Magnetic-Field-Induced Orientation of Photosynthetic Reaction Centers As Revealed by Time-Resolved W-Band EPR of Spin-Correlated Radical Pairs

Elucidating the design principles of photosynthetic electron-transfer proteins by site-directed spin labeling EPR spectroscopy

Site-directed spin labeling electron paramagnetic resonance (SDSL EPR) spectroscopy is a powerful tool to determine solvent accessibility, side-chain dynamics, and inter-spin distances at specific sites in biological macromolecules. This information provides important insights into the structure and dynamics of both natural and designed proteins and protein complexes. Here, we discuss the application of SDSL EPR spectroscopy in probing the charge-transfer cofactors in photosynthetic reaction centers (RC) such as photosystem I (PSI) and the bacterial reaction center (bRC). Photosynthetic RCs are large multi-subunit proteins (molecular weight≥300 kDa) that perform light-driven charge transfer reactions in photosynthesis. These reactions are carried out by cofactors that are paramagnetic in one of their oxidation states. This renders the RCs unsuitable for conventional nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy investigations. However, the presence of native paramagnetic centers and the ability to covalently attach site-directed spin labels in RCs makes them ideally suited for the application of SDSL EPR spectroscopy. The paramagnetic centers serve as probes of conformational changes, dynamics of subunit assembly, and the relative motion of cofactors and peptide subunits. In this review, we describe novel applications of SDSL EPR spectroscopy for elucidating the effects of local structure and dynamics on the electron-transfer cofactors of photosynthetic RCs. Because SDSL EPR Spectroscopy is uniquely suited to provide dynamic information on protein motion, it is a particularly useful method in the engineering and analysis of designed electron transfer proteins and protein networks. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Biodesign for Bioenergetics--the design and engineering of electronic transfer cofactors, proteins and protein networks, edited by Ronald L. Koder and J.L. Ross Anderson.

High Time Resolution Multifrequency EPR of Radical Pair Intermediates in Photosynthetic Reaction Centers: Structure Determination on a Nanosecond Time Scale

The primary steps of photosynthesis proceed via light-induced radical pairs as short-lived intermediates. In this paper we discuss novel coherence phenomena which can be observed for these species. It is demonstrated that the analysis of quantum beat oscillations in combination with multifrequency EPR and a magnetically oriented sample represents a powerful structural tool. We expect that this is of general interest, since the detailed structure of radical pair intermediates can be determined on a nanosecond time scale.

Structural organization in photosynthetic proteins as studied by high-field EPR of spin-correlated radical pair states

We demonstrate the potential of high-field (HF) time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy to reveal unique information about electron transfer processes and the structure of photosynthetic systems. The lineshapes and electron spin polarization (ESP) of spin-correlated radical pair (SCRP) spectra recorded with HF-EPR are very sensitive to the magnetic parameters, interactions, and geometry of the radicals in the pair. This sensitivity facilitates an analysis of more sophisticated models and methods to reveal the important relationship between structural organization and light-induced electron transfer of the photosynthetic proteins. In this review, we report on a new time-resolved HF and multi-frequency EPR approach developed in the Freiburg laboratory in cooperation with the Argonne Photosynthesis group. The method is designed to probe the geometric structure of charge separated states in the photosynthetic membrane. First, we discuss the magneto-orientation of photosynthetic cyanobacteria as revealed by time-resolved HF-EPR of SCRPs. Then, we demonstrate how the three-dimensional structure of the SCRP P700(+)A1 from photosystem I of oxygenic photosynthesis and its arrangement in the membrane is obtained from application of multi-frequency including time-resolved HF-EPR techniques.

Photochemically Induced Dynamic Nuclear Polarization in Photosystem I of Plants Observed by13C Magic-Angle Spinning NMR

Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) has been observed in photosystem I of spinach by (13)C magic angle spinning solid-state NMR under continuous illumination with white light. An almost complete set of chemical shifts of the aromatic ring carbons of a single Chl a molecule has been obtained which is assigned to the P2-cofactor of the primary electron donor P700. Since all light-induced (13)C NMR signals appear to be emissive, a predominance of the three-spin mixing mechanism over the differential decay mechanism is proposed. The origin of the strong contribution of the three-spin mixing mechanism and the differences with photosystem II are discussed.

