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Kim Y, Alia A, Kurle-Tucholski P, Wiebeler C, Matysik J. Electronic Structures of Radical-Pair-Forming Cofactors in a Heliobacterial Reaction Center. Molecules 2024; 29:1021. [PMID: 38474533 DOI: 10.3390/molecules29051021] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 02/16/2024] [Accepted: 02/22/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) are membrane proteins converting photonic excitations into electric gradients. The heliobacterial RCs (HbRCs) are assumed to be the precursors of all known RCs, making them a compelling subject for investigating structural and functional relationships. A comprehensive picture of the electronic structure of the HbRCs is still missing. In this work, the combination of selective isotope labelling of 13C and 15N nuclei and the utilization of photo-CIDNP MAS NMR (photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization magic-angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance) allows for highly enhanced signals from the radical-pair-forming cofactors. The remarkable magnetic-field dependence of the solid-state photo-CIDNP effect allows for observation of positive signals of the electron donor cofactor at 4.7 T, which is interpreted in terms of a dominant contribution of the differential relaxation (DR) mechanism. Conversely, at 9.4 T, the emissive signals mainly originate from the electron acceptor, due to the strong activation of the three-spin mixing (TSM) mechanism. Consequently, we have utilized two-dimensional homonuclear photo-CIDNP MAS NMR at both 4.7 T and 9.4 T. These findings from experimental investigations are corroborated by calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). This allows us to present a comprehensive investigation of the electronic structure of the cofactors involved in electron transfer (ET).
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Affiliation(s)
- Yunmi Kim
- Institut für Analytische Chemie, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - A Alia
- Leiden Institute of Chemistry, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, 2301 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
- Institut für Medizinische Physik und Biophysik, Universität Leipzig, Härtelstr. 16-18, D-04107 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Patrick Kurle-Tucholski
- Institut für Analytische Chemie, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Christian Wiebeler
- Institut für Analytische Chemie, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Institut für Physik, Universität Augsburg, Universitätsstraße 1, D-86159 Augsburg, Germany
| | - Jörg Matysik
- Institut für Analytische Chemie, Universität Leipzig, Linnéstraße 3, D-04103 Leipzig, Germany
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2
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Kondo T, Mutoh R, Arai S, kurisu G, Oh-oka H, Fujiyoshi S, Matsushita M. Energy transfer fluctuation observed by single-molecule spectroscopy of red-shifted bacteriochlorophyll in the homodimeric photosynthetic reaction center. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:105102. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0077290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Toru Kondo
- Department of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
| | | | - Shun Arai
- Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan
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3
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Orf GS, Gisriel CJ, Granstrom J, Baker PL, Redding KE. The PshX subunit of the photochemical reaction center from Heliobacterium modesticaldum acts as a low-energy antenna. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 151:11-30. [PMID: 34480322 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-021-00871-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 08/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The anoxygenic phototrophic bacterium Heliobacterium modesticaldum contains a photochemical reaction center protein complex (called the HbRC) consisting of a homodimer of the PshA polypeptide and two copies of a newly discovered polypeptide called PshX, which is a single transmembrane helix that binds two bacteriochlorophyll g molecules. To assess the function of PshX, we produced a ∆pshX strain of Hbt. modesticaldum by leveraging the endogenous Hbt. modesticaldum Type I-A CRISPR-Cas system to aid in mutant selection. We optimized this system by separating the homologous recombination and CRISPR-based selection steps into two plasmid transformations, allowing for markerless gene replacement. Fluorescence and low-temperature absorbance of the purified HbRC from the wild-type and ∆pshX strains showed that the bacteriochlorophylls bound by PshX have the lowest site energies in the entire HbRC. This indicates that PshX acts as a low-energy antenna subunit, participating in entropy-assisted uphill energy transfer toward the P800 special bacteriochlorophyll g pair. We further discuss the role that PshX may play in stability of the HbRC, its conservation in other heliobacterial species, and the evolutionary pressure to produce and maintain single-TMH subunits in similar locations in other reaction centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Orf
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Infectious Disease Research, Abbott Diagnostics Division, Abbott Park, IL, 60064, USA
| | - Christopher J Gisriel
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, CT, 06520, USA
| | - Jesse Granstrom
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Patricia L Baker
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Kevin E Redding
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
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4
