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Cruz R, Ataka K, Heberle J, Kozuch J. Evaluating aliphatic CF, CF2, and CF3 groups as vibrational Stark effect reporters. J Chem Phys 2024; 160:204308. [PMID: 38814010 DOI: 10.1063/5.0198303] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 05/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Given the extensive use of fluorination in molecular design, it is imperative to understand the solvation properties of fluorinated compounds and the impact of the C-F bond on electrostatic interactions. Vibrational spectroscopy can provide direct insights into these interactions by using the C-F bond stretching [v(C-F)] as an electric field probe through the vibrational Stark effect (VSE). In this work, we explore the VSE of the three basic patterns of aliphatic fluorination, i.e., mono-, di-, and trifluorination in CF, CF2, and CF3 groups, respectively, and compare their response to the well-studied aromatic v(C-F). Magnitudes (i.e., Stark tuning rates) and orientations of the difference dipole vectors of the v(C-F)-containing normal modes were determined using density functional theory and a molecular dynamics (MD)-assisted solvatochromic analysis of model compounds in solvents of varying polarity. We obtain Stark tuning rates of 0.2-0.8 cm-1/(MV/cm), with smallest and largest electric field sensitivities for CFaliphatic and CF3,aliphatic, respectively. While average electric fields of solvation were oriented along the main symmetry axis of the CFn, and thus along its static dipole, the Stark tuning rate vectors were tilted by up to 87° potentially enabling to map electrostatics in multiple dimensions. We discuss the influence of conformational heterogeneity on spectral shifts and point out the importance of multipolar and/or polarizable MD force fields to describe the electrostatics of fluorinated molecules. The implications of this work are of direct relevance for studies of fluorinated molecules as found in pharmaceuticals, fluorinated peptides, and proteins.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Cruz
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - K Ataka
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - J Heberle
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
- Forschungsbau SupraFAB, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
| | - J Kozuch
- Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
- Forschungsbau SupraFAB, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin 14195, Germany
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2
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Blain-Hartung M, Johannes von Sass G, Plaickner J, Katz S, Tu Hoang O, Andrea Mroginski M, Esser N, Budisa N, Forest KT, Hildebrandt P. On the Role of a Conserved Tryptophan in the Chromophore Pocket of Cyanobacteriochrome. J Mol Biol 2024; 436:168227. [PMID: 37544357 DOI: 10.1016/j.jmb.2023.168227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
The cyanobacteriochrome Slr1393 can be photoconverted between a red (Pr) and green absorbing form (Pg). The recently determined crystal structures of both states suggest a major movement of Trp496 from a stacking interaction with ring D of the phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore in Pr to a position outside the chromophore pocket in Pg. Here, we investigated the role of this amino acid during photoconversion in solution using engineered protein variants in which Trp496 was substituted by natural and non-natural amino acids. These variants and the native protein were studied by various spectroscopic techniques (UV-vis absorption, fluorescence, IR, NIR and UV resonance Raman) complemented by theoretical approaches. Trp496 is shown to affect the electronic transition of PCB and to be essential for the thermal equilibrium between Pr and an intermediate state O600. However, Trp496 is not required to stabilize the tilted orientation of ring D in Pr, and does not play a role in the secondary structure changes of Slr1393 during the Pr/Pg transition. The present results confirm the re-orientation of Trp496 upon Pr → Pg conversion, but do not provide evidence of a major change in the microenvironment of this residue. Structural models indicate the penetration of water molecules into the chromophore pocket in both Pr and Pg states and thus water-Trp contacts, which can readily account for the subtle spectral changes between Pr and Pg. Thus, we conclude that reorientation of Trp496 during the Pr-to-Pg photoconversion in solution is not associated with a major change in the dielectric environment in the two states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew Blain-Hartung
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Georg Johannes von Sass
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. CL1, Müller-Breslau-Str.10, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Julian Plaickner
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Festkörperphysik, Sekr. EW 6-1, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Sagie Katz
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Oanh Tu Hoang
