1
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Kerfeld CA, Sutter M. Orange carotenoid proteins: structural understanding of evolution and function. Trends Biochem Sci 2024; 49:819-828. [PMID: 38789305 DOI: 10.1016/j.tibs.2024.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 04/15/2024] [Accepted: 04/30/2024] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria uniquely contain a primitive water-soluble carotenoprotein, the orange carotenoid protein (OCP). Nearly all extant cyanobacterial genomes contain genes for the OCP or its homologs, implying an evolutionary constraint for cyanobacteria to conserve its function. Genes encoding the OCP and its two constituent structural domains, the N-terminal domain, helical carotenoid proteins (HCPs), and its C-terminal domain, are found in the most basal lineages of extant cyanobacteria. These three carotenoproteins exemplify the importance of the protein for carotenoid properties, including protein dynamics, in response to environmental changes in facilitating a photoresponse and energy quenching. Here, we review new structural insights for these carotenoproteins and situate the role of the protein in what is currently understood about their functions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cheryl A Kerfeld
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Markus Sutter
- MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA; Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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2
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García-Oneto TM, Moyano-Bellido C, Domínguez-Martín MA. Structure and function of the light-protective orange carotenoid protein families. Curr Res Struct Biol 2024; 7:100141. [PMID: 38736459 PMCID: PMC11087925 DOI: 10.1016/j.crstbi.2024.100141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Orange carotenoid proteins (OCPs) are unique photoreceptors that are critical for cyanobacterial photoprotection. Upon exposure to blue-green light, OCPs are activated from a stable orange form, OCPO, to an active red form, OCPR, which binds to phycobilisomes (PBSs) and performs photoprotective non-photochemical quenching (NPQ). OCPs can be divided into three main families: the most abundant and best studied OCP1, and two others, OCP2 and OCP3, which have different activation and quenching properties and are yet underexplored. Crystal structures have been acquired for the three OCP clades, providing a glimpse into the conformational underpinnings of their light-absorption and energy dissipation attributes. Recently, the structure of the PBS-OCPR complex has been obtained allowing for an unprecedented insight into the photoprotective action of OCPs. Here, we review the latest findings in the field that have substantially improved our understanding of how cyanobacteria protect themselves from the toxic consequences of excess light absorption. Furthermore, current research is applying the structure of OCPs to bio-inspired optogenetic tools, to function as carotenoid delivery devices, as well as engineering the NPQ mechanism of cyanobacteria to enhance their photosynthetic biomass production.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - M. Agustina Domínguez-Martín
- Departamento de Bioquímica y Biología Molecular, Campus de Excelencia Internacional Agroalimentario CeiA3, Universidad de Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain
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3
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Sklyar J, Wilson A, Kirilovsky D, Adir N. Insights into energy quenching mechanisms and carotenoid uptake by orange carotenoid protein homologs: HCP4 and CTDH. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 265:131028. [PMID: 38521321 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.131028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2024] [Revised: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
Photodamage to the photosynthetic apparatus by excessive light radiation has led to the evolution of a variety of energy dissipation mechanisms. A mechanism that exists in some cyanobacterial species, enables non-photochemical quenching of excitation energy within the phycobilisome (PBS) antenna complex by the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP). The OCP contains an active N-terminal domain (NTD) and a regulatory C-terminal domain (CTD). Some cyanobacteria also have genes encoding for homologs to both the CTD (CTDH) and the NTD (referred to as helical carotenoid proteins, HCP). The CTDH facilitates uptake of carotenoids from the thylakoid membranes to be transferred to the HCPs. Holo-HCPs exhibit diverse functionalities such as carotenoid carriers, singlet oxygen quenchers, and in the case of HCP4, constitutive OCP-like energy quenching. Here, we present the first crystal structure of the holo-HCP4 binding canthaxanthin molecule and an improved structure of the apo-CTDH from Anabaena sp. PCC 7120. We propose here models of the binding of the HCP4 to the PBS and the associated energy quenching mechanism. Our results show that the presence of the carotenoid is essential for fluorescence quenching. We also examined interactions within OCP-like species, including HCP4 and CTDH, providing the basis for mechanisms of carotenoid transfer from CTDH to HCPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenia Sklyar
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Adjélé Wilson
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Diana Kirilovsky
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, CEA, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France.
| | - Noam Adir
- Schulich Faculty of Chemistry, Technion, Haifa 3200003, Israel.
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4
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Sluchanko NN, Maksimov EG, Slonimskiy YB, Varfolomeeva LA, Bukhanko AY, Egorkin NA, Tsoraev GV, Khrenova MG, Ge B, Qin S, Boyko KM, Popov VO. Structural framework for the understanding spectroscopic and functional signatures of the cyanobacterial Orange Carotenoid Protein families. Int J Biol Macromol 2024; 254:127874. [PMID: 37939760 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2023.127874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Revised: 10/23/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
The Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) is a unique photoreceptor crucial for cyanobacterial photoprotection. Best studied Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 OCP belongs to the large OCP1 family. Downregulated by the Fluorescence Recovery Protein (FRP) in low-light, high-light-activated OCP1 binds to the phycobilisomes and performs non-photochemical quenching. Recently discovered families OCP2 and OCP3 remain structurally and functionally underexplored, and no systematic comparative studies have ever been conducted. Here we present two first crystal structures of OCP2 from morphoecophysiologically different cyanobacteria and provide their comprehensive structural, spectroscopic and functional comparison with OCP1, the recently described OCP3 and all-OCP ancestor. Structures enable correlation of spectroscopic signatures with the effective number of hydrogen and discovered here chalcogen bonds anchoring the ketocarotenoid in OCP, as well as with the rotation of the echinenone's β-ionone ring in the CTD. Structural data also helped rationalize the observed differences in OCP/FRP and OCP/phycobilisome functional interactions. These data are expected to foster OCP research and applications in optogenetics, targeted carotenoid delivery and cyanobacterial biomass engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia.
