Calculation of Vibrational Spectra of Linear Tetrapyrroles. 4. Methine Bridge C−H Out-of-Plane Modes

Vibrational Spectroscopy of Phytochromes

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.

Resonance Raman and vibrational mode analysis used to predict ligand geometry for docking simulations of a water soluble porphyrin and tubulin

The ability to modify the conformation of a protein by controlled partial unfolding may have practical applications such as inhibiting its function or providing non-native photosensitive properties. A water-soluble porphyrin, meso-tetrakis (p-sulfonatophenyl) porphyrin (TSPP), non-covalently bound to tubulin can be used as a photosensitizer, which upon irradiation can lead to conformational changes of the protein. To fully understand the mechanism responsible for this partial unfolding and determine the amino acid residues and atoms involved, it is essential to find the most likely binding location and the configuration of the ligand and protein. Techniques typically used to analyze atomic position details, such as nuclear magnetic resonance and X-ray crystallography, require large concentrations, which are incompatible with the dilute conditions required in experiments for photoinduced mechanisms. Instead, we develop an atomistic description of the TSPP-tubulin complex using vibrational mode analysis from density functional theory calculations correlated to resonance Raman spectra of the porphyrin paired with docking simulations. Changes in the Raman peaks of the porphyrin molecule correlate with changes in its structural vibrational modes when bound to tubulin. The data allow us to construct the relative geometry of the porphyrin when bound to protein, which are then used with docking simulations to find the most likely configuration of the TSPP-tubulin complex.

The protonation state of Glu181 in rhodopsin revisited: interpretation of experimental data on the basis of QM/MM calculations

The structure and spectroscopy of rhodopsin have been intensely studied in the past decade both experimentally and theoretically; however, important issues still remain unresolved. Of central interest is the protonation state of Glu181, where controversial and contradictory experimental evidence has appeared. While FTIR measurements indicate this residue to be unprotonated, preresonance Raman and UV-vis spectra have been interpreted in favor of a protonated Glu181. Previous computational approaches were not able to resolve this issue, providing contradicting data as well. Here, we perform hybrid QM/MM calculations using DFT methods for the electronic ground state, MRCI methods for the electronically excited states, and a polarization model for the MM part in order to investigate this issue systematically. We constructed various active-site models for protonated as well as unprotonated Glu181, which were evaluated by computing NMR, IR, Raman, and UV-vis spectroscopic data. The resulting differences in the UV-vis and Raman spectra between protonated and unprotonated models are very subtle, which has two major consequences. First, the common interpretation of prior Raman and UV-vis experiments in favor of a neutral Glu181 appears questionable, as it is based on the assumption that a charge at the Glu181 location would have a sizable impact. Second, also theoretical results should be interpreted with care. Spectroscopic differences between the structural models must be related to modeling uncertainties and intrinsic methodological errors. Despite a detailed comparison of various rhodopsins and mutants and consistently favorite results with charged Glu181 models, we find merely weak evidence from UV-vis and Raman calculations. On the contrary, difference FTIR and NMR chemical shift measurements on Rh mutants are indicative of the protonation state of Glu181. Supported by our results, they provide strong and independent evidence for a charged Glu181.

Light-induced activation of bacterial phytochrome Agp1 monitored by static and time-resolved FTIR spectroscopy

Phytochromes, which regulate many biological processes in plants, bacteria, and fungi, can exist in two stable states, Pr and Pfr, that can be interconverted by light, via a number of intermediates such as meta-Rc. Herein we employ FTIR spectroscopy to study the Pr-to-Pfr conversion of the bacteriophytochrome Agp1 from Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Static FTIR Pfr/Pr and meta-Rc/Pr difference spectra are disentangled in terms of cofactor and protein structural changes. Guided by DFT calculations on cofactor models, the chromophore conformational changes can be grouped into structural adjustments of the cofactor-protein interactions localized in the C-D dipyrrole moiety, that is, the photoisomerisation site, and in the A-B dipyrrole moiety including the protein attachment site. Whereas changes at the C and D rings appear to be largely completed in the meta-Rc state, the structural changes in the A-B unit occur during the transition from meta-Rc to Pfr, concomitant with the main protein structural changes, as demonstrated by static and time-resolved FTIR difference spectroscopy. We employ this technique to monitor, for the first time, the dynamics of the photocycle of phytochrome on the millisecond timescale. By extending the studies to genetically engineered protein variants of Agp1, we further demonstrate that H250 and D197 as well as the PHY domain are essential for formation of the Pfr state. Based on the IR spectroscopic and available crystallographic data we discuss the role of critical amino acid residues for the protein-cofactor interactions during the photoinduced reaction cycle.