Removal of PsaF alters forward electron transfer in photosystem I: evidence for fast reoxidation of QK-A in subunit deletion mutants of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002

Recent studies of point mutations in photosystem I have suggested that the two kinetic phases of phylloquinone reoxidation represent electron transfer in the two branches of cofactors. This interpretation implies that changes in the relative amplitudes of the two kinetic phases represent a change in the extent of electron transfer in the two branches. Using time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), this issue is investigated in subunit deletion mutants of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. The spin-polarized EPR signals of P(700)(+)A(1)(-) and P(700)(+)FeS(-), both at room temperature and in frozen solution, are altered by deletion of PsaF and/or PsaE, and the differences from the wild type are much more pronounced in PS I complexes isolated from the mutants using Triton X-100 rather than n-dodecyl beta-d-maltopyranoside. The changes in the transient EPR data for the mutant complexes are consistent with a significant fraction of reaction centers showing (i) faster electron transfer from A(1)(-) to F(X), (ii) slower forward electron transfer from A(0)(-) to A(1), and (iii) slightly altered quinone hyperfine couplings, possibly as a result of a change in the hydrogen bonding. The fraction of fast electron transfer and its dependence on the isolation procedure are estimated approximately from simulations of the room temperature EPR data. The results are discussed in terms of possible models for the electron transfer. It is suggested that the detergent-induced fraction of fast electron transfer is most likely due to alteration of the environment of the quinone in the PsaA branch of cofactors and is not the result of a change in the directionality of electron transfer.

Examples of high-frequency EPR studies in bioinorganic chemistry

Low-temperature EPR spectroscopy with frequencies between 95 and 345 GHz and magnetic fields up to 12 T has been used to study metal sites in proteins or inorganic complexes and free radicals. The high-field EPR method was used to resolve g-value anisotropy by separating it from overlapping hyperfine couplings. The presence of hydrogen bonding interactions to the tyrosyl radical oxygens in ribonucleotide reductases were detected. At 285 GHz the g-value anisotropy from the rhombic type 2 Cu(II) signal in the enzyme laccase has its g-value anisotropy clearly resolved from slightly different overlapping axial species. Simple metal site systems with S>1/2 undergo a zero-field splitting, which can be described by the spin Hamiltonian. From high-frequency EPR, the D values that are small compared to the frequency (high-field limit) can be determined directly by measuring the distance of the outermost signal to the center of the spectrum, which corresponds to (2 S-1)* mid R: Dmid R: For example, D values of 0.8 and 0.3 cm(-1) are observed for S=5/2 Fe(III)-EDTA and transferrin, respectively. When D values are larger compared to the frequency and in the case of half-integer spin systems, they can be obtained from the frequency dependence of the shifts of g(eff), as observed for myoglobin in the presence ( D=5 cm(-1)) or absence ( D=9.5 cm(-1)) of fluoride. The 285 and 345 GHz spectra of the Fe(II)-NO-EDTA complex show that it is best described as a S=3/2 system with D=11.5 cm(-1), E=0.1 cm(-1), and g(x)= g(y)= g(z)=2.0. Finally, the effects of HF-EPR on X-band EPR silent states and weak magnetic interactions are demonstrated.

Orientation selection in photosynthetic PS I multilayers: structural investigation of the charge separated state P(700)(+z.rad;)A(1)(-z.rad;) by high-field/high-frequency time-resolved EPR at 3.4 T/95 GHz

The radical-pair state of the primary electron donor and the secondary electron acceptor (P(700)(+z.rad;)A(1)(-z.rad;)) of the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) photosystem I (PS I) of Synechocystis PCC 6803 was studied by time-resolved electron paramagnetic resonance (TREPR) at high field/high frequency (3.4 T/95 GHz) using orientation selection in multilayers. The goal of the present article is to work out the basis for future studies, in which the improved resolution of such multilayers may be used to detect mutation-induced structural changes of PS I in membrane preparations. This approach is particularly interesting for systems that cannot be prepared as single crystals. However, in order to use such multilayers for structural investigations of protein complexes, it is necessary to know their orientation distribution. PS I was chosen as a test example because the wild type was recently crystallized and its X-ray structure determined to 2.5 A resolution [Nature 411 (2001) 909]. On the basis of our experimental results we determined the orientation distribution. Furthermore, a simulation model for the general case in which the orientation distribution is not axially symmetric about the C(2) symmetry axis of the RC is developed and discussed. Spectra simulations show that changes in the TREPR spectra of PS I are much more significant for these oriented multilayers than for disordered samples. In this way the use of oriented multilayers, in conjunction with multifrequency TREPR measurements on oriented as well as on disordered samples, is a promising approach for studies of structural changes of PS I systems that are induced by point mutations.