| | - Eugene G Maksimov
- M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Yury B Slonimskiy
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Larisa A Varfolomeeva
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Antonina Y Bukhanko
- M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Nikita A Egorkin
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia; M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Georgy V Tsoraev
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Maria G Khrenova
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia; Lomonosov Moscow State University, Chemistry Department, Moscow 119991, Russia
| | - Baosheng Ge
- China University of Petroleum (Huadong), College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Qingdao 266580, People's Republic of China
| | - Song Qin
- Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Yantai 264003, People's Republic of China.
| | - Konstantin M Boyko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia
| | - Vladimir O Popov
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Centre of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow 119071, Russia; M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, Moscow 119991, Russia
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5
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Han MH, Yang HW, Yoon J, Villafani Y, Song JY, Pan CH, Park K, Cho Y, Song JJ, Kim SJ, Park YI, Park J. Color-Tuning Mechanism of the Lit Form of Orange Carotenoid Protein. Mol Cells 2023; 46:513-525. [PMID: 37587751 PMCID: PMC10440265 DOI: 10.14348/molcells.2023.2186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Revised: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Orange carotenoid protein (OCP) of photosynthetic cyanobacteria binds to ketocarotenoids noncovalently and absorbs excess light to protect the host organism from light-induced oxidative damage. Herein, we found that mutating valine 40 in the α3 helix of Gloeocapsa sp. PCC 7513 (GlOCP1) resulted in blue- or red-shifts of 6-20 nm in the absorption maxima of the lit forms. We analyzed the origins of absorption maxima shifts by integrating X-ray crystallography, homology modeling, molecular dynamics simulations, and hybrid quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations. Our analysis suggested that the single residue mutations alter the polar environment surrounding the bound canthaxanthin, thereby modulating the degree of charge transfer in the photoexcited state of the chromophore. Our integrated investigations reveal the mechanism of color adaptation specific to OCPs and suggest a design principle for color-specific photoswitches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Man-Hyuk Han
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for the BioCentury, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Hee Wook Yang
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Jungmin Yoon
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for the BioCentury, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Yvette Villafani
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Ji-Young Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Cheol Ho Pan
- Natural Product Informatics Research Center, KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Gangneung 25451, Korea
| | - Keunwan Park
- Natural Product Informatics Research Center, KIST Gangneung Institute of Natural Products, Gangneung 25451, Korea
| | - Youngmoon Cho
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Ji-Joon Song
- Department of Biological Sciences, KI for the BioCentury, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea
| | - Seung Joong Kim
- Department of Physics, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Daejeon 34141, Korea
- Quantum Intelligence Corp., Seoul 07326, Korea
| | - Youn-Il Park
- Department of Biological Sciences, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 34134, Korea
| | - Jiyong Park
- Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalizations, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Daejeon 34141, Korea
- Department of Chemistry, KAIST, Daejeon 34141, Korea
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6
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Yang YW, Liu K, Huang D, Yu C, Chen SZ, Chen M, Qiu BS. Functional specialization of expanded orange carotenoid protein paralogs in subaerial Nostoc species. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2023:kiad234. [PMID: 37070859 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiad234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is a photoactive protein that participates in the photoprotection of cyanobacteria. There are two full-length OCP proteins, four N-terminal paralogs (helical carotenoid protein, HCP), and one C-terminal domain-like carotenoid protein (CCP) found in Nostoc flagelliforme, a desert cyanobacterium. All HCPs (HCP1-3 and HCP6) from N. flagelliforme demonstrated their excellent singlet oxygen quenching activities, in which HCP2 was the strongest singlet oxygen quencher compared with others. Two OCPs, OCPx1 and OCPx2, were not involved in singlet oxygen scavenging; instead, they functioned as phycobilisome fluorescence quenchers. The fast-acting OCPx1 showed more effective photoactivation and stronger phycobilisome fluorescence quenching compared to OCPx2, which behaved differently from all reported OCP paralogs. The resolved crystal structure and mutant analysis revealed that Trp111 and Met125 play essential roles in OCPx2, which is dominant and long-acting. The resolved crystal structure of OCPx2 is maintained in a monomer state and showed more flexible regulation in energy quenching activities compared with the packed oligomer of OCPx1. The recombinant apo-CCP obtained the carotenoid pigment from holo-HCPs and holo-OCPx1 of N. flagelliforme. No such carotenoid transferring processes were observed between apo-CCP and holo-OCPx2. The close phylogenetic relationship of OCP paralogs from subaerial Nostoc species indicates an adaptive evolution toward development of photoprotection: protecting cellular metabolism against singlet oxygen damage using HCPs and against excess energy captured by active phycobilisomes using two different working modes of OCPx.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yi-Wen Yang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
- College of Pharmacy and Life Sciences, Jiujiang University, Jiujiang, Jiangxi 332000, China
| | - Ke Liu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Da Huang
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Chen Yu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Si-Zhuo Chen
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
| | - Min Chen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
