Excitation and Electron Transfer from Selectively Excited Primary Donor Chlorophyll (P700) in a Photosystem I Reaction Center

Theoretical study of electron transfer in Rhodobacter sphaeroides reaction center

We investigate the substitution effects on electron transfer in Rhodobacter (Rb.) sphaeroides reaction center using ab initio calculations. The overlap of molecular orbitals in the X-ray structure of 1PCR of the protein data bank using Gaussian09 can qualitatively explain the tendency of the experimental transition time. The charge effects of proteins on electron transfer in Rb. sphaeroides reaction center are also investigated, by employing a simple point charge approximation for proteins. We have found that the primary effect for the route A orientation is the effect of long side chains. For the route A orientation on the electron transfer, the influence of the charges of proteins operates through the long side chains indirectly as well as directly work to increase the value of overlap integrals.

Temperature-dependent energy gap of the primary charge separation in photosystem I: study of delayed fluorescence at 77-268 K

The dynamics of fluorescence decay and charge recombination were studied in the ether-extracted photosystem I reaction center isolated from spinach with picosecond resolution over a wide time range up to 100 ns. At all temperatures from 268 to 77 K, a slow fluorescence decay component with a 30-40 ns lifetime was detected. This component was interpreted as a delayed fluorescence emitted from the singlet excited state of the primary donor P700*, which is repopulated through charge recombination that was increased by the lack of secondary acceptor phylloquinone in the sample. Analysis of the fluorescence kinetics allowed estimation of the standard free-energy difference -DeltaG between P700* and the primary radical pair (P700(+)A0(-)) state over a wide temperature range. The values of -DeltaG were estimated to be 160/36 meV at 268/77 K, indicating its high sensitivity to temperature. A temperature-dependent -DeltaG value was also estimated in the delayed fluorescence of the isolated photosystem I in which the secondary acceptor quinone was partially prereduced by preillumination in the presence of dithionite. The results revealed that the temperature-dependent -DeltaG is a universal phenomenon common with the purple bacterial reaction centers, photosystem II and photosystem I reaction centers.

Modification of photosystem I reaction center by the extraction and exchange of chlorophylls and quinones

The photosystem (PS) I photosynthetic reaction center was modified thorough the selective extraction and exchange of chlorophylls and quinones. Extraction of lyophilized photosystem I complex with diethyl ether depleted more than 90% chlorophyll (Chl) molecules bound to the complex, preserving the photochemical electron transfer activity from the primary electron donor P700 to the acceptor chlorophyll A(0). The treatment extracted all the carotenoids and the secondary acceptor phylloquinone (A(1)), and produced a PS I reaction center that contains nine molecules of Chls including P700 and A(0), and three Fe-S clusters (F(X), F(A) and F(B)). The ether-extracted PS I complex showed fast electron transfer from P700 to A(0) as it is, and to FeS clusters if phylloquinone or an appropriate artificial quinone was reconstituted as A(1). The ether-extracted PS I enabled accurate detection of the primary photoreactions with little disturbance from the absorbance changes of the bulk pigments. The quinone reconstitution created the new reactions between the artificial cofactors and the intrinsic components with altered energy gaps. We review the studies done in the ether-extracted PS I complex including chlorophyll forms of the core moiety of PS I, fluorescence of P700, reaction rate between A(0) and reconstituted A(1), and the fast electron transfer from P700 to A(0). Natural exchange of chlorophyll a to 710-740 nm absorbing chlorophyll d in PS I of the newly found cyanobacteria-like organism Acaryochloris marina was also reviewed. Based on the results of exchange studies in different systems, designs of photosynthetic reaction centers are discussed.

Kinetics of charge separation and A0- --> A1 electron transfer in photosystem I reaction centers

The charge separation P700*A(0) --> P700(+)A(0)(-) and the subsequent electron transfer from the primary to secondary electron acceptor have been studied by subtracting absorption difference profiles for cyanobacterial photosystem I (PS I) complexes with open and closed reaction centers. Samples were excited at 660 nm, which lies toward the blue edge of the core antenna absorption spectrum. The resulting PS I kinetics were analyzed in terms of the relevant P700, P700(+), A(0), and A(0)(-) absorption spectra. In our kinetic model, the radical pair P700(+)A(0)(-) forms with 1.3 ps rise kinetics after creation of electronically excited P700*. The formation of A(1)(-) via electron transfer from A(0)(-) requires approximately 13 ps. The kinetics of the latter step are appreciably faster than previously estimated by other groups (20--50 ps).

Selective extraction of antenna chlorophylls, carotenoids and quinones from photosystem I reaction center

By the ether treatment of lyophilized PSI pigment-protein complexes, all the carotenoids and the secondary acceptor phylloquinone (A1), and more than 90% of the Chl were removed to yield the PSI complex with 9-11 molecules of Chl per reaction-center unit. The complexes retained the primary electron donor and acceptor (P700 and A0), in addition to three FeS clusters (F(X), F(A) and F(B)), and showed an activity of highly efficient electron transfer when phylloquinone was reconstituted. The methods for the preparation and the characterization of the ether-extracted PSI complexes are reviewed in this article. We also review the studies done with this PSI preparation on (1) the identification of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of P700, (2) the nano- and picosecond reaction of A0 and A1, (3) the energy-gap dependency of the reaction rate between A0 and the artificial quinones reconstituted at the A1 site, (4) the direct excitation of P700 followed by the ultra-fast electron transfer from P700 to A0, and (5) the de- and re-stabilization of the PSI structure by the removal and reconstitution, respectively, of antenna Chl in the presence of certain lipids.

Femtosecond transient spectroscopy and excitonic interactions in Photosystem I

Ultrafast dynamics of excitation transfer in the Photosystem I (PSI) core antenna from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were detected at 77 K by using femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy with selective excitation at 700, 695, and 710 nm. At low temperature, the efficiency of uphill energy transfer in the core antenna significantly decreases. As a result, the spectral profile of the PSI equilibrated antenna shifts to lower energies because of a change of chlorophyll (Chl) excited-state distribution. Observed on a 2-ns time scale, P700 photooxidation spectra are largely excitation wavelength independent. In the early time spectra, excitation of P700 induces transient photobleaching at 698 nm accompanied by a resonant photobleaching band at 683 nm decaying within 250-300 fs. Chemical oxidation of P700 does not affect the transient band at 683 nm. This band is also present in 200-fs spectra induced by selective excitation of Chls at 710 nm (red pigments C708), which suggests that this high-energy transition may reflect an excitonic interaction between pigments of the reaction center and closely located red pigments. Possible candidates for the interacting molecules in the 4-angstroms crystal structure of cyanobacterial PSI are discussed.

Femtosecond spectroscopy of photosynthetic light-harvesting systems

Observing the elementary steps of light-harvesting in real time is now possible using femtosecond spectroscopy. This, combined with new structural data, has allowed a fairly complete description of light-harvesting in purple bacteria and substantial insights into higher plant antenna systems.