Far-red light photoacclimation: Chromophorylation of FR induced α- and β-subunits of allophycocyanin from Chroococcidiopsis thermalis sp. PCC7203

Adaptation processes in Halomicronema hongdechloris, an example of the light-induced optimization of the photosynthetic apparatus on hierarchical time scales

Oxygenic photosynthesis in Halomicronema hongdechloris, one of a series of cyanobacteria producing red-shifted Chl f, is adapted to varying light conditions by a range of diverse processes acting over largely different time scales. Acclimation to far-red light (FRL) above 700 nm over several days is mirrored by reversible changes in the Chl f content. In several cyanobacteria that undergo FRL photoacclimation, Chl d and Chl f are directly involved in excitation energy transfer in the antenna system, form the primary donor in photosystem I (PSI), and are also involved in electron transfer within photosystem II (PSII), most probably at the ChlD1 position, with efficient charge transfer happening with comparable kinetics to reaction centers containing Chl a. In H. hongdechloris, the formation of Chl f under FRL comes along with slow adaptive proteomic shifts like the rebuilding of the D1 complex on the time scale of days. On shorter time scales, much faster adaptation mechanisms exist involving the phycobilisomes (PBSs), which mainly contain allophycocyanin upon adaptation to FRL. Short illumination with white, blue, or red light leads to reactive oxygen species-driven mobilization of the PBSs on the time scale of seconds, in effect recoupling the PBSs with Chl f-containing PSII to re-establish efficient excitation energy transfer within minutes. In summary, H. hongdechloris reorganizes PSII to act as a molecular heat pump lifting excited states from Chl f to Chl a on the picosecond time scale in combination with a light-driven PBS reorganization acting on the time scale of seconds to minutes depending on the actual light conditions. Thus, structure-function relationships in photosynthetic energy and electron transport in H. hongdechloris including long-term adaptation processes cover 10-12 to 106 seconds, i.e., 18 orders of magnitude in time.

Crystallographic and biochemical analyses of a far-red allophycocyanin to address the mechanism of the super-red-shift

Far-red absorbing allophycocyanins (APC), identified in cyanobacteria capable of FRL photoacclimation (FaRLiP) and low-light photoacclimation (LoLiP), absorb far-red light, functioning in energy transfer as light-harvesting proteins. We report an optimized method to obtain high purity far-red absorbing allophycocyanin B, AP-B2, of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis sp. PCC7203 by synthesis in Escherichia coli and an improved purification protocol. The crystal structure of the trimer, (PCB-ApcD5/PCB-ApcB2)3, has been resolved to 2.8 Å. The main difference to conventional APCs absorbing in the 650-670 nm range is a largely flat chromophore with the co-planarity extending, in particular, from rings BCD to ring A. This effectively extends the conjugation system of PCB and contributes to the super-red-shifted absorption of the α-subunit (λmax = 697 nm). On complexation with the β-subunit, it is even further red-shifted (λmax, absorption = 707 nm, λmax, emission = 721 nm). The relevance of ring A for this shift is supported by mutagenesis data. A variant of the α-subunit, I123M, has been generated that shows an intense FR-band already in the absence of the β-subunit, a possible model is discussed. Two additional mechanisms are known to red-shift the chromophore spectrum: lactam-lactim tautomerism and deprotonation of the chromophore that both mechanisms appear inconsistent with our data, leaving this question unresolved.

Dichromic Allophycocyanin Trimer Covering a Broad Spectral Range (550-660 nm)

Phycobilisomes, the light-harvesting complexes of cyanobacteria and red algae, are a resource for photosynthetic, photonic and fluorescence labeling elements. They cover an exceptionally broad spectral range, but the complex superstructure and assembly have been an obstacle. By replacing in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 the biliverdin reductases, we studied the role of chromophores in the assembly of the phycobilisome core. Introduction of the green-absorbing phycoerythrobilin instead of the red-absorbing phycocyanobilin inhibited aggregation. A novel, trimeric allophycocyanin (Dic-APC) was obtained. In the small (110 kDa) unit, the two chromophores, phycoerythrobilin and phytochromobilin, cover a wide spectral range (550 to 660 nm). Due to efficient energy transfer, it provides an efficient artificial light-harvesting element. Dic-APC was generated in vitro by using the contained core-linker, L_C , for template-assisted purification and assembly. Labeling the linker provides a method for targeting Dic-APC.