| | - Bao-Sheng Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, and Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei 430079, China
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7
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Steube N, Moldenhauer M, Weiland P, Saman D, Kilb A, Ramírez Rojas AA, Garg SG, Schindler D, Graumann PL, Benesch JLP, Bange G, Friedrich T, Hochberg GKA. Fortuitously compatible protein surfaces primed allosteric control in cyanobacterial photoprotection. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:756-767. [PMID: 37012377 PMCID: PMC10172135 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02018-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/21/2023] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
Abstract
Highly specific interactions between proteins are a fundamental prerequisite for life, but how they evolve remains an unsolved problem. In particular, interactions between initially unrelated proteins require that they evolve matching surfaces. It is unclear whether such surface compatibilities can only be built by selection in small incremental steps, or whether they can also emerge fortuitously. Here, we used molecular phylogenetics, ancestral sequence reconstruction and biophysical characterization of resurrected proteins to retrace the evolution of an allosteric interaction between two proteins that act in the cyanobacterial photoprotection system. We show that this interaction between the orange carotenoid protein (OCP) and its unrelated regulator, the fluorescence recovery protein (FRP), evolved when a precursor of FRP was horizontally acquired by cyanobacteria. FRP's precursors could already interact with and regulate OCP even before these proteins first encountered each other in an ancestral cyanobacterium. The OCP-FRP interaction exploits an ancient dimer interface in OCP, which also predates the recruitment of FRP into the photoprotection system. Together, our work shows how evolution can fashion complex regulatory systems easily out of pre-existing components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Steube
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Marcus Moldenhauer
- Institute of Chemistry PC14, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Paul Weiland
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Dominik Saman
- Department of Chemistry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Alexandra Kilb
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | | | - Sriram G Garg
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
| | - Daniel Schindler
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Peter L Graumann
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Justin L P Benesch
- Department of Chemistry, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Gert Bange
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Friedrich
- Institute of Chemistry PC14, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Georg K A Hochberg
- Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology, Marburg, Germany.
- Department of Chemistry, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany.
- Center for Synthetic Microbiology (SYNMIKRO), Marburg, Germany.
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8
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Accidental surface compatibility paved the way for a new molecular interaction. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:653-654. [PMID: 37012378 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02031-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/05/2023]
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9
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Wilson A, Andreeva EA, Niziński S, Talbot L, Hartmann E, Schlichting I, Burdzinski G, Sliwa M, Kirilovsky D, Colletier JP. Structure-function-dynamics relationships in the peculiar Planktothrix PCC7805 OCP1: Impact of his-tagging and carotenoid type. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2022; 1863:148584. [PMID: 35752265 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2022.148584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/31/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is a photoactive protein involved in cyanobacterial photoprotection. Here, we report on the functional, spectral and structural characteristics of the peculiar Planktothrix PCC7805 OCP (Plankto-OCP). We show that this OCP variant is characterized by higher photoactivation and recovery rates, and a stronger energy-quenching activity, compared to other OCP studied thus far. We characterize the effect of the functionalizing carotenoid and of his-tagging on these reactions, and identify the time scales on which these modifications affect photoactivation. The presence of a his-tag at the C-terminus has a large influence on photoactivation, thermal recovery and PBS-fluorescence quenching, and likewise for the nature of the carotenoid that additionally affects the yield and characteristics of excited states and the ns-s dynamics of photoactivated OCP. By solving the structures of Plankto-OCP in the ECN- and CAN-functionalized states, each in two closely-related crystal forms, we further unveil the molecular breathing motions that animate Plankto-OCP at the monomer and dimer levels. We finally discuss the structural changes that could explain the peculiar properties of Plankto-OCP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adjélé Wilson
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Elena A Andreeva
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, CEA, CNRS, Institut de Biologie Structurale, 38000 Grenoble, France; Max-Planck-Institut für medizinische Forschung, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stanisław Niziński
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516, LASIRE, LAboratoire de Spectroscopie pour les Interactions, la Réactivité et l'Environnement, Lille 59000, France; Quantum Electronics Laboratory, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, Poznan 61-614, Poland
| | - Léa Talbot
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Elisabeth Hartmann
- Max-Planck-Institut für medizinische Forschung, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Ilme Schlichting
- Max-Planck-Institut für medizinische Forschung, Jahnstrasse 29, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Gotard Burdzinski
- Quantum Electronics Laboratory, Faculty of Physics, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań, Uniwersytetu Poznańskiego 2, Poznan 61-614, Poland
| | - Michel Sliwa
- Univ. Lille, CNRS, UMR 8516, LASIRE, LAboratoire de Spectroscopie pour les Interactions, la Réactivité et l'Environnement, Lille 59000, France.
| | - Diana Kirilovsky
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif-sur-Yvette, France.