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Maria Andrea Mroginski
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Norbert Esser
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Festkörperphysik, Sekr. EW 6-1, Hardenbergstraße 36, 10623 Berlin, Germany; Leibniz-Institut für Analytische Wissenschaften-ISAS-e.V, Schwarzschildstraße 8, 12489 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nediljko Budisa
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. CL1, Müller-Breslau-Str.10, D-10623 Berlin, Germany; Department of Chemistry, University of Manitoba, 144 Dysart Rd, 360 Parker Building, R3T 2N2 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
| | - Katrina T Forest
- University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Bacteriology, 1550 Linden Dr., Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Peter Hildebrandt
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
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3
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Zhou L, Feng RR, Zhang W, Gai F. Triple-Bond Vibrations: Emerging Applications in Energy and Biological Sciences. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:187-200. [PMID: 38156972 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02619] [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: 01/03/2024]
Abstract
Triple bonds, such as that formed between two carbon atoms (i.e., C≡C) or that formed between one carbon atom and one nitrogen atom (i.e., C≡N), afford unique chemical bonding and hence vibrational characteristics. As such, they are not only frequently used to construct molecules with tailored chemical and/or physical properties but also employed as vibrational probes to provide site-specific chemical and/or physical information at the molecular level. Herein, we offer our perspective on the emerging applications of various triple-bond vibrations in energy and biological sciences with a focus on C≡C and C≡N triple bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Zhou
- Department of Physics and Applied Optics Beijing Area Major Laboratory, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Ran-Ran Feng
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
| | - Wenkai Zhang
- Department of Physics and Applied Optics Beijing Area Major Laboratory, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China
| | - Feng Gai
- Beijing National Laboratory for Molecular Sciences, College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
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4
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Hildebrandt P. Vibrational Spectroscopy of Phytochromes. Biomolecules 2023; 13:1007. [PMID: 37371587 DOI: 10.3390/biom13061007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Revised: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 06/14/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Phytochromes are biological photoswitches that translate light into physiological functions. Spectroscopic techniques are essential tools for molecular research into these photoreceptors. This review is directed at summarizing how resonance Raman and IR spectroscopy contributed to an understanding of the structure, dynamics, and reaction mechanism of phytochromes, outlining the substantial experimental and theoretical challenges and describing the strategies to master them. It is shown that the potential of the various vibrational spectroscopic techniques can be most efficiently exploited using integral approaches via a combination of theoretical methods as well as other experimental techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Hildebrandt
- Institut für Chemie, Technische Universität Berlin, Sekr. PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
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5
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Chaudhari AS, Chatterjee A, Domingos CAO, Andrikopoulos PC, Liu Y, Andersson I, Schneider B, Lórenz-Fonfría VA, Fuertes G. Genetically encoded non-canonical amino acids reveal asynchronous dark reversion of chromophore, backbone and side-chains in EL222. Protein Sci 2023; 32:e4590. [PMID: 36764820 PMCID: PMC10019195 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 02/12/2023]
Abstract
Photoreceptors containing the light-oxygen-voltage (LOV) domain elicit biological responses upon excitation of their flavin mononucleotide (FMN) chromophore by blue light. The mechanism and kinetics of dark-state recovery are not well understood. Here we incorporated the non-canonical amino acid p-cyanophenylalanine (CNF) by genetic code expansion technology at forty-five positions of the bacterial transcription factor EL222. Screening of light-induced changes in infrared (IR) absorption frequency, electric field and hydration of the nitrile groups identified residues CNF31 and CNF35 as reporters of monomer/oligomer and caged/decaged equilibria, respectively. Time-resolved multi-probe UV/Visible and IR spectroscopy experiments of the lit-to-dark transition revealed four dynamical events. Predominantly, rearrangements around the A'α helix interface (CNF31 and CNF35) precede FMN-cysteinyl adduct scission, folding of α-helices (amide bands), and relaxation of residue CNF151. This study illustrates the importance of characterizing all parts of a protein and suggests a key role for the N-terminal A'α extension of the LOV domain in controlling EL222 photocycle length. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya S Chaudhari