Resonance Raman spectra of beta-carotene in solution and in photosystems revisited: an experimental and theoretical study

The resonance Raman (RR) spectra of beta-carotene have been studied in solution and in the protein complexes of photosystems I and II (PS I, PS II). The experimental studies are complemented by density functional theory (DFT) calculations that allow for a consistent assignment of most of the experimental RR bands in the region between 900 and 1650 cm(-1). Thus, it was shown that the prominent peak at ca. 1525 cm(-1) is composed of two closely spaced modes, both of which dominated by C=C stretching coordinates of the polyene chain. These two modes exhibit different excitation profiles in the region of the allowed electronic S(0) --> S(2) transition with maxima that are separated by ca. 1300 cm(-1). Calculated RR spectra and excitation profiles obtained by time-dependent DFT in conjunction with the transform method indicate that the enhancement pattern of these modes cannot be rationalised within the Condon approximation (A-term scattering). Furthermore, symmetry considerations rule out enhancement via vibronic coupling. Instead, we suggest that the different excitation profiles of the two modes result from force constant changes and mode mixing upon electronic transition (Dushinsky rotation). RR spectra and excitation profiles are very similar in solution and in the protein complexes. Thus, the excitation-dependent frequency variation of the 1525-cm(-1) peak in PS I and PS II is an intrinsic molecular property of beta-carotene and does not reflect different pools of the pigments in specific molecular environments.

Cyanochromes are blue/green light photoreversible photoreceptors defined by a stable double cysteine linkage to a phycoviolobilin-type chromophore

Phytochromes are a collection of bilin-containing photoreceptors that regulate a diverse array of processes in microorganisms and plants through photoconversion between two stable states, a red light-absorbing Pr form, and a far red light-absorbing Pfr form. Recently, a novel set of phytochrome-like chromoproteins was discovered in cyanobacteria, designated here as cyanochromes, that instead photoconvert between stable blue and green light-absorbing forms Pb and Pg, respectively. Here, we show that the distinctive absorption properties of cyanochromes are facilitated through the binding of phycocyanobilin via two stable cysteine-based thioether linkages within the cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenyl cyclase/FhlA domain. Absorption, resonance Raman and infrared spectroscopy, and molecular modeling of the Te-PixJ GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenyl cyclase/FhlA) domain assembled with phycocyanobilin are consistent with attachments to the C3(1) carbon of the ethylidene side chain and the C4 or C5 carbons in the A-B methine bridge to generate a double thioether-linked phycoviolobilin-type chromophore. These spectroscopic methods combined with NMR data show that the bilin is fully protonated in the Pb and Pg states and that numerous conformation changes occur during Pb --> Pg photoconversion. Also identified were a number of photochromically inactive mutants with strong yellow or red fluorescence that may be useful for fluorescence-based cell biological assays. Phylogenetic analyses detected cyanochromes capable of different signaling outputs in a wide range of cyanobacterial species. One unusual case is the Synechocystis cyanochrome Etr1 that also binds ethylene, suggesting that it works as a hybrid receptor to simultaneously integrate light and hormone signals.

Chromophore structure of cyanobacterial phytochrome Cph1 in the Pr state: reconciling structural and spectroscopic data by QM/MM calculations

A quantum mechanics (QM)/molecular mechanics (MM) hybrid method was applied to the Pr state of the cyanobacterial phytochrome Cph1 to calculate the Raman spectra of the bound PCB cofactor. Two QM/MM models were derived from the atomic coordinates of the crystal structure. The models differed in the protonation site of His(260) in the chromophore-binding pocket such that either the delta-nitrogen (M-HSD) or the epsilon-nitrogen (M-HSE) carried a hydrogen. The optimized structures of the two models display small differences specifically in the orientation of His(260) with respect to the PCB cofactor and the hydrogen bond network at the cofactor-binding site. For both models, the calculated Raman spectra of the cofactor reveal a good overall agreement with the experimental resonance Raman (RR) spectra obtained from Cph1 in the crystalline state and in solution, including Cph1 adducts with isotopically labeled PCB. However, a distinctly better reproduction of important details in the experimental spectra is provided by the M-HSD model, which therefore may represent an improved structure of the cofactor site. Thus, QM/MM calculations of chromoproteins may allow for refining crystal structure models in the chromophore-binding pocket guided by the comparison with experimental RR spectra. Analysis of the calculated and experimental spectra also allowed us to identify and assign the modes that sensitively respond to chromophore-protein interactions. The most pronounced effect was noted for the stretching mode of the methine bridge A-B adjacent to the covalent attachment site of PCB. Due a distinct narrowing of the A-B methine bridge bond angle, this mode undergoes a large frequency upshift as compared with the spectrum obtained by QM calculations for the chromophore in vacuo. This protein-induced distortion of the PCB geometry is the main origin of a previous erroneous interpretation of the RR spectra based on QM calculations of the isolated cofactor.