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Energy transfer and primary charge separation upon selective femtosecond excitation at 810 nm in the reaction center complex from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2020.112758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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5
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Kondo T, Mutoh R, Tabe H, Kurisu G, Oh-Oka H, Fujiyoshi S, Matsushita M. Cryogenic Single-Molecule Spectroscopy of the Primary Electron Acceptor in the Photosynthetic Reaction Center. J Phys Chem Lett 2020; 11:3980-3986. [PMID: 32352789 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The photosynthetic reaction center (RC) converts light energy into electrochemical energy. The RC of heliobacteria (hRC) is a primitive homodimeric RC containing 58 bacteriochlorophylls and 2 chlorophyll as. The chlorophyll serves as the primary electron acceptor (Chl a-A0) responsible for light harvesting and charge separation. The single-molecule spectroscopy of Chl a-A0 can be used to investigate heterogeneities of the RC photochemical function, though the low fluorescence quantum yield (0.1%) makes it difficult. Here, we show the fluorescence excitation spectroscopy of individual Chl a-A0s in single hRCs at 6 K. The fluorescence quantum yield and absorption cross section of Chl a-A0 increase 2- and 4-fold, respectively, compared to those at room temperature. The two Chl a-A0s in single hRCs are identified as two distinct peaks in the fluorescence excitation spectrum, exhibiting different excitation polarization dependences. The spectral changes caused by photobleaching indicate the energy transfer across subunits in the hRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toru Kondo
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Risa Mutoh
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hiroaki Tabe
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Genji Kurisu
- Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Hirozo Oh-Oka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Satoru Fujiyoshi
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
| | - Michio Matsushita
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science and Engineering, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Meguro, Tokyo 152-8551, Japan
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6
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Kitoh-Nishioka H, Shigeta Y, Itoh S, Kimura A. Excitonic Coupling on a Heliobacterial Symmetrical Type-I Reaction Center: Comparison with Photosystem I. J Phys Chem B 2019; 124:389-403. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b11290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Hirotaka Kitoh-Nishioka
- JST, PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Akihiro Kimura
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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7
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Orf GS, Redding KE. Expression and purification of affinity-tagged variants of the photochemical reaction center from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2019; 142:335-348. [PMID: 31542861 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-019-00672-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2019] [Accepted: 09/05/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
The heliobacterial photochemical reaction center (HbRC) from the chlorophototrophic Firmicutes bacterium Heliobacterium modesticaldum is the only homodimeric type I RC whose structure is known. Using genetic techniques recently established in our lab, we have developed a rapid heterologous expression system for the HbRC core polypeptide PshA. Our system relies on rescue of the non-chlorophototrophic ∆pshA::cbp2p-aph3 strain of Hbt. modesticaldum by expression of a heterologous pshA gene from a replicating shuttle vector. In addition, we constructed two tagged variants of PshA, one with an N-terminal octahistidine tag and one with an internal hexahistidine tag, which facilitate rapid purification of pure, active HbRC cores in milligram quantities. We constructed a suite of shuttle vectors bearing untagged or tagged versions of pshA driven by various promoters. Surprisingly, we found that the eno and gapDH_2 promoters from Clostridium thermocellum drive better expression of pshA than fragments of DNA derived from the region upstream of the pshA locus on the Hbt. modesticaldum genome. This "pshA rescue" strategy also provided a useful window into how Hbt. modesticaldum regulates pigment synthesis and growth rate when chlorophototrophic output decreases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Orf
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Kevin E Redding
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
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8
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Kimura A, Itoh S. Theoretical Model of Exciton States and Ultrafast Energy Transfer in Heliobacterial Type I Homodimeric Reaction Center. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:11852-11859. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b08014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Kimura
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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9
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Orf GS, Gisriel C, Redding KE. Evolution of photosynthetic reaction centers: insights from the structure of the heliobacterial reaction center. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2018; 138:11-37. [PMID: 29603081 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-018-0503-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2018] [Accepted: 03/22/2018] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