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Aditi Chatterjee
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Faculty of Science, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Catarina A O Domingos
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Escola Superior de Tecnologia do Barreiro, Instituto Politécnico de Setúbal, Lavradio, Portugal
| | | | - Yingliang Liu
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | - Inger Andersson
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic.,Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Bohdan Schneider
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic
| | | | - Gustavo Fuertes
- Institute of Biotechnology of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Vestec, Czech Republic
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Wu J, Long T, Wang H, Liang JX, Zhu C. Oriented External Electric Fields Regurating the Reaction Mechanism of CH4 Oxidation Catalyzed by Fe(IV)-Oxo-Corrolazine: Insight from Density Functional Calculations. Front Chem 2022; 10:896944. [PMID: 35844657 PMCID: PMC9277104 DOI: 10.3389/fchem.2022.896944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 06/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Methane is the simplest alkane and can be used as an alternative energy source for oil and coal, but the greenhouse effect caused by its leakage into the air is not negligible, and its conversion into liquid methanol not only facilitates transportation, but also contributes to carbon neutrality. In order to find an efficient method for converting methane to methanol, CH4 oxidation catalyzed by Fe(IV)-Oxo-corrolazine (Fe(IV)-Oxo-Cz) and its reaction mechanism regulation by oriented external electric fields (OEEFs) are systematically studied by density functional calculations. The calculations show that Fe(IV)-Oxo-Cz can abstract one H atom from CH4 to form the intermediate with OH group connecting on the corrolazine ring, with the energy barrier of 25.44 kcal mol−1. And then the product methanol is formed through the following rebound reaction. Moreover, the energy barrier can be reduced to 20.72 kcal mol−1 through a two-state reaction pathway. Furthermore, the effect of OEEFs on the reaction is investigated. We found that OEEFs can effectively regulate the reaction by adjusting the stability of the reactant and the transition state through the interaction of electric field-molecular dipole moment. When the electric field is negative, the energy barrier of the reaction decreases with the increase of electric intensity. Moreover, the OEEF aligned along the intrinsic Fe‒O reaction axis can effectively regulate the ability of forming the OH on the corrolazine ring by adjusting the charges of O and H atoms. When the electric field intensity is −0.010 a.u., the OH can be directly rebounded to the CH3· before it is connecting on the corrolazine ring, thus forming the product directly from the transition state without passing through the intermediate with only an energy barrier of 17.34 kcal mol−1, which greatly improves the selectivity of the reaction.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Chun Zhu
- *Correspondence: Jin-Xia Liang, ; Chun Zhu,
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7
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López MF, Dahl M, Escobar FV, Bonomi HR, Kraskov A, Michael N, Mroginski MA, Scheerer P, Hildebrandt P. Photoinduced reaction mechanisms in prototypical and bathy phytochromes. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2022; 24:11967-11978. [PMID: 35527718 DOI: 10.1039/d2cp00020b] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Phytochromes, found in plants, fungi, and bacteria, exploit light as a source of information to control physiological processes via photoswitching between two states of different physiological activity, i.e. a red-absorbing Pr and a far-red-absorbing Pfr state. Depending on the relative stability in the dark, bacterial phytochromes are divided into prototypical and bathy phytochromes, where the stable state is Pr and Pfr, respectively. In this work we studied representatives of these groups (prototypical Agp1 and bathy Agp2 from Agrobacterium fabrum) together with the bathy-like phytochrome XccBphP from Xanthomonas campestris by resonance Raman and IR difference spectroscopy. In all three phytochromes, the photoinduced conversions display the same mechanistic pattern as reflected by the chromophore structures in the various intermediate states. We also observed in each case the secondary structure transition of the tongue, which is presumably crucial for the function of phytochrome. The three phytochromes differ in details of the chromophore conformation in the various intermediates and the energetic barrier of their respective decay reactions. The specific protein environment in the chromophore pocket, which is most likely the origin for these small differences, also controls the proton transfer processes concomitant to the photoconversions. These proton translocations, which are tightly coupled to the structural transition of the tongue, presumably proceed via the same mechanism along the Pr → Pfr conversion whereas the reverse Pfr → Pr photoconversion includes different proton transfer pathways. Finally, classification of phytochromes in prototypical and bathy (or bathy-like) phytochromes is discussed in terms of molecular structure and mechanistic properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- María Fernández López