Changes in supramolecular organization of cyanobacterial thylakoid membrane complexes in response to far-red light photoacclimation

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous in nature and have developed numerous strategies that allow them to live in a diverse range of environments. Certain cyanobacteria synthesize chlorophylls d and f to acclimate to niches enriched in far-red light (FRL) and incorporate paralogous photosynthetic proteins into their photosynthetic apparatus in a process called FRL-induced photoacclimation (FaRLiP). We characterized the macromolecular changes involved in FRL-driven photosynthesis and used atomic force microscopy to examine the supramolecular organization of photosystem I associated with FaRLiP in three cyanobacterial species. Mass spectrometry showed the changes in the proteome of Chroococcidiopsis thermalis PCC 7203 that accompany FaRLiP. Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy and electron microscopy reveal an altered cellular distribution of photosystem complexes and illustrate the cell-to-cell variability of the FaRLiP response.

Engineering Bacteria to Monitor the Bleeding of Animals Using Far-Red Fluorescence

Microorganisms living in animals can function as drug delivery systems or as detectors for some diseases. Here, we developed a biosensor constructed by the deletion of hemF and harboring ho1, chuA, and bdfp1.6 in Escherichia coli. HemF is an enzyme involved in heme synthesis in E. coli. ChuA and HO1 can transfer extracellular heme into cells and generate biliverdin (BV). BDFP1.6 can bind BV autocatalytically, and it emits a far-red fluorescence signal at 667 nm. Therefore, we named this biosensor as the far-red light for bleeding detector (FRLBD). Our results indicated that the FRLBD was highly efficient and specific for detecting heme or blood in vitro. Moreover, the FRLBD could be used to detect bleeding in the zebrafish induced by aspirin, and a convolutional neural network was an appropriate model to identify the fluorescence features in the images.

The structural basis of far-red light absorbance by allophycocyanins

Phycobilisomes (PBS), the major light-harvesting antenna in cyanobacteria, are supramolecular complexes of colorless linkers and heterodimeric, pigment-binding phycobiliproteins. Phycocyanin and phycoerythrin commonly comprise peripheral rods, and a multi-cylindrical core is principally assembled from allophycocyanin (AP). Each AP subunit binds one phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore, a linear tetrapyrrole that predominantly absorbs in the orange-red region of the visible spectrum (600-700 nm). AP facilitates excitation energy transfer from PBS peripheral rods or from directly absorbed red light to accessory chlorophylls in the photosystems. Paralogous forms of AP that bind PCB and are capable of absorbing far-red light (FRL; 700-800 nm) have recently been identified in organisms performing two types of photoacclimation: FRL photoacclimation (FaRLiP) and low-light photoacclimation (LoLiP). The FRL-absorbing AP (FRL-AP) from the thermophilic LoLiP strain Synechococcus sp. A1463 was chosen as a platform for site-specific mutagenesis to probe the structural differences between APs that absorb in the visible region and FRL-APs and to identify residues essential for the FRL absorbance phenotype. Conversely, red light-absorbing allophycocyanin-B (AP-B; ~ 670 nm) from the same organism was used as a platform for creating a FRL-AP. We demonstrate that the protein environment immediately surrounding pyrrole ring A of PCB on the alpha subunit is mostly responsible for the FRL absorbance of FRL-APs. We also show that interactions between PCBs bound to alpha and beta subunits of adjacent protomers in trimeric AP complexes are responsible for a large bathochromic shift of about ~ 20 nm and notable sharpening of the long-wavelength absorbance band.