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10
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Slonimskiy YB, Zupnik AO, Varfolomeeva LA, Boyko KM, Maksimov EG, Sluchanko NN. A primordial Orange Carotenoid Protein: Structure, photoswitching activity and evolutionary aspects. Int J Biol Macromol 2022; 222:167-180. [PMID: 36165868 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2022.09.131] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/13/2022] [Revised: 09/13/2022] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are photosynthesizing prokaryotes responsible for the Great Oxygenation Event on Earth ~2.5 Ga years ago. They use a specific photoprotective mechanism based on the 35-kDa photoactive Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP), a promising target for developing novel optogenetic tools and for biomass engineering. The two-domain OCP presumably stems from domain fusion, yet the primitive thylakoid-less cyanobacteria Gloeobacter encodes a complete OCP. Its photosynthesis regulation lacks the so-called Fluorescence Recovery Protein (FRP), which in Synechocystis inhibits OCP-mediated phycobilisome fluorescence quenching, and Gloeobacter OCP belongs to the recently defined, heterogeneous clade OCPX (GlOCPX), the least characterized compared to OCP2 and especially OCP1 clades. Here, we describe the first crystal structure of OCPX, which explains unique functional adaptations of Gloeobacter OCPX compared to OCP1 from Synechocystis. We show that monomeric GlOCPX exploits a remarkable intramolecular locking mechanism stabilizing its dark-adapted state and exhibits drastically accelerated, less temperature-dependent recovery after photoactivation. While GlOCPX quenches Synechocystis phycobilisomes similar to Synechocystis OCP1, it evades interaction with and regulation by FRP from other species and likely uses alternative mechanisms for fluorescence recovery. This analysis of a primordial OCPX sheds light on its evolution, rationalizing renaming and subdivision of the OCPX clade into subclades - OCP3a, OCP3b, OCP3c.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury B Slonimskiy
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Andrei O Zupnik
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Larisa A Varfolomeeva
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Konstantin M Boyko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Eugene G Maksimov
- M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Biology, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation.
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11
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Oligomerization processes limit photoactivation and recovery of the Orange Carotenoid Protein. Biophys J 2022; 121:2849-2872. [PMID: 35794830 PMCID: PMC9388578 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2022.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2022] [Revised: 05/17/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) is a photoactive protein involved in cyanobacterial photoprotection, by quenching of the excess of light harvested energy. The photoactivation mechanism remains elusive, in part due to absence of data pertaining to the timescales over which protein structural changes take place. It also remains unclear whether or not oligomerization of the dark-adapted and light-adapted OCP could play a role in the regulation of its energy quenching activity. Here, we probed photo-induced structural changes in OCP by a combination of static and time-resolved X-ray scattering and steady-state and transient optical spectroscopy in the visible range. Our results suggest that oligomerization partakes in regulation of the OCP photocycle, with different oligomers slowing down the overall thermal recovery of the dark-adapted state of OCP. They furthermore reveal that upon non-photoproductive excitation, a numbed-state forms, which remains in a non-photoexcitable structural state for at least ∼0.5 μs after absorption of a first photon.
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12
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Arshad R, Saccon F, Bag P, Biswas A, Calvaruso C, Bhatti AF, Grebe S, Mascoli V, Mahbub M, Muzzopappa F, Polyzois A, Schiphorst C, Sorrentino M, Streckaité S, van Amerongen H, Aro EM, Bassi R, Boekema EJ, Croce R, Dekker J, van Grondelle R, Jansson S, Kirilovsky D, Kouřil R, Michel S, Mullineaux CW, Panzarová K, Robert B, Ruban AV, van Stokkum I, Wientjes E, Büchel C. A kaleidoscope of photosynthetic antenna proteins and their emerging roles. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2022; 189:1204-1219. [PMID: 35512089 PMCID: PMC9237682 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiac175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/17/2022] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic light-harvesting antennae are pigment-binding proteins that perform one of the most fundamental tasks on Earth, capturing light and transferring energy that enables life in our biosphere. Adaptation to different light environments led to the evolution of an astonishing diversity of light-harvesting systems. At the same time, several strategies have been developed to optimize the light energy input into photosynthetic membranes in response to fluctuating conditions. The basic feature of these prompt responses is the dynamic nature of antenna complexes, whose function readily adapts to the light available. High-resolution microscopy and spectroscopic studies on membrane dynamics demonstrate the crosstalk between antennae and other thylakoid membrane components. With the increased understanding of light-harvesting mechanisms and their regulation, efforts are focusing on the development of sustainable processes for effective conversion of sunlight into functional bio-products. The major challenge in this approach lies in the application of fundamental discoveries in light-harvesting systems for the improvement of plant or algal photosynthesis. Here, we underline some of the latest fundamental discoveries on the molecular mechanisms and regulation of light harvesting that can potentially be exploited for the optimization of photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rameez Arshad
- Department of Biophysics, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
- Electron Microscopy Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Francesco Saccon
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Pushan Bag
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Avratanu Biswas
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Claudio Calvaruso
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt 60438, Germany
| | - Ahmad Farhan Bhatti
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Steffen Grebe
- Department of Life Technologies, MolecularPlant Biology, University of Turku, Turku FI–20520, Finland
| | - Vincenzo Mascoli
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Moontaha Mahbub
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
- Department of Botany, Jagannath University, Dhaka 1100, Bangladesh
| | - Fernando Muzzopappa
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 1198, France
| | - Alexandros Polyzois
- Université de Paris, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, CiTCoM UMR 8038 CNRS, Paris 75006, France
| | | | - Mirella Sorrentino
- Photon Systems Instruments, spol. s.r.o., Drásov, Czech Republic
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples 80138, Italy
| | - Simona Streckaité
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 1198, France
| | | | - Eva-Mari Aro
- Department of Life Technologies, MolecularPlant Biology, University of Turku, Turku FI–20520, Finland
| | - Roberto Bassi
- Dipartimento di Biotecnologie, Università di Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - Egbert J Boekema
- Electron Microscopy Group, Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, University of Groningen, Groningen 9747 AG, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Croce
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Jan Dekker
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Rienk van Grondelle
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Stefan Jansson
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre, Umeå University, Umeå 901 87, Sweden
| | - Diana Kirilovsky
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 1198, France
| | - Roman Kouřil
- Department of Biophysics, Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc 783 71, Czech Republic
