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Castellano M, Kaspar C, Thoss M, Koslowski T. Protein charge transfer far from equilibrium: a theoretical perspective. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:30887-30896. [PMID: 37953728 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03847e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
Potential differences for protein-assisted electron transfer across lipid bilayers or in bio-nano setups can amount to several 100 mV; they lie far outside the range of linear response theory. We describe these situations by Pauli-master equations that are based on Marcus theory of charge transfer between self-trapped electrons and that obey Kirchhoff's current law. In addition, we take on-site blockade effects and a full non-linear response of the local potentials into account. We present analytical and numerical current-potential curves and electron populations for multi-site model systems and biological electron transfer chains. Based on these, we provide empirical rules for electron populations and chemical potentials along the chain. The Pauli-master mean-field results are validated by kinetic Monte Carlo simulations. We briefly discuss the biochemical and evolutionary aspects of our findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mike Castellano
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Christoph Kaspar
- Institut für Physik, Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Michael Thoss
- Institut für Physik, Universität Freiburg, Hermann-Herder-Straße 3, 79104 Freiburg, Germany
| | - Thorsten Koslowski
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 21, 79104 Freiburg, Germany.
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Al-Handawi MB, Polavaram S, Kurlevskaya A, Commins P, Schramm S, Carrasco-López C, Lui NM, Solntsev KM, Laptenok SP, Navizet I, Naumov P. Spectrochemistry of Firefly Bioluminescence. Chem Rev 2022; 122:13207-13234. [PMID: 35926147 DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemrev.1c01047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The chemical reactions underlying the emission of light in fireflies and other bioluminescent beetles are some of the most thoroughly studied processes by scientists worldwide. Despite these remarkable efforts, fierce academic arguments continue around even some of the most fundamental aspects of the reaction mechanism behind the beetle bioluminescence. In an attempt to reach a consensus, we made an exhaustive search of the available literature and compiled the key discoveries on the fluorescence and chemiluminescence spectrochemistry of the emitting molecule, the firefly oxyluciferin, and its chemical analogues reported over the past 50+ years. The factors that affect the light emission, including intermolecular interactions, solvent polarity, and electronic effects, were analyzed in the context of both the reaction mechanism and the different colors of light emitted by different luciferases. The collective data points toward a combined emission of multiple coexistent forms of oxyluciferin as the most probable explanation for the variation in color of the emitted light. We also highlight realistic research directions to eventually address some of the remaining questions related to firefly bioluminescence. It is our hope that this extensive compilation of data and detailed analysis will not only consolidate the existing body of knowledge on this important phenomenon but will also aid in reaching a wider consensus on some of the mechanistic details of firefly bioluminescence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieh B Al-Handawi
- Smart Materials Lab (SML), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Srujana Polavaram
- Smart Materials Lab (SML), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Anastasiya Kurlevskaya
- Smart Materials Lab (SML), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Patrick Commins
- Smart Materials Lab (SML), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Stefan Schramm
- Merck KGaA, Frankfurter Strasse 250, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
| | - César Carrasco-López
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey 08544, United States
| | - Nathan M Lui
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, United States
| | - Kyril M Solntsev
- School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30332, United States
| | - Sergey P Laptenok
- Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
| | - Isabelle Navizet
- Univ. Gustave Eiffel, Univ. Paris Est Creteil, CNRS, UMR 8208, MSME, F-77454 Marne-la-Vallée, France
| | - Panče Naumov
- Smart Materials Lab (SML), New York University Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.,Molecular Design Institute, Department of Chemistry, New York University, 100 Washington Square East, New York, New York 10003, United States
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Kaiser J, Castellano M, Gnandt D, Koslowski T. Monte Carlo simulation and thermodynamic integration applied to protein charge transfer. J Comput Chem 2020; 41:1105-1115. [PMID: 31981372 DOI: 10.1002/jcc.26155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2019] [Revised: 12/29/2019] [Accepted: 01/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
We introduce a combination of Monte Carlo simulation and thermodynamic integration methods to address a model problem in free energy computations, electron transfer in proteins. The feasibility of this approach is tested using the ferredoxin protein from Clostridium acidurici. The results are compared to numerical solutions of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation and data from recent molecular dynamics simulations on charge transfer in a protein complex, the NrfHA nitrite reductase of Desulfovibrio vulgaris. Despite the conceptual and computational simplicity of the Monte Carlo approach, the data agree well with those obtained by other methods. A link to experiments is established via the cytochrome subunit of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center of Rhodopseudomonas viridis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Kaiser
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Mike Castellano
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - David Gnandt
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Thorsten Koslowski
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
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Gnandt D, Koslowski T. Long-range electron-electron interaction and charge transfer in protein complexes: a numerical approach. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2019; 21:18595-18604. [PMID: 31414082 DOI: 10.1039/c9cp03141c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
With application to the nitrite reductase hexameric protein complex of Desulfovibrio vulgaris, NrfH2A4, we suggest a strategy to compute the energy landscape of electron transfer in large systems of biochemical interest. For small complexes, the energy of all electronic configurations can be scanned completely on the level of a numerical solution of the Poisson-Boltzmann equation. In contrast, larger systems have to be treated using a pair approximation, which is verified here. Effective Coulomb interactions between neighbouring sites of excess electron localization may become as large as 200 meV, and they depend in a nontrivial manner on the intersite distance. We discuss the implications of strong Coulomb interactions on the thermodynamics and kinetics of charging and decharging a protein complex. Finally, we turn to the effect of embedding the system into a biomembrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Gnandt
- Institut für Physikalische Chemie, Universität Freiburg, Albertstraße 23a, 79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany.
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