Characterization of cyanobacterial allophycocyanins absorbing far-red light

Phycobiliproteins (PBPs) are pigment proteins that comprise phycobilisomes (PBS), major light-harvesting antenna complexes of cyanobacteria and red algae. PBS core substructures are made up of allophycocyanins (APs), a subfamily of PBPs. Five paralogous AP subunits are encoded by the Far-Red Light Photoacclimation (FaRLiP) gene cluster, which is transcriptionally activated in cells grown in far-red light (FRL; λ = 700 to 800 nm). FaRLiP gene expression enables some terrestrial cyanobacteria to remodel their PBS and photosystems and perform oxygenic photosynthesis in far-red light (FRL). Paralogous AP genes encoding a putative, FRL-absorbing AP (FRL-AP) are also found in an operon associated with improved low-light growth (LL; < 50 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1) in some thermophilic Synechococcus spp., a phenomenon termed low-light photoacclimation (LoLiP). In this study, apc genes from FaRLiP and LoLiP gene clusters were heterologously expressed individually and in combinations in Escherichia coli. The resulting novel FRL-APs were characterized and identified as major contributors to the FRL absorbance observed in whole cells after FaRLiP and potentially LoLiP. Post-translational modifications of native FRL-APs from FaRLiP cyanobacterium, Leptolyngbya sp. strain JSC-1, were analyzed by mass spectrometry. The PBP complexes made in two FaRLiP organisms were compared, revealing strain-specific diversity in the FaRLiP responses of cyanobacteria. Through analyses of native and recombinant proteins, we improved our understanding of how different cyanobacterial strains utilize specialized APs to acclimate to FRL and LL. We discuss some insights into structural changes that may allow these APs to absorb longer light wavelengths than their visible-light-absorbing paralogs.

Chromatic Acclimation in Cyanobacteria: A Diverse and Widespread Process for Optimizing Photosynthesis

Chromatic acclimation (CA) encompasses a diverse set of molecular processes that involve the ability of cyanobacterial cells to sense ambient light colors and use this information to optimize photosynthetic light harvesting. The six known types of CA, which we propose naming CA1 through CA6, use a range of molecular mechanisms that likely evolved independently in distantly related lineages of the Cyanobacteria phylum. Together, these processes sense and respond to the majority of the photosynthetically relevant solar spectrum, suggesting that CA provides fitness advantages across a broad range of light color niches. The recent discoveries of several new CA types suggest that additional CA systems involving additional light colors and molecular mechanisms will be revealed in coming years. Here we provide a comprehensive overview of the currently known types of CA and summarize the molecular details that underpin CA regulation.

Very Bright Phycoerythrobilin Chromophore for Fluorescence Biolabeling

Biliproteins have extended the spectral range of fluorescent proteins into the far-red (FR) and near-infrared (NIR) regions. These FR and NIR fluorescent proteins are suitable for the bioimaging of mammalian tissues and are indispensable for multiplex labeling. Their application, however, presents considerable challenges in increasing their brightness, while maintaining emission in FR regions and oligomerization of monomers. Two fluorescent biliprotein triads, termed BDFP1.2/1.6:3.3:1.2/1.6, are reported. In mammalian cells, these triads not only have extremely high brightness in the FR region, but also have monomeric oligomerization. The BDFP1.2 and BDFP1.6 domains covalently bind to biliverdin, which is accessible in most cells. The BDFP3.3 domain noncovalently binds phycoerythrobilin that is added externally. A new method of replacing phycoerythrobilin with proteolytically digested BDFP3.3 facilitates this labeling. BDFP3.3 has a very high fluorescence quantum yield of 66 %, with maximal absorbance at λ=608 nm and fluorescence at λ=619 nm. In BDFP1.2/1.6:3.3:1.2/1.6, the excitation energy that is absorbed in the red region by phycoerythrobilin in the BDFP3.3 domain is transferred to biliverdin in the two BDFP1.2 or BDFP1.6 domains and fluoresces at λ≈670 nm. The combination of BDFP3.3 and BDFP1.2/1.6:3.3:1.2/1.6 can realize dual-color labeling. Labeling various proteins by fusion to these new fluorescent biliproteins is demonstrated in prokaryotic and mammalian cells.