The proliferation of phototrophy within early-branching prokaryotes represented a significant step forward in metabolic evolution. All available evidence supports the hypothesis that the photosynthetic reaction center (RC)-the pigment-protein complex in which electromagnetic energy (i.e., photons of visible or near-infrared light) is converted to chemical energy usable by an organism-arose once in Earth's history. This event took place over 3 billion years ago and the basic architecture of the RC has diversified into the distinct versions that now exist. Using our recent 2.2-Å X-ray crystal structure of the homodimeric photosynthetic RC from heliobacteria, we have performed a robust comparison of all known RC types with available structural data. These comparisons have allowed us to generate hypotheses about structural and functional aspects of the common ancestors of extant RCs and to expand upon existing evolutionary schemes. Since the heliobacterial RC is homodimeric and loosely binds (and reduces) quinones, we support the view that it retains more ancestral features than its homologs from other groups. In the evolutionary scenario we propose, the ancestral RC predating the division between Type I and Type II RCs was homodimeric, loosely bound two mobile quinones, and performed an inefficient disproportionation reaction to reduce quinone to quinol. The changes leading to the diversification into Type I and Type II RCs were separate responses to the need to optimize this reaction: the Type I lineage added a [4Fe-4S] cluster to facilitate double reduction of a quinone, while the Type II lineage heterodimerized and specialized the two cofactor branches, fixing the quinone in the QA site. After the Type I/II split, an ancestor to photosystem I fixed its quinone sites and then heterodimerized to bind PsaC as a new subunit, as responses to rising O2 after the appearance of the oxygen-evolving complex in an ancestor of photosystem II. These pivotal events thus gave rise to the diversity that we observe today.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory S Orf
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Christopher Gisriel
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
- The Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Kevin E Redding
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
- Center for Bioenergy and Photosynthesis, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA.
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10
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Matsumoto N, Itoh N. Measuring Number of Free Radicals and Evaluating the Purity of Di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium [DPPH] Reagents by Effective Magnetic Moment Method. ANAL SCI 2018; 34:965-971. [PMID: 30101893 DOI: 10.2116/analsci.18p120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Di(phenyl)-(2,4,6-trinitrophenyl)iminoazanium [DPPH] is widely used as a standard for measuring the number of free radicals. Here, we evaluated the number of free radicals of "DPPH" reagents from three manufacturers by effective magnetic moment method. Interestingly, the reagents from different manufacturers had varying temperature dependencies for both magnetic moment and g-value at low temperatures. As a result, the maximum relative difference among the three reagents on the number of free radicals per unit mass was 20%. Carbon hydrogen nitrogen (CHN) analyses, high-resolution EPR measurements, FT-IR measurement, and NMR measurement confirmed that a major component of only one among the three reagents was "pure" DPPH. The evaluated purity based on free radical content was 0.998 kg kg-1 with expanded uncertainty of 0.036 kg kg-1. The other two reagents were found to be contaminated by several % of benzene in the DPPH crystal structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nobuhiro Matsumoto
- National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
| | - Nobuyasu Itoh
- National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ), National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST)
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11
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Kondo T, Matsuoka M, Azai C, Kobayashi M, Itoh S, Oh-oka H. Light-Induced Electron Spin-Polarized (ESP) EPR Signal of the P800+ Menaquinone– Radical Pair State in Oriented Membranes of Heliobacterium modesticaldum: Role/Location of Menaquinone in the Homodimeric Type I Reaction Center. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:2536-2543. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.7b12171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Toru Kondo
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Masahiro Matsuoka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Chihiro Azai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Masami Kobayashi
- Division of Materials Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8573, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Hirozo Oh-oka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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12
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Kondo T, Matsuoka M, Azai C, Itoh S, Oh-oka H. Orientations of Iron–Sulfur Clusters FA and FB in the Homodimeric Type-I Photosynthetic Reaction Center of Heliobacterium modesticaldum. J Phys Chem B 2016; 120:4204-12. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.6b01112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Toru Kondo
- Division
of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Masahiro Matsuoka
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Chihiro Azai
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Center
for Gene Research, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Hirozo Oh-oka
- Department
of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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13