| | - Sylvie Michel
- Université de Paris, Faculté de Pharmacie de Paris, CiTCoM UMR 8038 CNRS, Paris 75006, France
| | - Conrad W Mullineaux
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Klára Panzarová
- Photon Systems Instruments, spol. s.r.o., Drásov, Czech Republic
| | - Bruno Robert
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif sur Yvette 1198, France
| | - Alexander V Ruban
- School of Biological and Behavioural Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London, UK
| | - Ivo van Stokkum
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and LaserLaB, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam 1081 HV, The Netherlands
| | - Emilie Wientjes
- Laboratory of Biophysics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Claudia Büchel
- Institute for Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University of Frankfurt, Frankfurt 60438, Germany
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13
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Sharawy M, Pigni NB, May ER, Gascón JA. A favorable path to domain separation in the orange carotenoid protein. Protein Sci 2022; 31:850-863. [PMID: 35000233 PMCID: PMC8927859 DOI: 10.1002/pro.4273] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Revised: 12/24/2021] [Accepted: 01/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) is responsible for nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ) in cyanobacteria, a defense mechanism against potentially damaging effects of excess light conditions. This soluble two-domain protein undergoes profound conformational changes upon photoactivation, involving translocation of the ketocarotenoid inside the cavity followed by domain separation. Domain separation is a critical step in the photocycle of OCP because it exposes the N-terminal domain (NTD) to perform quenching of the phycobilisomes. Many details regarding the mechanism and energetics of OCP domain separation remain unknown. In this work, we apply metadynamics to elucidate the protein rearrangements that lead to the active, domain-separated, form of OCP. We find that translocation of the ketocarotenoid canthaxanthin has a profound effect on the energetic landscape and that domain separation only becomes favorable following translocation. We further explore, characterize, and validate the free energy surface (FES) using equilibrium simulations initiated from different states on the FES. Through pathway optimization methods, we characterize the most probable path to domain separation and reveal the barriers along that pathway. We find that the free energy barriers are relatively small (<5 kcal/mol), but the overall estimated kinetic rate is consistent with experimental measurements (>1 ms). Overall, our results provide detailed information on the requirement for canthaxanthin translocation to precede domain separation and an energetically feasible pathway to dissociation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Sharawy
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsConnecticutUSA
| | - Natalia B. Pigni
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsConnecticutUSA
- Instituto de Ciencia y Tecnología de Alimentos Córdoba (ICYTAC‐CONICET)Ciudad UniversitariaCórdobaArgentina
| | - Eric R. May
- Department of Molecular and Cell BiologyUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsConnecticutUSA
| | - José A. Gascón
- Department of ChemistryUniversity of ConnecticutStorrsConnecticutUSA
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14
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Six C, Ratin M, Marie D, Corre E. Marine Synechococcus picocyanobacteria: Light utilization across latitudes. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2111300118. [PMID: 34518213 PMCID: PMC8463805 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2111300118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/03/2021] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The most ubiquitous cyanobacteria, Synechococcus, have colonized different marine thermal niches through the evolutionary specialization of lineages adapted to different ranges of temperature seawater. We used the strains of Synechococcus temperature ecotypes to study how light utilization has evolved in the function of temperature. The tropical Synechococcus (clade II) was unable to grow under 16 °C but, at temperatures >25 °C, induced very high growth rates that relied on a strong synthesis of the components of the photosynthetic machinery, leading to a large increase in photosystem cross-section and electron flux. By contrast, the Synechococcus adapted to subpolar habitats (clade I) grew more slowly but was able to cope with temperatures <10 °C. We show that growth at such temperatures was accompanied by a large increase of the photoprotection capacities using the orange carotenoid protein (OCP). Metagenomic analyzes revealed that Synechococcus natural communities show the highest prevalence of the ocp genes in low-temperature niches, whereas most tropical clade II Synechococcus have lost the gene. Moreover, bioinformatic analyzes suggested that the OCP variants of the two cold-adapted Synechococcus clades I and IV have undergone evolutionary convergence through the adaptation of the molecular flexibility. Our study points to an important role of temperature in the evolution of the OCP. We, furthermore, discuss the implications of the different metabolic cost of these physiological strategies on the competitiveness of Synechococcus in a warming ocean. This study can help improve the current hypotheses and models aimed at predicting the changes in ocean carbon fluxes in response to global warming.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe Six
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France;
| | - Morgane Ratin
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - Dominique Marie
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Sorbonne Université, UMR 7144, Adaptation et Diversité en Milieu Marin, group Ecology of Marine Plankton, Station Biologique de Roscoff, 29680 Roscoff, France
| | - Erwan Corre
- Department Analysis and Bioinformatics for Marine Science, Fédération de Recherche 2424, 29680 Roscoff, France
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15
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Pivato M, Perozeni F, Licausi F, Cazzaniga S, Ballottari M. Heterologous expression of cyanobacterial Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP2) as a soluble carrier of ketocarotenoids in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. ALGAL RES 2021; 55:102255. [PMID: 33777686 PMCID: PMC7610433 DOI: 10.1016/j.algal.2021.102255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic organisms evolved different mechanisms to protect themselves from high irradiances and photodamage. In cyanobacteria, the photoactive Orange Carotenoid-binding Protein (OCP) acts both as a light sensor and quencher of excitation energy. It binds keto-carotenoids and, when photoactivated, interacts with phyco-bilisomes, thermally dissipating the excitation energy absorbed by the latter, and acting as efficient singlet oxygen quencher. Here, we report the heterologous expression of an OCP2 protein from the thermophilic cyanobacterium Fischerella thermalis (FtOCP2) in the model organism for green algae, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Robust expression of FtOCP2 was obtained through a synthetic redesigning strategy for optimized expression of the transgene. FtOCP2 expression was achieved both in UV-mediated mutant 4 strain, previously selected for efficient transgene expression, and in a background strain previously engineered for constitutive expression of an endogenous β-carotene ketolase, normally poorly expressed in this species, resulting into astaxanthin and other ketocarotenoids accumulation. Recombinant FtOCP2 was successfully localized into the chloroplast. Upon purification it was possible to demonstrate the formation of holoproteins with different xanthophylls and keto-carotenoids bound, including astaxanthin. Moreover, isolated ketocarotenoid-binding FtOCP2 holoproteins conserved their photoconversion properties. Carotenoids bound to FtOCP2 were thus maintained in solution even in absence of organic solvent. The synthetic biology approach herein reported could thus be considered as a novel tool for improving the solubility of ketocarotenoids produced in green algae, by binding to water-soluble carotenoids binding proteins.