Energy transfer from chlorophyll f to the trapping center in naturally occurring and engineered Photosystem I complexes

Certain cyanobacteria can thrive in environments enriched in far-red light (700-800 nm) due to an acclimation process known as far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP). During FaRLiP, about 8% of the Chl a molecules in the photosystems are replaced by Chl f and a very small amount of Chl d. We investigated the spectroscopic properties of Photosystem I (PSI) complexes isolated from wild-type (WT) Synechococcus sp. PCC 7335 and a chlF mutant strain (lacking Chl f synthase) grown in white and far-red light (WL-PSI and FRL-PSI, respectively). WT-FRL-PSI complexes contain Chl f and Chl a but not Chl d. The light-minus dark difference spectrum of the trapping center at high spectral resolution indicates that the special pair in WT-FRL-PSI consists of Chl a molecules with maximum bleaching at 703-704 nm. The action spectrum for photobleaching of the special pair showed that Chl f molecules absorbing at wavelengths up to 800 nm efficiently transfer energy to the trapping center in FRL-PSI complexes to produce a charge-separated state. This is ~ 50 nm further into the near IR than WL-PSI; Chl f has a quantum yield equivalent to that of Chl a in the antenna, i.e., ~ 1.0. PSI complexes from Synechococcus 7002 carrying 3.8 Chl f molecules could promote photobleaching of the special pair by energy transfer at wavelengths longer than WT PSI complexes. Results from these latter studies are directly relevant to the issue of whether introduction of Chl f synthase into plants could expand the wavelength range available for oxygenic photosynthesis in crop plants.

Bright near-infrared fluorescence bio-labeling with a biliprotein triad

Biliproteins have extended the spectral range of fluorescent proteins into the near-infrared region (NIR, 700-770 nm) of maximal transmission of most tissues and are also favorable for multiplex labeling. Their application, however, presents considerable challenges to increase their stability under physiological conditions and, in particular, to increase their brightness while maintaining the emission in near-infrared regions: their fluorescence yield generally decreases with increasing wavelengths, and their effective brightness depends strongly on the environmental conditions. We report a fluorescent biliprotein triad, termed BDFP1.1:3.1:1.1, that combines a large red-shift (722 nm) with high brightness in mammalian cells and high stability under changing environmental conditions. It is fused from derivatives of the phycobilisome core subunits, ApcE2 and ApcF2. These two subunits are induced by far-red light (FR, 650-700 nm) in FR acclimated cyanobacteria. Two BDFP1.1 domains engineered from ApcF2 covalently bind biliverdin that is accessible in most cells. The soluble BDFP3 domain, engineered from ApcE2, binds phytochromobilin non-covalently, generating BDFP3.1. This phytochromobilin chromophore was added externally; it is readily generated by an improved synthesis in E. coli and subsequent extraction. Excitation energy absorbed in the FR by covalently bound biliverdins in the two BDFP1.1 domains is transferred via fluorescence resonance energy transfer to the non-covalently bound phytochromobilin in the BDFP3.1 domain fluorescing in the NIR around 720 nm. Labeling of a variety of proteins by fusion to the biliprotein triad is demonstrated in prokaryotic and mammalian cells, including human cell lines.

Complementary chromatic and far-red photoacclimations in Synechococcus ATCC 29403 (PCC 7335). I: The phycobilisomes, a proteomic approach

Synechococcus ATCC 29403 (PCC 7335) is a unicellular cyanobacterium isolated from Puerto Peñasco, Sonora Mexico. This cyanobacterium performs complementary chromatic acclimation (CCA), far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP), and nitrogen fixation. The Synechococcus PCC 7335 genome contains at least 31 genes for proteins of the phycobilisome (PBS). Nine constitutive genes were expressed when cells were grown under white or red lights and the resulting proteins were identified by mass spectrometry in isolated PBS. Five inducible genes were expressed under white light, and phycoerythrin subunits and associated linker proteins were detected. The proteins of five inducible genes expressed under red light were identified, the induced phycocyanin subunits, two rod linkers and the rod-capping linker. The five genes for FaRLiP phycobilisomes were expressed under far-red light together with the apcF gene, and the proteins were identified by mass spectrometry after isoelectric focusing and SDS-PAGE. Based on in silico analysis, Phylogenetic trees, and the observation of a highly conserved amino acid sequence in far-red light absorbing alpha allophycoproteins encoded by FaRLiP gene cluster, we propose a new nomenclature for the genes. Based on a ratio of ApcG2/ApcG3 of six, a model with the arrangement of the allophycocyanin trimers of the core is proposed.