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Ferlez B, Cowgill J, Dong W, Gisriel C, Lin S, Flores M, Walters K, Cetnar D, Redding KE, Golbeck JH. Thermodynamics of the Electron Acceptors in Heliobacterium modesticaldum: An Exemplar of an Early Homodimeric Type I Photosynthetic Reaction Center. Biochemistry 2016; 55:2358-70. [PMID: 27033441 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.5b01320] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The homodimeric type I reaction center in heliobacteria is arguably the simplest known pigment-protein complex capable of conducting (bacterio)chlorophyll-based conversion of light into chemical energy. Despite its structural simplicity, the thermodynamics of the electron transfer cofactors on the acceptor side have not been fully investigated. In this work, we measured the midpoint potential of the terminal [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) cluster (FX) in reaction centers from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. The FX cluster was titrated chemically and monitored by (i) the decrease in the level of stable P800 photobleaching by optical spectroscopy, (ii) the loss of the light-induced g ≈ 2 radical from P800(+•) following a single-turnover flash, (iii) the increase in the low-field resonance at 140 mT attributed to the S = (3)/2 ground spin state of FX(-), and (iv) the loss of the spin-correlated P800(+) FX(-) radical pair following a single-turnover flash. These four techniques led to similar estimations of the midpoint potential for FX of -502 ± 3 mV (n = 0.99), -496 ± 2 mV (n = 0.99), -517 ± 10 mV (n = 0.65), and -501 ± 4 mV (n = 0.84), respectively, with a consensus value of -504 ± 10 mV (converging to n = 1). Under conditions in which FX is reduced, the long-lived (∼15 ms) P800(+) FX(-) state is replaced by a rapidly recombining (∼15 ns) P800(+)A0(-) state, as shown by ultrafast optical experiments. There was no evidence of the presence of a P800(+) A1(-) spin-correlated radical pair by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) under these conditions. The midpoint potentials of the two [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) clusters in the low-molecular mass ferredoxins were found to be -480 ± 11 mV/-524 ± 13 mV for PshBI, -453 ± 6 mV/-527 ± 6 mV for PshBII, and -452 ± 5 mV/-533 ± 8 mV for HM1_2505 as determined by EPR spectroscopy. FX is therefore suitably poised to reduce one [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) cluster in these mobile electron carriers. Using the measured midpoint potential of FX and a quasi-equilibrium model of charge recombination, the midpoint potential of A0 was estimated to be -854 mV at room temperature. The midpoint potentials of A0 and FX are therefore 150-200 mV less reducing than their respective counterparts in Photosystem I of cyanobacteria and plants. This places the redox potential of the FX cluster in heliobacteria approximately equipotential to the highest-potential iron-sulfur cluster (FA) in Photosystem I, consistent with its assignment as the terminal electron acceptor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bryan Ferlez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - John Cowgill
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Weibing Dong
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Christopher Gisriel
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Su Lin
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Marco Flores
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - Karim Walters
- Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Daniel Cetnar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
| | - Kevin E Redding
- School of Molecular Sciences, Arizona State University , Tempe, Arizona 85287, United States
| | - John H Golbeck
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States.,Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University , University Park, Pennsylvania 16802, United States
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14
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Kondo T, Itoh S, Matsuoka M, Azai C, Oh-oka H. Menaquinone as the Secondary Electron Acceptor in the Type I Homodimeric Photosynthetic Reaction Center of Heliobacterium modesticaldum. J Phys Chem B 2015; 119:8480-9. [PMID: 26075484 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.5b03723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The type I photosynthetic reaction center (RC) of heliobacteria (hRC) is a homodimer containing cofactors almost analogous to those in the plant photosystem I (PS I). However, its three-dimensional structure is not yet clear. PS I uses phylloquinone (PhyQ) as a secondary electron acceptor (A1), while the available evidence has suggested that menaquinone (MQ) in hRC has no function as A1. The present study identified a new transient electron spin-polarized electron paramagnetic resonance (ESP-EPR) signal, arising from the radical pair of the oxidized electron donor and the reduced electron acceptor (P800(+)MQ(-)), in the hRC core complex and membranes from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. The ESP signal could be detected at 5-20 K upon flash excitation only after prereduction of the iron-sulfur center, F(X), and was selectively lost by extraction of MQ with diethyl ether. MQ was suggested to be located closer to F(X) than PhyQ in PS I based on the simulation of the unique A/E (A, absorption; E, emission) ESP pattern, the reduction/oxidation rates of MQ, and the power saturation property of the static MQ(-) signal. The result revealed the quinone usage as the secondary electron acceptor in hRC, as in the case of PS I.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Masahiro Matsuoka
- §Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Chihiro Azai
- §Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Hirozo Oh-oka