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16
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Spectral Features of Canthaxanthin in HCP2. A QM/MM Approach. Molecules 2021; 26:molecules26092441. [PMID: 33922133 PMCID: PMC8122715 DOI: 10.3390/molecules26092441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2021] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The increased interest in sequencing cyanobacterial genomes has allowed the identification of new homologs to both the N-terminal domain (NTD) and C-terminal domain (CTD) of the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP). The N-terminal domain homologs are known as Helical Carotenoid Proteins (HCPs). Although some of these paralogs have been reported to act as singlet oxygen quenchers, their distinct functional roles remain unclear. One of these paralogs (HCP2) exclusively binds canthaxanthin (CAN) and its crystal structure has been recently characterized. Its absorption spectrum is significantly red-shifted, in comparison to the protein in solution, due to a dimerization where the two carotenoids are closely placed, favoring an electronic coupling interaction. Both the crystal and solution spectra are red-shifted by more than 50 nm when compared to canthaxanthin in solution. Using molecular dynamics (MD) and quantum mechanical/molecular mechanical (QM/MM) studies of HCP2, we aim to simulate these shifts as well as obtain insight into the environmental and coupling effects of carotenoid-protein interactions.
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17
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Gwizdala M, Lebre PH, Maggs-Kölling G, Marais E, Cowan DA, Krüger TPJ. Sub-lithic photosynthesis in hot desert habitats. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:3867-3880. [PMID: 33817951 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2020] [Accepted: 04/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In hyper-arid soil environments, photosynthetic microorganisms are largely restricted to hypolithic (sub-lithic) habitats: i.e., on the ventral surfaces of translucent pebbles in desert pavements. Here, we combined fluorometric, spectroscopic, biochemical and metagenomic approaches to investigate in situ the light transmission properties of quartz stones in the Namib Desert, and assess the photosynthetic activity of the underlying hypolithic cyanobacterial biofilms. Quartz pebbles greatly reduced the total photon flux to the ventral surface biofilms and filtered out primarily the short wavelength portion of the solar spectrum. Chlorophylls d and f were not detected in biofilm pigment extracts; however, hypolithic cyanobacterial communities showed some evidence of adaptation to sub-lithic conditions, including the prevalence of genes encoding Helical Carotenoid Proteins, which are associated with desiccation stress. Under water-saturated conditions, hypolithic communities showed no evidence of light stress, even when the quartz stones were exposed to full midday sunlight. This initial study creates a foundation for future in-situ and laboratory exploration of various adaptation mechanisms employed by photosynthetic organisms forming hypolithic microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Gwizdala
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.,Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Pedro H Lebre
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | | | - Eugene Marais
- Gobabeb-Namib Research Institute, Walvis Bay, Namibia
| | - Don A Cowan
- Centre for Microbial Ecology and Genomics, Department of Biochemistry, Genetics and Microbiology, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Tjaart P J Krüger
- Department of Physics, University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa.,Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI), University of Pretoria, Lynnwood Road, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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18
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Zhan J, Steglich C, Scholz I, Hess WR, Kirilovsky D. Inverse regulation of light harvesting and photoprotection is mediated by a 3'-end-derived sRNA in cyanobacteria. THE PLANT CELL 2021; 33:358-380. [PMID: 33793852 PMCID: PMC8136909 DOI: 10.1093/plcell/koaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2020] [Accepted: 12/01/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Phycobilisomes (PBSs), the principal cyanobacterial antenna, are among the most efficient macromolecular structures in nature, and are used for both light harvesting and directed energy transfer to the photosynthetic reaction center. However, under unfavorable conditions, excess excitation energy needs to be rapidly dissipated to avoid photodamage. The orange carotenoid protein (OCP) senses light intensity and induces thermal energy dissipation under stress conditions. Hence, its expression must be tightly controlled; however, the molecular mechanism of this regulation remains to be elucidated. Here, we describe the discovery of a posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 in which the expression of the operon encoding the allophycocyanin subunits of the PBS is directly and in an inverse fashion linked to the expression of OCP. This regulation is mediated by ApcZ, a small regulatory RNA that is derived from the 3'-end of the tetracistronic apcABC-apcZ operon. ApcZ inhibits ocp translation under stress-free conditions. Under most stress conditions, apc operon transcription decreases and ocp translation increases. Thus, a key operon involved in the collection of light energy is functionally connected to the expression of a protein involved in energy dissipation. Our findings support the view that regulatory RNA networks in bacteria evolve through the functionalization of mRNA 3'-UTRs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiao Zhan
- Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomiques et aux Énergies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CEA, CNRS), Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430072, China
| | - Claudia Steglich
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Ingeborg Scholz
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Wolfgang R Hess
- Faculty of Biology, Institute of Biology III, University of Freiburg, D-79104 Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany
| | - Diana Kirilovsky
- Université Paris-Saclay, Commissariat à l’Énergie Atomiques et aux Énergies Alternatives, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CEA, CNRS), Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France
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19