The structure of a complete phytochrome sensory module in the Pr ground state

Phytochromes are red/far-red photochromic biliprotein photoreceptors, which in plants regulate seed germination, stem extension, flowering time, and many other light effects. However, the structure/functional basis of the phytochrome photoswitch is still unclear. Here, we report the ground state structure of the complete sensory module of Cph1 phytochrome from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis 6803. Although the phycocyanobilin (PCB) chromophore is attached to Cys-259 as expected, paralleling the situation in plant phytochromes but contrasting to that in bacteriophytochromes, the ZZZssa conformation does not correspond to that expected from Raman spectroscopy. We show that the PHY domain, previously considered unique to phytochromes, is structurally a member of the GAF (cGMP phosphodiesterase/adenylyl cyclase/FhlA) family. Indeed, the tandem-GAF dumbbell revealed for phytochrome sensory modules is remarkably similar to the regulatory domains of cyclic nucleotide (cNMP) phosphodiesterases and adenylyl cyclases. A unique feature of the phytochrome structure is a long, tongue-like protrusion from the PHY domain that seals the chromophore pocket and stabilizes the photoactivated far-red-absorbing state (Pfr). The tongue carries a conserved PRxSF motif, from which an arginine finger points into the chromophore pocket close to ring D forming a salt bridge with a conserved aspartate residue. The structure that we present provides a framework for light-driven signal transmission in phytochromes.

Contributions of the 8-methyl group to the vibrational normal modes of flavin mononucleotide and its 5-methyl semiquinone radical

Resonance Raman spectroscopy is a powerful tool to investigate flavins and flavoproteins, and a good understanding of the flavin vibrational normal modes is essential for the interpretation of the Raman spectra. Isotopic labeling is the most effective tool for the assignment of vibrational normal modes, but such studies have been limited to labeling of rings II and III of the flavin isoalloxazine ring. In this paper, we report the resonance and pre-resonance Raman spectra of flavin mononucleotide (FMN) and its N5-methyl neutral radical semiquinone (5-CH 3FMN(*)), of which the 8-methyl group of ring I has been deuterated. The experiments indicate that the Raman bands in the low-frequency region are the most sensitive to 8-methyl deuteration. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations have been performed on lumiflavin to predict the isotope shifts, which are used to assign the calculated normal modes to the Raman bands of FMN. A first assignment of the low-frequency Raman bands on the basis of isotope shifts is proposed. Partial deuteration of the 8-methyl group reveals that the changes in the Raman spectra do not always occur gradually. These observations are reproduced by the DFT calculations, which provide detailed insight into the underlying modifications of the normal modes that are responsible for the changes in the Raman spectra. Two types of isotopic shift patterns are observed: either the frequency of the normal mode but not its composition changes or the composition of the normal mode changes, which then appears at a new frequency. The DFT calculations also reveal that the effect of H/D-exchange in the 8-methyl group on the composition of the vibrational normal modes is affected by the position of the exchanged hydrogen, i.e., whether it is in or out of the isoalloxazine plane.

The chromophore structures of the Pr States in plant and bacterial phytochromes

The resonance Raman spectra of the Pr state of the N-terminal 65-kDa fragment of plant phytochrome phyA have been measured and analyzed in terms of the configuration and conformation of the tetrapyrroles methine bridges. Spectra were obtained from phyA adducts reconstituted with the natural chromophore phytochromobilin as well as phycocyanobilin and its isotopomers labeled at the terminal methine bridges through (13)C/(12)C and D/H substitution. Upon comparing the resonance Raman spectra of the various phyA adducts, it was possible to identify the bands that originate from normal modes dominated by the stretching coordinates of the terminal methine bridges A-B and C-D. Quantum chemical calculations of the isolated tetrapyrroles reveal that these modes are sensitive indicators for the methine bridge configuration and conformation. For all phyA adducts, the experimental spectra of Pr including this marker band region are well reproduced by the calculated spectra obtained for the ZZZasa configuration. In contrast, there are substantial discrepancies between the experimental spectra and the spectra calculated for the ZZZssa configuration, which has been previously shown to be the chromophore geometry in the Pr state of the bacterial, biliverdin-binding phytochrome from Deinococcus radiodurans (Wagner, J. R., J. S. Brunzelle, K. T. Forest, R. D. Vierstra. 2005. Nature. 438:325-331). The results of this work, therefore, suggest that plant and bacterial (biliverdin-binding) phytochromes exhibit different structures in the parent state although the mechanism of the photoinduced reaction cycle may be quite similar.

The chromophore structural changes during the photocycle of phytochrome: a combined resonance Raman and quantum chemical approach

Phytochromes are sensory photoreceptors that, upon light irradiation, can be transformed between an inactive and an active state. The conversion is initiated by the photoisomerization of the cofactor, a linear methine-bridged tetrapyrrole, followed by conformational relaxations of the chromophore and the protein matrix that finally leads to the formation of the signaling state. To elucidate the underlying molecular processes, resonance Raman spectroscopy combined with quantum chemical calculations constitutes a powerful approach since it allows determination of the chromophore structure in the various states of phytochrome. On the basis of these studies, a molecular model for the photoinduced reaction cycle is derived.