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Graça AT, Lihavainen J, Hussein R, Schröder WP. Obscurity of chlorophyll tails - Is chlorophyll with farnesyl tail incorporated into PSII complexes? PHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM 2024; 176:e14428. [PMID: 38981693 DOI: 10.1111/ppl.14428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2024] [Revised: 06/14/2024] [Accepted: 06/20/2024] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Chlorophyll is essential in photosynthesis, converting sunlight into chemical energy in plants, algae, and certain bacteria. Its structure, featuring a porphyrin ring enclosing a central magnesium ion, varies in forms like chlorophyll a, b, c, d, and f, allowing light absorption at a broader spectrum. With a 20-carbon phytyl tail (except for chlorophyll c), chlorophyll is anchored to proteins. Previous findings suggested the presence of chlorophyll with a modified farnesyl tail in thermophilic cyanobacteria Thermosynechoccocus vestitus. In our Arabidopsis thaliana PSII cryo-EM map, specific chlorophylls showed incomplete phytyl tails, suggesting potential farnesyl modifications. However, further high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) analysis in A. thaliana and T. vestitus did not confirm the presence of any farnesyl tails. Instead, we propose the truncated tails in PSII models may result from binding pocket flexibility rather than actual modifications.
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Affiliation(s)
- André T Graça
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jenna Lihavainen
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Rana Hussein
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Department of Biology, Berlin, Germany
| | - Wolfgang P Schröder
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
- Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå Plant Science Centre (UPSC), Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden
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2
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Kalvelage J, Wöhlbrand L, Senkler J, Schumacher J, Ditz N, Bischof K, Winklhofer M, Klingl A, Braun HP, Rabus R. Conspicuous chloroplast with light harvesting-photosystem I/II megacomplex in marine Prorocentrum cordatum. PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2024; 195:306-325. [PMID: 38330164 PMCID: PMC11181951 DOI: 10.1093/plphys/kiae052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 01/06/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024]
Abstract
Marine photosynthetic (micro)organisms drive multiple biogeochemical cycles and display a large diversity. Among them, the bloom-forming, free-living dinoflagellate Prorocentrum cordatum CCMP 1329 (formerly P. minimum) stands out with its distinct cell biological features. Here, we obtained insights into the structural properties of the chloroplast and the photosynthetic machinery of P. cordatum using microscopic and proteogenomic approaches. High-resolution FIB/SEM analysis revealed a single large chloroplast (∼40% of total cell volume) with a continuous barrel-like structure, completely lining the inner face of the cell envelope and enclosing a single reticular mitochondrium, the Golgi apparatus, as well as diverse storage inclusions. Enriched thylakoid membrane fractions of P. cordatum were comparatively analyzed with those of the well-studied model-species Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) using 2D BN DIGE. Strikingly, P. cordatum possessed a large photosystem-light harvesting megacomplex (>1.5 MDa), which is dominated by photosystems I and II (PSI, PSII), chloroplast complex I, and chlorophyll a-b binding light harvesting complex proteins. This finding parallels the absence of grana in its chloroplast and distinguishes from the predominant separation of PSI and PSII complexes in A. thaliana, indicating a different mode of flux balancing. Except for the core elements of the ATP synthase and the cytb6f-complex, the composition of the other complexes (PSI, PSII, and pigment-binding proteins, PBPs) of P. cordatum differed markedly from those of A. thaliana. Furthermore, a high number of PBPs was detected, accounting for a large share of the total proteomic data (∼65%) and potentially providing P. cordatum with flexible adaptation to changing light regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jana Kalvelage
- School of Mathematics and Science, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Lars Wöhlbrand
- School of Mathematics and Science, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Jennifer Senkler
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Plant Genetics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Julian Schumacher
- School of Mathematics and Science, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Noah Ditz
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Plant Genetics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Kai Bischof
- Faculty Biology/Chemistry, University of Bremen & MARUM, 28359 Bremen, Germany
| | - Michael Winklhofer
- School of Mathematics and Science, Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences (IBU), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
- Research Center Neurosensory Science, School of Mathematics and Science, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Andreas Klingl
- Faculty of Biology, Botany, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität LMU München, 82152 Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Hans-Peter Braun
- Faculty of Natural Sciences, Institute of Plant Genetics, Leibniz Universität Hannover, 30419 Hannover, Germany
| | - Ralf Rabus
- School of Mathematics and Science, Institute for Chemistry and Biology of the Marine Environment (ICBM), Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, 26129 Oldenburg, Germany
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Debus RJ, Oyala PH. Independent Mutation of Two Bridging Carboxylate Ligands Stabilizes Alternate Conformers of the Photosynthetic O 2-Evolving Mn 4CaO 5 Cluster in Photosystem II. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:3870-3884. [PMID: 38602496 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/12/2024]