Bacterial Phytochromes, Cyanobacteriochromes and Allophycocyanins as a Source of Near-Infrared Fluorescent Probes

Bacterial photoreceptors absorb light energy and transform it into intracellular signals that regulate metabolism. Bacterial phytochrome photoreceptors (BphPs), some cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) and allophycocyanins (APCs) possess the near-infrared (NIR) absorbance spectra that make them promising molecular templates to design NIR fluorescent proteins (FPs) and biosensors for studies in mammalian cells and whole animals. Here, we review structures, photochemical properties and molecular functions of several families of bacterial photoreceptors. We next analyze molecular evolution approaches to develop NIR FPs and biosensors. We then discuss phenotypes of current BphP-based NIR FPs and compare them with FPs derived from CBCRs and APCs. Lastly, we overview imaging applications of NIR FPs in live cells and in vivo. Our review provides guidelines for selection of existing NIR FPs, as well as engineering approaches to develop NIR FPs from the novel natural templates such as CBCRs.

Chromophorylation (in Escherichia coli) of allophycocyanin B subunits from far-red light acclimated Chroococcidiopsis thermalis sp. PCC7203

Cyanobacterial phycobilisomes funnel the harvested light energy to the reaction centers via two terminal emitters, allophycocyanin B and the core-membrane linker. ApcD is the α-subunit of allophycocyanin B responsible for its red-shifted absorbance (λ_max 665 nm). Far-red photo-acclimated cyanobacteria contain certain allophycocyanins that show even further red-shifted absorbances (λ_max > 700 nm). We studied the chromophorylation of the three far-red induced ApcD subunits ApcD2, ApcD3 and ApcD4 from Chroococcidiopsis thermalis sp. PCC7203 during the expression in E. coli. The complex behavior emphasizes that a variety of factors contribute to the spectral red-shift. Only ApcD2 bound phycocyanobilin covalently at the canonical position C81, while ApcD3 and ApcD4 gave only traces of stable products. The product of ApcD2 was, however, heterogeneous. The major fraction had a broad absorption around 560 nm and double-peaked fluorescence at 615 and 670 nm. A minor fraction was similar to the product of conventional ApcD, with maximal absorbance around 610 nm and fluorescence around 640 nm. The heterogeneity was lost in C65 and C132 variants; in these variants only the conventional product was formed. With ApcD4, a red-shifted product carrying non-covalently bound phycocyanobilin could be detected in the supernatant after cell lysis. While this chromophore was lost during purification, it could be stabilized by co-assembly with a far-red light-induced β-subunit, ApcB3.

Light regulation of pigment and photosystem biosynthesis in cyanobacteria

Most cyanobacteria are obligate oxygenic photoautotrophs, and thus their growth and survival is highly dependent on effective utilization of incident light. Cyanobacteria have evolved a diverse set of phytochromes and cyanobacteriochromes (CBCRs) that allow cells to respond to light in the range from ∼300nm to ∼750nm. Together with associated response regulators, these photosensory proteins control many aspects of cyanobacterial physiology and metabolism. These include far-red light photoacclimation (FaRLiP), complementary chromatic acclimation (CCA), low-light photoacclimation (LoLiP), photosystem content and stoichiometry (long-term adaptation), short-term acclimation (state transitions), circadian rhythm, phototaxis, photomorphogenesis/development, and cellular aggregation. This minireview highlights some discoveries concerning phytochromes and CBCRs as well as two acclimation processes that improve light harvesting and energy conversion under specific irradiance conditions: FaRLiP and CCA.