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Chen Z, Shang JL, Hou S, Li T, Li Q, Yang YW, Hess WR, Qiu BS. Genomic and transcriptomic insights into the habitat adaptation of the diazotrophic paddy-field cyanobacterium Nostoc sphaeroides. Environ Microbiol 2021; 23:5802-5822. [PMID: 33848055 DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.15521] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2020] [Revised: 03/25/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria are common in paddy fields, one of the most productive wetland ecosystems. Here, we present the complete genome of Nostoc sphaeroides, a paddy-field diazotroph used for food and medicine for more than 1700 years and deciphered the transcriptional regulation during the developmental transition from hormogonia to vegetative filaments with heterocysts. The genome of N. sphaeroides consists of one circular chromosome (6.48 Mb), one of the largest ever reported megaplasmids (2.34 Mb), and seven plasmids. Multiple gene families involved in the adaption to high solar radiation and water fluctuation conditions were found expanded, while genes involved in anoxic adaptation and phosphonate utilization are located on the megaplasmid, suggesting its indispensable role in environmental adaptation. Distinct gene expression patterns were observed during the light-intensity-regulated transition from hormogonia to vegetative filaments, specifically, genes encoding proteins involved in photosynthetic light reaction, carbon fixation, nitrogen metabolism and heterocyst differentiation were significantly upregulated, whereas genes related to cell motility were down-regulated. Our results provide genomic and transcriptomic insights into the adaptation of a filamentous nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium to the highly dynamic paddy-field habitat, suggesting N. sphaeroides as an excellent system to understand the transition from aquatic to terrestrial habitats and to support sustainable rice production.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhen Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China.,Hubei Key Laboratory of Edible Wild Plants Conservation and Utilization, Hubei Normal University, Huangshi, Hubei, 435002, China
| | - Jin-Long Shang
- School of Life Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Shengwei Hou
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Southern California, CA, Los Angeles, 90089, USA
| | - Tao Li
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Qi Li
- Key Laboratory of Algal Biology, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Science, Wuhan, Hubei, 430072, China
| | - Yi-Wen Yang
- School of Life Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
| | - Wolfgang R Hess
- Genetics and Experimental Bioinformatics, Institute of Biology III, Faculty of Biology, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, 79104, Germany
| | - Bao-Sheng Qiu
- School of Life Sciences, Hubei Key Laboratory of Genetic Regulation and Integrative Biology, Central China Normal University, Wuhan, Hubei, 430079, China
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20
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Maksimov EG, Laptev GY, Blokhin DS, Klochkov VV, Slonimskiy YB, Sluchanko NN, Friedrich T, Chang CF, Polshakov VI. NMR resonance assignment and backbone dynamics of a C-terminal domain homolog of orange carotenoid protein. BIOMOLECULAR NMR ASSIGNMENTS 2021; 15:17-23. [PMID: 32939684 DOI: 10.1007/s12104-020-09976-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2020] [Accepted: 09/11/2020] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Photoprotection in cyanobacteria is mediated by the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP), a two-domain photoswitch which has multiple natural homologs of its N- and C-terminal domains. Recently, it was demonstrated that C-terminal domain homologs (CTDHs) of OCP are standalone carotenoproteins participating in multidirectional carotenoid transfer between membranes and proteins. Non-covalent embedment of a ketocarotenoid causes dimerization of the small 16-kDa water-soluble CTDH protein; however, dynamic interactions of CTDH with membranes and other proteins apparently require the monomeric state. Although crystallography recently provided static snapshots of the Anabaena CTDH (AnaCTDH) spatial structure in the apo-form, which predicted mobility of some putative functional segments, no crystallographic information on the holo-form of CTDH is presently available. In order to use NMR techniques to cope with the dynamics of the AnaCTDH protein, it was necessary to obtain 1H, 13C and 15N resonance assignments. AnaCTDH samples enriched with 13C and 15N isotopes were prepared using recombinant protein expression, and NMR resonance assignment was achieved for more than 90% of the residues. The obtained results revealed that the structure of AnaCTDH in solution and in the crystal are largely equivalent. Together with 15N NMR relaxation experiments, our data shed light on the AnaCTDH dynamics and provide the platform for the subsequent analysis of the holo-CTDH structure in solution, for the better understanding of light-triggered protein-protein interactions and the development of antioxidant nanocarriers for biomedical applications in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eugene G Maksimov
- Center for Magnetic Tomography and Spectroscopy, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 119991.
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center, "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 119071.
- Laboratory of Physical Chemistry of Biomembranes, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 119991.
| | - Gennady Yu Laptev
- Center for Magnetic Tomography and Spectroscopy, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 119991
| | - Dmitriy S Blokhin
- NMR Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Kazan Federal University, 18 Kremlevskaya st., Kazan, Russia, 420008
| | - Vladimir V Klochkov
- NMR Laboratory, Institute of Physics, Kazan Federal University, 18 Kremlevskaya st., Kazan, Russia, 420008
| | - Yury B Slonimskiy
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center, "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 119071
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center, "Fundamentals of Biotechnology" of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia, 119071
| | - Thomas Friedrich
- Institute of Chemistry PC 14, Technische Universität Berlin, Strasse des 17. Juni 135, 10623, Berlin, Germany
| | - Chi-Fon Chang
- Genomics Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Vladimir I Polshakov
- Center for Magnetic Tomography and Spectroscopy, Faculty of Fundamental Medicine, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia, 119991.