- §Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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Energy Conservation in Heliobacteria: Photosynthesis and Central Carbon Metabolism. THE STRUCTURAL BASIS OF BIOLOGICAL ENERGY GENERATION 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-8742-0_13] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
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16
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Sarrou I, Khan Z, Cowgill J, Lin S, Brune D, Romberger S, Golbeck JH, Redding KE. Purification of the photosynthetic reaction center from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2012; 111:291-302. [PMID: 22383054 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-012-9726-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2011] [Accepted: 02/06/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We have developed a purification protocol for photoactive reaction centers (HbRC) from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. HbRCs were purified from solubilized membranes in two sequential chromatographic steps, resulting in the isolation of a fraction containing a single polypeptide, which was identified as PshA by LC-MS/MS of tryptic peptides. All polypeptides reported earlier as unknown proteins (in Heinnickel et al., Biochemistry 45:6756-6764, 2006; Romberger et al., Photosynth Res 104:293-303, 2010) are now identified by mass spectrometry to be the membrane-bound cytochrome c (553) and four different ABC-type transporters. The purified PshA homodimer binds the following pigments: 20 bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) g, two BChl g', two 8(1)-OH-Chl a (F), and one 4,4'-diaponeurosporene. It lacks the PshB polypeptide binding the F(A) and F(B) [4Fe-4S] clusters. It is active in charge separation and exhibits a trapping time of 23 ps, as judged by time-resolved fluorescence studies. The charge recombination rate of the P(800) (+)F(X)(-) state is 10-15 ms, as seen before. The purified HbRC core was able to reduce cyanobacterial flavodoxin in the light, exhibiting a K (M) of 10 μM and a k (cat) of 9.5 s(-1) under near-saturating light. There are ~1.6 menaquinones per HbRC in the purified complex. Illumination of frozen HbRC in the presence of dithionite can cause creation of a radical at g = 2.0046, but this is not a semiquinone. Furthermore, we show that high-purity HbRCs are very stable in anoxic conditions and even remain active in the presence of oxygen under low light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iosifina Sarrou
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Arizona State University, 1711 S. Rural Rd., Tempe, AZ 85287-1604, USA
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Romberger SP, Golbeck JH. The FX iron-sulfur cluster serves as the terminal bound electron acceptor in heliobacterial reaction centers. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2012; 111:285-290. [PMID: 22297911 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-012-9723-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2011] [Accepted: 01/13/2012] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Phototrophs of the family Heliobacteriaceae contain the simplest known Type I reaction center (RC), consisting of a homodimeric (PshA)(2) core devoid of bound cytochromes and antenna proteins. Unlike plant and cyanobacterial Photosystem I in which the F(A)/F(B) protein, PsaC, is tightly bound to P(700)-F(X) cores, the RCs of Heliobacterium modesticaldum contain two F(A)/F(B) proteins, PshBI and PshBII, which are loosely bound to P(800)-F(X) cores. These two 2[4Fe-4S] ferredoxins have been proposed to function as mobile redox proteins, reducing downstream metabolic partners much in the same manner as does [2Fe-2S] ferredoxin or flavodoxin (Fld) in PS I. Using P(800)-F(X) cores devoid of PshBI and PshBII, we show that iron-sulfur cluster F(X) directly reduces Fld without the involvement of F(A) or F(B) (Fld is used as a proxy for soluble redox proteins even though a gene encoding Fld is not identified in the H. modesticaldum genome). The reduction of Fld is suppressed by the addition of PshBI or PshBII, an effect explained by competition for the electron on F(X). In contrast, P(700)-F(X) cores require the presence of the PsaC, and hence, the F(A)/F(B) clusters for Fld (or ferredoxin) reduction. Thus, in H. modesticaldum, the interpolypeptide F(X) cluster serves as the terminal bound electron acceptor. This finding implies that the homodimeric (PshA)(2) cores should be capable of donating electrons to a wide variety of yet-to-be characterized soluble redox partners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven P Romberger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Kondo T, Nomata J, Fujita Y, Itoh S. EPR study of 1Asp-3Cys ligated 4Fe-4S iron-sulfur cluster in NB-protein (BchN-BchB) of a dark-operative protochlorophyllide reductase complex. FEBS Lett 2010; 585:214-8. [PMID: 21126521 DOI: 10.1016/j.febslet.2010.11.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2010] [Revised: 11/23/2010] [Accepted: 11/24/2010] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Dark-operative protochlorophyllide oxidoreductase, a nitrogenase-like enzyme, contains two [4Fe-4S] clusters, one in the L-protein ((BchL)(2)) and the other in the NB-protein ((BchN-BchB)(2)). The reduced NB-cluster in the NB-protein, which is ligated by 1Asp/3Cys residues, showed a broad S=3/2 electron paramagnetic resonance signal that is rather rare in [4Fe-4S] clusters. A 4Cys-ligated NB-cluster in the mutated variant BchB-D36C protein, in which the Asp36 was replaced by a Cys, gave a rhombic normal S=1/2 signal and lost the catalytic activity. The results suggest that Asp36 contributes to the low redox potential necessary to reduce protochlorophyllide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toru Kondo
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, Japan.