Light-induced spin polarization in type I photosynthetic reaction centres

The use of light-induced spin polarization to study the structure and function of type I reaction centres is reviewed. The absorption of light by these systems generates a series of sequential radical pairs, which exhibit spin polarization as a result of the correlation of the unpaired electron spins. A description of how the polarization patterns can be used to deduce the relative orientation of the radicals is given and the most important structural results from such studies on photosystem I (PS I) are summarized. Quinone exchange experiments which demonstrate the influence of protein-cofactor interactions on the polarization patterns are discussed. The results show that there are significant differences between the binding sites of the primary quinone acceptors in PS I and purple bacterial reaction centres and suggest that pi-pi interactions probably play a more important role in PS I. Studies using spin-polarized EPR transients and spectra to investigate the electron transfer pathway and kinetics are also reviewed. The results from PS I, green-sulphur bacteria and Heliobacteria are compared and the controversy surrounding the role of a quinone in the electron transfer in the latter two systems is discussed.

Pulsed EPR spectroscopy on short-lived intermediates in Photosystem I

The application of pulsed electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy on short-lived intermediates in Photosystem I is reviewed. The spin polarization in light-induced radical pairs gives rise to a phase shifted 'out-of-phase' electron spin echo signal. This echo signal shows a prominent modulation of its intensity as a function of the spacing between the two microwave pulses. Its modulation frequency is determined by the electron-electron spin couplings within the radical pair. Thereby, the measurement of the dipolar coupling gives direct information about the spin-spin distance and can therefore be used to determine cofactor distances with high precision. Application of this technique to the radical pair P(*+)(700)A(*-)(1) in Photosystem I is discussed. Moreover, if oriented samples (e.g. single crystals) are used, the angular dependence of the dipolar coupling can be used to derive the orientation of the axis connecting donor and acceptor with respect to an external (crystal) axes system. Using out-of-phase electron spin echo envelope modulation spectroscopy, the localization of the secondary acceptor quinone A(1) has become possible.

A new approach to determining the geometry of weakly coupled radical pairs from their electron spin polarization patterns

Analytical expressions for the spin polarized EPR lineshapes of weakly coupled radical pairs (RPs) are derived as functions of the angles between the anisotropic g-tensors of the radicals and the vector describing the dipolar coupling. It is shown that with a singlet precursor the EPR signal of the RP can be written as a linear function of the dipolar coupling. Under these conditions, the calculated powder spectrum can be expressed as a linear combination of four powder spectra, which are independent of the geometry of the RP. To reproduce the experimental spectra the optimal set of coefficients can be found by least-squares fitting. The advantage of this approach is that the four powder spectra must only be calculated once. This treatment shows very clearly the restrictions placed on the information obtainable from such spectra. Most importantly, a unique set of angles can only be obtained if the absolute amplitude of the spectrum is known. In general, the calculated spectrum is related to the experimental spectrum by an unknown, arbitrary scaling factor. In this case, sets of angles consistent with the data are obtained. Possible strategies for obtaining unique geometric information are discussed and demonstrated with the experimental data for the state P+*(865)Q-*(A) in Zn-substituted bacterial reaction centres.

Structure of the P700(+ )A1(-) radical pair intermediate in photosystem I by high time resolution multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance: analysis of quantum beat oscillations

The geometry of the secondary radical pair P700(+)A1(-), in photosystem I (PSI) from the deuterated and 15N-substituted cyanobacterium Synechococcus lividus, has been determined by high time resolution electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), performed at three different microwave frequencies. Structural information is extracted from light-induced quantum beats observed in the transverse magnetization of P700(+)A1(-) at early times after laser excitation. A computer analysis of the two-dimensional Q-band experiment provides the orientation of the various magnetic tensors of with respect to a magnetic reference frame. The orientation of the cofactors of the primary donor in the g-tensor system of is then evaluated by analyzing time-dependent X-band EPR spectra, extracted from a two-dimensional data set. Finally, the cofactor arrangement of P700(+)A1(-) in the photosynthetic membrane is deduced from angular-dependent W-band spectra, observed for a magnetically aligned sample. Thus, the orientation of the g-tensor of P700(+) with respect to a chlorophyll based reference system could be determined. The angle between the g1(z) axis and the chlorophyll plane normal is found to be 29 +/- 7 degrees, while the g1(y) axis lies in the chlorophyll plane. In addition, a complete structural model for the reduced quinone acceptor, A1(-), is evaluated. In this model, the quinone plane of is found to be inclined by 68 +/- 7 degrees relative to the membrane plane, while the P700(+)-A1(-) axis makes an angle of 35 +/- 6 degrees with the membrane normal. All of these values refer to the charge separated state, observed at low temperatures, where forward electron transfer to the iron-sulfur centers is partially blocked. Preliminary room temperature studies of P700(+)A1(-), employing X-band quantum beat oscillations, indicate a different orientation of A1(-) in its binding pocket. A comparison with crystallographic data provides information on the electron-transfer pathway in PSI. It appears that quantum beats represent excellent structural probes for the short-lived intermediates in the primary energy conversion steps of photosynthesis.