution with LHCII into liposomes of thylakoid lipids

The thylakoid membrane protein PsbS is critical for quenching excessive excitation energy in mechanisms that involve the light-harvesting complexes of photosystem II. Liposomes of thylakoid lipids have been shown to be a very good platform to study photosynthetic membrane proteins and their interactions. In this study, we simultaneously refolded and reconstituted functional pea PsbS into liposomes of thylakoid lipids starting from denatured expressed protein. Intrinsic fluorescence spectroscopy, trypsin digestion, and circular dichroism spectroscopy were used to characterize the native state of PsbS in the proteoliposomes. The functionality of refolded PsbS was further demonstrated by its effect on the fluorescence quenching of the major antenna system of photosystem II (LHCII) co-inserted into the liposomes. The fluorescence yield of native trimeric LHCII was lowered by PsbS by 50% at neutral pH and by a further 25% upon lowering the pH to 4.5. Furthermore, the acid-induced fluorescence reduction was completely reversed by addition of N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, an inhibitor of protein protonation. These results indicate that reconstituted PsbS induces strong quenching of LHCII sensing changes in local pH via its protonation sites.

Critical assessment of the emission spectra of various photosystem II core complexes

We evaluate low-temperature (low-T) emission spectra of photosystem II core complexes (PSII-cc) previously reported in the literature, which are compared with emission spectra of PSII-cc obtained in this work from spinach and for dissolved PSII crystals from Thermosynechococcus (T.) elongatus. This new spectral dataset is used to interpret data published on membrane PSII (PSII-m) fragments from spinach and Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, as well as PSII-cc from T. vulcanus and intentionally damaged PSII-cc from spinach. This study offers new insight into the assignment of emission spectra reported on PSII-cc from different organisms. Previously reported spectra are also compared with data obtained at different saturation levels of the lowest energy state(s) of spinach and T. elongatus PSII-cc via hole burning in order to provide more insight into emission from bleached and/or photodamaged complexes. We show that typical low-T emission spectra of PSII-cc (with closed RCs), in addition to the 695 nm fluorescence band assigned to the intact CP47 complex (Reppert et al. J Phys Chem B 114:11884-11898, 2010), can be contributed to by several emission bands, depending on sample quality. Possible contributions include (i) a band near 690-691 nm that is largely reversible upon temperature annealing, proving that the band originates from CP47 with a bleached low-energy state near 693 nm (Neupane et al. J Am Chem Soc 132:4214-4229, 2010; Reppert et al. J Phys Chem B 114:11884-11898, 2010); (ii) CP43 emission at 683.3 nm (not at 685 nm, i.e., the F685 band, as reported in the literature) (Dang et al. J Phys Chem B 112:9921-9933, 2008; Reppert et al. J Phys Chem B 112:9934-9947, 2008); (iii) trap emission from destabilized CP47 complexes near 691 nm (FT1) and 685 nm (FT2) (Neupane et al. J Am Chem Soc 132:4214-4229, 2010); and (iv) emission from the RC pigments near 686-687 nm. We suggest that recently reported emission of single PSII-cc complexes from T. elongatus may not represent intact complexes, while those obtained for T. elongatus presented in this work most likely represent intact PSII-cc, since they are nearly indistinguishable from emission spectra obtained for various PSII-m fragments.