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21
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Slonimskiy YB, Maksimov EG, Sluchanko NN. Fluorescence recovery protein: a powerful yet underexplored regulator of photoprotection in cyanobacteria†. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2020; 19:763-775. [PMID: 33856677 DOI: 10.1039/d0pp00015a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2020] [Accepted: 03/03/2020] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Cyanobacteria utilize an elegant photoprotection mechanism mediated by the photoactive Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP), which upon binding dissipates excess energy from light-harvesting complexes, phycobilisomes. The OCP activity is efficiently regulated by its partner, the Fluorescence Recovery Protein (FRP). FRP accelerates OCP conversion to the resting state, thus counteracting the OCP-mediated photoprotection. Behind the deceptive simplicity of such regulation is hidden a multistep process involving dramatic conformational rearrangements in OCP and FRP, the details of which became clearer only a decade after the FRP discovery. Yet many questions regarding the functioning of FRP have remained controversial. In this review, we summarize the current knowledge and understanding of the FRP role in cyanobacterial photoprotection as well as its evolutionary history that presumably lies far beyond cyanobacteria.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury B Slonimskiy
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russian Federation
- M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Eugene G Maksimov
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russian Federation
- M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071, Moscow, Russian Federation.
- M. V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, 119991, Moscow, Russian Federation.
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Slonimskiy YB, Maksimov EG, Lukashev EP, Moldenhauer M, Friedrich T, Sluchanko NN. Engineering the photoactive orange carotenoid protein with redox-controllable structural dynamics and photoprotective function. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2020; 1861:148174. [PMID: 32059843 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2020.148174] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2019] [Revised: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 02/10/2020] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis requires various photoprotective mechanisms for survival of organisms in high light. In cyanobacteria exposed to high light, the Orange Carotenoid Protein (OCP) is reversibly photoswitched from the orange (OCPO) to the red (OCPR) form, the latter binds to the antenna (phycobilisomes, PBs) and quenches its overexcitation. OCPR accumulation implicates restructuring of a compact dark-adapted OCPO state including detachment of the N-terminal extension (NTE) and separation of protein domains, which is reversed by interaction with the Fluorescence Recovery Protein (FRP). OCP phototransformation supposedly occurs via an intermediate characterized by an OCPR-like absorption spectrum and an OCPO-like protein structure, but the hierarchy of steps remains debatable. Here, we devise and analyze an OCP variant with the NTE trapped on the C-terminal domain (CTD) via an engineered disulfide bridge (OCPCC). NTE trapping preserves OCP photocycling within the compact protein structure but precludes functional interaction with PBs and especially FRP, which is completely restored upon reduction of the disulfide bridge. Non-interacting with the dark-adapted oxidized OCPCC, FRP binds reduced OCPCC nearly as efficiently as OCPO devoid of the NTE, suggesting that the low-affinity FRP binding to OCPO is realized via NTE displacement. The low efficiency of excitation energy transfer in complexes between PBs and oxidized OCPCC indicates that OCPCC binds to PBs in an orientation suboptimal for quenching PBs fluorescence. Our approach supports the presence of the OCPR-like intermediate in the OCP photocycle and shows effective uncoupling of spectral changes from functional OCP photoactivation, enabling redox control of its structural dynamics and function.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury B Slonimskiy
- Protein-Protein Interactions Unit, A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation; Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Eugene G Maksimov
- Protein-Protein Interactions Unit, A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation; Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Evgeny P Lukashev
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation
| | - Marcus Moldenhauer
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas Friedrich
- Technische Universität Berlin, Institute of Chemistry PC 14, Straße des 17. Juni 135, D-10623 Berlin, Germany
| | - Nikolai N Sluchanko
- Protein-Protein Interactions Unit, A.N. Bach Institute of Biochemistry, Federal Research Center of Biotechnology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 119071 Moscow, Russian Federation; Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Biology, M.V. Lomonosov Moscow State University, 119991 Moscow, Russian Federation.
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23
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Kirilovsky D. Modulating Energy Transfer from Phycobilisomes to Photosystems: State Transitions and OCP-Related Non-Photochemical Quenching. PHOTOSYNTHESIS IN ALGAE: BIOCHEMICAL AND PHYSIOLOGICAL MECHANISMS 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-33397-3_14] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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24
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Muzzopappa F, Kirilovsky D. Changing Color for Photoprotection: The Orange Carotenoid Protein. TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2020; 25:92-104. [PMID: 31679992 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2019.09.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2019] [Revised: 09/16/2019] [Accepted: 09/18/2019] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
Under high irradiance, light becomes dangerous for photosynthetic organisms and they must protect themselves. Cyanobacteria have developed a simple mechanism, involving a photoactive soluble carotenoid protein, the orange carotenoid protein (OCP), which increases thermal dissipation of excess energy by interacting with the cyanobacterial antenna, the phycobilisome. Here, we summarize our knowledge of the OCP-related photoprotective mechanism, including the remarkable progress that has been achieved in recent years on OCP photoactivation and interaction with phycobilisomes, as well as with the fluorescence recovery protein, which is necessary to end photoprotection. A recently discovered unique mechanism of carotenoid transfer between soluble proteins related to OCP is also described.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fernando Muzzopappa
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France
| | - Diana Kirilovsky
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay, 91198 Gif sur Yvette, France.
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