Abstract
The O2-evolving Mn4CaO5 cluster in photosystem II is ligated by six carboxylate residues. One of these is D170 of the D1 subunit. This carboxylate bridges between one Mn ion (Mn4) and the Ca ion. A second carboxylate ligand is D342 of the D1 subunit. This carboxylate bridges between two Mn ions (Mn1 and Mn2). D170 and D342 are located on opposite sides of the Mn4CaO5 cluster. Recently, it was shown that the D170E mutation perturbs both the intricate networks of H-bonds that surround the Mn4CaO5 cluster and the equilibrium between different conformers of the cluster in two of its lower oxidation states, S1 and S2, while still supporting O2 evolution at approximately 50% the rate of the wild type. In this study, we show that the D342E mutation produces much the same alterations to the cluster's FTIR and EPR spectra as D170E, while still supporting O2 evolution at approximately 20% the rate of the wild type. Furthermore, the double mutation, D170E + D342E, behaves similarly to the two single mutations. We conclude that D342E alters the equilibrium between different conformers of the cluster in its S1 and S2 states in the same manner as D170E and perturbs the H-bond networks in a similar fashion. This is the second identification of a Mn4CaO5 metal ligand whose mutation influences the equilibrium between the different conformers of the S1 and S2 states without eliminating O2 evolution. This finding has implications for our understanding of the mechanism of O2 formation in terms of catalytically active/inactive conformations of the Mn4CaO5 cluster in its lower oxidation states.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Debus
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California at Riverside, Riverside, California 92521, United States
| | - Paul H Oyala
- Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91106, United States
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4
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Lin C, Mazor Y, Reppert M. Feeling the Strain: Quantifying Ligand Deformation in Photosynthesis. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:2266-2280. [PMID: 38442033 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Structural distortion of protein-bound ligands can play a critical role in enzyme function by tuning the electronic and chemical properties of the ligand molecule. However, quantifying these effects is difficult due to the limited resolution of protein structures and the difficulty of generating accurate structural restraints for nonprotein ligands. Here, we seek to quantify these effects through a statistical analysis of ligand distortion in chlorophyll proteins (CP), where ring deformation is thought to play a role in energy and electron transfer. To assess the accuracy of ring-deformation estimates from available structural data, we take advantage of the C2 symmetry of photosystem II (PSII), comparing ring-deformation estimates for equivalent sites both within and between 113 distinct X-ray and cryogenic electron microscopy PSII structures. Significantly, we find that several deformation modes exhibit considerable variability in predictions, even for equivalent monomers, down to a 2 Å resolution, to an extent that probably prevents their utilization in optical calculations. We further find that refinement restraints play a critical role in determining deformation values to resolution as low as 2 Å. However, for those modes that are well-resolved in the structural data, ring deformation in PSII is strongly conserved across all species tested from cyanobacteria to algae. These results highlight both the opportunities and limitations inherent in structure-based analyses of the bioenergetic and optical properties of CPs and other protein-ligand complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chientzu Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47920, United States
| | - Yuval Mazor
- School of Molecular Sciences, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Mike Reppert
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47920, United States
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5
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Russell BP, Vinyard DJ. Conformational changes in a Photosystem II hydrogen bond network stabilize the oxygen-evolving complex. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2024; 1865:149020. [PMID: 37956939 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2023.149020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
The Mn4CaO5 oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) in Photosystem II (PSII) is assembled in situ and catalyzes water oxidation. After OEC assembly, the PsbO extrinsic subunit docks to the lumenal face of PSII and both stabilizes the OEC and facilitates efficient proton transfer to the lumen. D1 residue R334 is part of a hydrogen bond network involved in proton release during catalysis and interacts directly with PsbO. D1-R334 has recently been observed in different conformations in apo- and holo-OEC PSII structures. We generated a D1-R334G point mutant in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 to better understand this residue's function. D1-R334G PSII is active under continuous light, but the OEC is unstable in darkness. Isolated D1-R334G core complexes have little bound PsbO and less manganese as the wild type control. The S2 intermediate is stabilized in D1-R334G indicating that the local environment around the OEC has been altered. These results suggest that the hydrogen bond network that includes D1-R334 exists in a different functional conformation during PSII biogenesis in the absence of PsbO.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon P Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America
| | - David J Vinyard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, 202 Life Sciences Building, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, United States of America.