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Collins AM, Redding KE, Blankenship RE. Modulation of fluorescence in Heliobacterium modesticaldum cells. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2010; 104:283-292. [PMID: 20461555 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-010-9554-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2009] [Accepted: 04/14/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
In what appears to be a common theme for all phototrophs, heliobacteria exhibit complex modulations of fluorescence yield when illuminated with actinic light and probed on a time scale of micros to minutes. The fluorescence yield from cells of Heliobacterium modesticaldum remained nearly constant for the first 10-100 ms of illumination and then rose to a maximum level with one or two inflections over the course of many seconds. Fluorescence then declined to a steady-state value within about one minute. In this analysis, the origins of the fluorescence induction in whole cells of heliobacteria are investigated by treating cells with a combination of electron accepters, donors, and inhibitors of the photosynthetic electron transport, as well as varying the temperature. We conclude that fluorescence modulation in H. modesticaldum results from acceptor-side limitation in the reaction center (RC), possibly due to charge recombination between P(800) (+) and A(0) (-).
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Affiliation(s)
- Aaron M Collins
- Departments of Biology and Chemistry, Washington University in St. Louis, MO 63130, USA
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Azai C, Tsukatani Y, Itoh S, Oh-oka H. C-type cytochromes in the photosynthetic electron transfer pathways in green sulfur bacteria and heliobacteria. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2010; 104:189-199. [PMID: 20091230 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-009-9521-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/01/2009] [Accepted: 12/17/2009] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Green sulfur bacteria and heliobacteria are strictly anaerobic phototrophs that have homodimeric type 1 reaction center complexes. Within these complexes, highly reducing substances are produced through an initial charge separation followed by electron transfer reactions driven by light energy absorption. In order to attain efficient energy conversion, it is important for the photooxidized reaction center to be rapidly rereduced. Green sulfur bacteria utilize reduced inorganic sulfur compounds (sulfide, thiosulfate, and/or sulfur) as electron sources for their anoxygenic photosynthetic growth. Membrane-bound and soluble cytochromes c play essential roles in the supply of electrons from sulfur oxidation pathways to the P840 reaction center. In the case of gram-positive heliobacteria, the photooxidized P800 reaction center is rereduced by cytochrome c-553 (PetJ) whose N-terminal cysteine residue is modified with fatty acid chains anchored to the cytoplasmic membrane.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chihiro Azai
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Toyonaka, Osaka, Japan
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Romberger SP, Golbeck JH. The bound iron-sulfur clusters of type-I homodimeric reaction centers. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2010; 104:333-346. [PMID: 20405215 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-010-9543-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2010] [Accepted: 03/08/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
The hallmark of a Type-I photosynthetic reaction center (RC) is the presence of three [4Fe-4S](2+/1+) clusters, named F(X), F(A), and F(B) that act as terminal electron acceptors. Their function is to increase the distance, and hence the lifetime, of the initial charge-separated state so that diffusion-mediated processes, such as the reduction of ferredoxin, can occur. Type-I homodimeric RCs, such as those found in heliobacteria, green-sulfur bacteria, and Candidatus Chloracidobacterium thermophilum, are less well understood than Photosystem I, the prototypical Type-I heterodimeric RC found in cyanobacteria and plants. Here, we review recent progress that has been made in elucidating the spectroscopic and biochemical properties of the bound Fe/S clusters and their cognate proteins in homodimeric Type-I RCs. In Heliobacterium modesticaldum, the identification and characterization of two loosely bound polypeptides, PshBI and PshBII that harbor the F(A) and F(B) clusters threatens to break the long-accepted assumption that Type-I RCs harbor one tightly bound F(A)/F(B)-containing protein. Additionally, the detection of the F(X) cluster in S = 1/2 and S = 3/2 ground spin states has resolved the long-standing issue of its missing EPR spectrum. In Chlorobaculum tepidum, the focus is on the biochemical properties of the unusual extrinsic Fe/S protein, PscB, which is readily dissociable from the RC core. The C-terminal domain of PscB is constructed as a bacterial ferredoxin, harboring the F(A) and F(B) clusters, but the N-terminal domain contains a number of PxxP motifs and is rich in Lys, Pro, and Ala residues, features characteristic of proteins that interact with SH3 domains. Little is known about Candidatus Chloracidobacterium thermophilum except that the photosynthetic RC is predicted to be a Type-I homodimer with an F(X)-binding site. These findings are placed in a context that promises to unify the acceptor side of homodimeric Type-I RCs in prokaryotic phototrophs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven P Romberger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Romberger SP, Castro C, Sun Y, Golbeck JH. Identification and characterization of PshBII, a second FA/FB-containing polypeptide in the photosynthetic reaction center of Heliobacterium modesticaldum. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2010; 104:293-303. [PMID: 20502966 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-010-9558-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2010] [Accepted: 04/29/2010] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
All known Type I photosynthetic reaction centers harbor three [4Fe-4S] clusters named F(X), F(A) and F(B) that function as terminal electron acceptors. We reported earlier that F(A) and F(B) in the homodimeric Type I reaction center from Heliobacterium modesticaldum reside on a loosely bound 54 amino acid protein named PshB. Time-resolved optical spectroscopy and low temperature EPR spectroscopy showed that on illumination, electrons were transferred from F(X) (-) to F(A) and F(B) at both cryogenic and room temperatures. Interestingly, the gene that codes for PshB, HM1_1462, is part of a predicted dicistronic operon that contains a second gene, named HM1_1461, which codes for a second ferredoxin-like protein with high sequence homology to PshB, including the two traditional [4Fe-4S] cluster binding motifs. RT-PCR results confirm that both genes are transcribed as a single transcript. We have cloned the HM1_1461 gene through PCR amplification of the H. modesticaldum chromosomal DNA and overexpressed the apoprotein in Escherichia coli. Reconstitution studies with inorganic reagents have shown that the holoprotein harbors ~8 iron and ~8 sulfide atoms in the form of two [4Fe-4S] clusters. Incubation of the reconstituted holoprotein with heliobacterial reaction center cores results in a charge-separated state characteristic of electron transfer past the F(X) cluster to the terminal [4Fe-4S] clusters F(A) and F(B). These results suggest that the HM1_1461 product, which we have named PshBII, is capable of functioning in lieu of PshB (renamed PshBI) as an alternative terminal electron transfer protein. Thus, unlike PS I, to which PsaC is tightly bound, two loosely bound ferredoxins, PshBI and PshBII, are capable of interacting with the heliobacterial reaction center. The presence of two, loosely bound F(A)/F(B) proteins represents a significant shift in our understanding of structure-function relationships in Type I reaction centers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Steven P Romberger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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Unifying principles in homodimeric type I photosynthetic reaction centers: Properties of PscB and the FA, FB and FX iron–sulfur clusters in green sulfur bacteria. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2008; 1777:1535-44. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2008.09.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2008] [Revised: 08/29/2008] [Accepted: 09/03/2008] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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The genome of Heliobacterium modesticaldum, a phototrophic representative of the Firmicutes containing the simplest photosynthetic apparatus. J Bacteriol 2008; 190:4687-96. [PMID: 18441057 DOI: 10.1128/jb.00299-08] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Despite the fact that heliobacteria are the only phototrophic representatives of the bacterial phylum Firmicutes, genomic analyses of these organisms have yet to be reported. Here we describe the complete sequence and analysis of the genome of Heliobacterium modesticaldum, a thermophilic species belonging to this unique group of phototrophs. The genome is a single 3.1-Mb circular chromosome containing 3,138 open reading frames. As suspected from physiological studies of heliobacteria that have failed to show photoautotrophic growth, genes encoding enzymes for known autotrophic pathways in other phototrophic organisms, including ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase (Calvin cycle), citrate lyase (reverse citric acid cycle), and malyl coenzyme A lyase (3-hydroxypropionate pathway), are not present in the H. modesticaldum genome. Thus, heliobacteria appear to be the only known anaerobic anoxygenic phototrophs that are not capable of autotrophy. Although for some cellular activities, such as nitrogen fixation, there is a full complement of genes in H. modesticaldum, other processes, including carbon metabolism and endosporulation, are more genetically streamlined than they are in most other low-G+C gram-positive bacteria. Moreover, several genes encoding photosynthetic functions in phototrophic purple bacteria are not present in the heliobacteria. In contrast to the nutritional flexibility of many anoxygenic phototrophs, the complete genome sequence of H. modesticaldum reveals an organism with a notable degree of metabolic specialization and genomic reduction.