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Margarethe Dahl
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Francisco Velázquez Escobar
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Hernán Ruy Bonomi
- Leloir Institute Foundation, IIBBA-CONICET, Av. Patricias Argentinas 435 (C1405BWE), Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Anastasia Kraskov
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Norbert Michael
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Maria Andrea Mroginski
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
| | - Patrick Scheerer
- Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute of Medical Physics and Biophysics, Group Protein X-ray Crystallography and Signal Transduction, Charitéplatz 1, D-10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Peter Hildebrandt
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institut für Chemie, Sekr. PC14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany.
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Ultrafast proton-coupled isomerization in the phototransformation of phytochrome. Nat Chem 2022; 14:823-830. [PMID: 35577919 PMCID: PMC9252900 DOI: 10.1038/s41557-022-00944-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2019] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The biological function of phytochromes is triggered by an ultrafast photoisomerization of the tetrapyrrole chromophore biliverdin between two rings denoted C and D. The mechanism by which this process induces extended structural changes of the protein is unclear. Here we report ultrafast proton-coupled photoisomerization upon excitation of the parent state (Pfr) of bacteriophytochrome Agp2. Transient deprotonation of the chromophore's pyrrole ring D or ring C into a hydrogen-bonded water cluster, revealed by a broad continuum infrared band, is triggered by electronic excitation, coherent oscillations and the sudden electric-field change in the excited state. Subsequently, a dominant fraction of the excited population relaxes back to the Pfr state, while ~35% follows the forward reaction to the photoproduct. A combination of quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations and ultrafast visible and infrared spectroscopies demonstrates how proton-coupled dynamics in the excited state of Pfr leads to a restructured hydrogen-bond environment of early Lumi-F, which is interpreted as a trigger for downstream protein structural changes.
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Weaver JB, Kozuch J, Kirsh JM, Boxer SG. Nitrile Infrared Intensities Characterize Electric Fields and Hydrogen Bonding in Protic, Aprotic, and Protein Environments. J Am Chem Soc 2022; 144:7562-7567. [PMID: 35467853 PMCID: PMC10082610 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.2c00675] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Nitriles are widely used vibrational probes; however, the interpretation of their IR frequencies is complicated by hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) in protic environments. We report a new vibrational Stark effect (VSE) that correlates the electric field projected on the -C≡N bond to the transition dipole moment and, by extension, the nitrile peak area or integrated intensity. This linear VSE applies to both H-bonding and non-H-bonding interactions. It can therefore be generally applied to determine electric fields in all environments. Additionally, it allows for semiempirical extraction of the H-bonding contribution to the blueshift of the nitrile frequency. Nitriles were incorporated at H-bonding and non-H-bonding protein sites using amber suppression, and each nitrile variant was structurally characterized at high resolution. We exploited the combined information available from variations in frequency and integrated intensity and demonstrate that nitriles are a generally useful probe for electric fields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jared Bryce Weaver
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United States
| | - Jacek Kozuch
- Experimental Molecular Biophysics, Department of Physics, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Jacob M Kirsh
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United States
| | - Steven G Boxer
- Department of Chemistry, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305-5012, United States
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