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Hussein R, Ibrahim M, Bhowmick A, Simon PS, Bogacz I, Doyle MD, Dobbek H, Zouni A, Messinger J, Yachandra VK, Kern JF, Yano J. Evolutionary diversity of proton and water channels on the oxidizing side of photosystem II and their relevance to function. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 158:91-107. [PMID: 37266800 PMCID: PMC10684718 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-023-01018-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
One of the reasons for the high efficiency and selectivity of biological catalysts arise from their ability to control the pathways of substrates and products using protein channels, and by modulating the transport in the channels using the interaction with the protein residues and the water/hydrogen-bonding network. This process is clearly demonstrated in Photosystem II (PS II), where its light-driven water oxidation reaction catalyzed by the Mn4CaO5 cluster occurs deep inside the protein complex and thus requires the transport of two water molecules to and four protons from the metal center to the bulk water. Based on the recent advances in structural studies of PS II from X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy, in this review we compare the channels that have been proposed to facilitate this mass transport in cyanobacteria, red and green algae, diatoms, and higher plants. The three major channels (O1, O4, and Cl1 channels) are present in all species investigated; however, some differences exist in the reported structures that arise from the different composition and arrangement of membrane extrinsic subunits between the species. Among the three channels, the Cl1 channel, including the proton gate, is the most conserved among all photosynthetic species. We also found at least one branch for the O1 channel in all organisms, extending all the way from Ca/O1 via the 'water wheel' to the lumen. However, the extending path after the water wheel varies between most species. The O4 channel is, like the Cl1 channel, highly conserved among all species while having different orientations at the end of the path near the bulk. The comparison suggests that the previously proposed functionality of the channels in T. vestitus (Ibrahim et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117:12624-12635, 2020; Hussein et al., Nat Commun 12:6531, 2021) is conserved through the species, i.e. the O1-like channel is used for substrate water intake, and the tighter Cl1 and O4 channels for proton release. The comparison does not eliminate the potential role of O4 channel as a water intake channel. However, the highly ordered hydrogen-bonded water wire connected to the Mn4CaO5 cluster via the O4 may strongly suggest that it functions in proton release, especially during the S0 → S1 transition (Saito et al., Nat Commun 6:8488, 2015; Kern et al., Nature 563:421-425, 2018; Ibrahim et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 117:12624-12635, 2020; Sakashita et al., Phys Chem Chem Phys 22:15831-15841, 2020; Hussein et al., Nat Commun 12:6531, 2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Rana Hussein
- Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, 10099, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Mohamed Ibrahim
- Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Asmit Bhowmick
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Philipp S Simon
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Isabel Bogacz
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Margaret D Doyle
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Holger Dobbek
- Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Athina Zouni
- Department of Biology, Humboldt-Universität Zu Berlin, 10099, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johannes Messinger
- Molecular Biomimetics, Department of Chemistry-Ångström, Uppsala University, SE 75120, Uppsala, Sweden
- Department of Chemistry, Umeå University, SE 90187, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Vittal K Yachandra
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Jan F Kern
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Junko Yano
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
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7
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Matsubara T, Shimada Y, Kitajima-Ihara T, Nagao R, Noguchi T. Rapid-Scan Fourier Transform Infrared Monitoring of the Photoactivation Process in Cyanobacterial Photosystem II. J Phys Chem B 2023; 127:8150-8161. [PMID: 37718495 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c04325] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The catalytic site of photosynthetic water oxidation, the Mn4CaO5 cluster, in photosystem II (PSII) is known to be formed by a light-induced process called photoactivation. However, details of its molecular mechanism remain unresolved. In this study, we monitored the photoactivation process in cyanobacterial PSII using rapid-scan, time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The Mn3+/Mn2+ FTIR difference spectra of PSII, in which D1-D170 was specifically 13C labeled, and PSII from the D1-D170A, D1-E189A, and D1-D342A mutants provide strong evidence that the initial Mn2+ is coordinated by D1-D170 and D1-E189. Protein conformational changes and relocation of photo-oxidized Mn3+ in the dark rearrangement process were detected as slow-phase signals in the amide I and carboxylate regions, whereas similar signals were not observed in D1-E189A PSII. It is thus proposed that relocation of Mn3+ via D1-E189 induces the conformational changes of the proteins to form proper Mn binding sites in the mature protein conformation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takumi Matsubara
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Yuichiro Shimada
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Tomomi Kitajima-Ihara
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Ryo Nagao
- Faculty of Agriculture, Shizuoka University, Shizuoka 422-8529, Japan
| | - Takumi Noguchi
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
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Opatíková M, Semchonok DA, Kopečný D, Ilík P, Pospíšil P, Ilíková I, Roudnický P, Zeljković SĆ, Tarkowski P, Kyrilis FL, Hamdi F, Kastritis PL, Kouřil R. Cryo-EM structure of a plant photosystem II supercomplex with light-harvesting protein Lhcb8 and α-tocopherol. NATURE PLANTS 2023; 9:1359-1369. [PMID: 37550369 DOI: 10.1038/s41477-023-01483-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