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Miyamoto R, Mino H, Kondo T, Itoh S, Oh-oka H. An Electron Spin-Polarized Signal of the P800+A1(Q)− State in the Homodimeric Reaction Center Core Complex of Heliobacterium modesticaldum. Biochemistry 2008; 47:4386-93. [DOI: 10.1021/bi701612v] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ryo Miyamoto
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan, and Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Mino
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan, and Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Toru Kondo
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan, and Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan, and Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
| | - Hirozo Oh-oka
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furocho, Chikusa, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan, and Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka 560-0043, Japan
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Abstract
The reaction center (RC) of heliobacteria contains iron-sulfur centers as terminal electron acceptors, analogous to those of green sulfur bacteria as well as photosystem I in cyanobacteria and higher plants. Therefore, they all belong to the so-called type 1 RCs, in contrast to the type 2 RCs of purple bacteria and photosystem II containing quinone molecules. Although the architecture of the heliobacterial RC as a protein complex is still unknown, it forms a homodimer made up of two identical PshA core proteins, where two symmetrical electron transfer pathways along the C2 axis are assumed to be equally functional. Electrons are considered to be transferred from membrane-bound cytochrome c (PetJ) to a special pair P800, a chlorophyll a-like molecule A0, (a quinone molecule A1) and a [4Fe-4S] center Fx and, finally, to 2[4Fe-4S] centers FA/FB. No definite evidence has been obtained for the presence of functional quinone acceptor A1. An additional interesting point is that the electron transfer reaction from cytochrome c to P800 proceeds in a collisional mode. It is highly dependent on the temperature, ion strength and/or viscosity in a reaction medium, suggesting that a heme-binding moiety fluctuates in an aqueous phase with its amino-terminus anchored to membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hirozo Oh-oka
- Department of Biological Sciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka University, Osaka, Japan.
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Heinnickel M, Golbeck JH. Heliobacterial photosynthesis. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2007; 92:35-53. [PMID: 17457690 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-007-9162-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2007] [Accepted: 03/23/2007] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Heliobacteria contain Type I reaction centers (RCs) and a homodimeric core, but unlike green sulfur bacteria, they do not contain an extended antenna system. Given their simplicity, the heliobacterial RC (HbRC) should be ideal for the study of a prototypical homodimeric RC. However, there exist enormous gaps in our knowledge, particularly with regard to the nature of the secondary and tertiary electron acceptors. To paraphrase S. Neerken and J. Amesz (2001 Biochim Biophys Acta 1507:278-290): with the sole exception of primary charge separation, little progress has been made in recent years on the HbRC, either with respect to the polypeptide composition, or the nature of the electron acceptor chain, or the kinetics of forward and backward electron transfer. This situation, however, has changed. First, the low molecular mass polypeptide that contains the terminal FA and FB iron-sulfur clusters has been identified. The change in the lifetime of the flash-induced kinetics from 75 ms to 15 ms on its removal shows that the former arises from the P798+ [FA/FB]- recombination, and the latter from P798+ FX- recombination. Second, FX has been identified in HbRC cores by EPR and Mössbauer spectroscopy, and shown to be a [4Fe-4S]1+,2+ cluster with a ground spin state of S=3/2. Since all of the iron in HbRC cores is in the FX cluster, a ratio of approximately 22 Bchl g/P798 could be calculated from chemical assays of non-heme iron and Bchl g. Third, the N-terminal amino acid sequence of the FA/FB-containing polypeptide led to the identification and cloning of its gene. The expressed protein can be rebound to isolated HbRC cores, thereby regaining both the 75 ms kinetic phase resulting from P798+ [FA/FB]- recombination and the light-induced EPR resonances of FA- and FB-. The gene was named 'pshB' and the protein 'PshB' in keeping with the accepted nomenclature for Type I RCs. This article reviews the current state of knowledge on the structure and function of the HbRC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Heinnickel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
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