The heart of oxygenic photosynthesis is the water-splitting photosystem II (PSII), which forms supercomplexes with a variable amount of peripheral trimeric light-harvesting complexes (LHCII). Our knowledge of the structure of green plant PSII supercomplex is based on findings obtained from several representatives of green algae and flowering plants; however, data from a non-flowering plant are currently missing. Here we report a cryo-electron microscopy structure of PSII supercomplex from spruce, a representative of non-flowering land plants, at 2.8 Å resolution. Compared with flowering plants, PSII supercomplex in spruce contains an additional Ycf12 subunit, Lhcb4 protein is replaced by Lhcb8, and trimeric LHCII is present as a homotrimer of Lhcb1. Unexpectedly, we have found α-tocopherol (α-Toc)/α-tocopherolquinone (α-TQ) at the boundary between the LHCII trimer and the inner antenna CP43. The molecule of α-Toc/α-TQ is located close to chlorophyll a614 of one of the Lhcb1 proteins and its chromanol/quinone head is exposed to the thylakoid lumen. The position of α-Toc in PSII supercomplex makes it an ideal candidate for the sensor of excessive light, as α-Toc can be oxidized to α-TQ by high-light-induced singlet oxygen at low lumenal pH. The molecule of α-TQ appears to shift slightly into the PSII supercomplex, which could trigger important structure-functional modifications in PSII supercomplex. Inspection of the previously reported cryo-electron microscopy maps of PSII supercomplexes indicates that α-Toc/α-TQ can be present at the same site also in PSII supercomplexes from flowering plants, but its identification in the previous studies has been hindered by insufficient resolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Opatíková
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Dmitry A Semchonok
- Interdisciplinary Research Center HALOmem, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - David Kopečný
- Department of Experimental Biology, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Ilík
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Pospíšil
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Iva Ilíková
- Institute of Experimental Botany of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Centre of Plant Structural and Functional Genomics, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Roudnický
- Central European Institute of Technology, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic
| | - Sanja Ćavar Zeljković
- Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Department of Genetic Resources for Vegetables, Medicinal and Special Plants, Crop Research Institute, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Petr Tarkowski
- Czech Advanced Technology and Research Institute, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic
- Centre of the Region Haná for Biotechnological and Agricultural Research, Department of Genetic Resources for Vegetables, Medicinal and Special Plants, Crop Research Institute, Olomouc, Czech Republic
| | - Fotis L Kyrilis
- Interdisciplinary Research Center HALOmem, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Farzad Hamdi
- Interdisciplinary Research Center HALOmem, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany
| | - Panagiotis L Kastritis
- Interdisciplinary Research Center HALOmem, Charles Tanford Protein Center, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany
- Institute of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Halle/Saale, Germany
- Institute of Chemical Biology, National Hallenic Research Foundation, Athens, Greece
| | - Roman Kouřil
- Department of Biophysics, Faculty of Science, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic.
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9
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Shevela D, Kern JF, Govindjee G, Messinger J. Solar energy conversion by photosystem II: principles and structures. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 156:279-307. [PMID: 36826741 PMCID: PMC10203033 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00991-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 30.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthetic water oxidation by Photosystem II (PSII) is a fascinating process because it sustains life on Earth and serves as a blue print for scalable synthetic catalysts required for renewable energy applications. The biophysical, computational, and structural description of this process, which started more than 50 years ago, has made tremendous progress over the past two decades, with its high-resolution crystal structures being available not only of the dark-stable state of PSII, but of all the semi-stable reaction intermediates and even some transient states. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on PSII with emphasis on the basic principles that govern the conversion of light energy to chemical energy in PSII, as well as on the illustration of the molecular structures that enable these reactions. The important remaining questions regarding the mechanism of biological water oxidation are highlighted, and one possible pathway for this fundamental reaction is described at a molecular level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dmitry Shevela
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biological Centre, Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden.
| | - Jan F Kern
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, CA, 94720, USA
| | - Govindjee Govindjee
- Department of Plant Biology, Department of Biochemistry and Center of Biophysics & Quantitative Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, 61801, USA
| | - Johannes Messinger
- Department of Chemistry, Chemical Biological Centre, Umeå University, 90187, Umeå, Sweden.
- Molecular Biomimetics, Department of Chemistry - Ångström, Uppsala University, 75120, Uppsala, Sweden.
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10
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Mao R, Zhang H, Bie L, Liu LN, Gao J. Million-atom molecular dynamics simulations reveal the interfacial interactions and assembly of plant PSII-LHCII supercomplex. RSC Adv 2023; 13:6699-6712. [PMID: 36860540 PMCID: PMC9969236 DOI: 10.1039/d2ra08240c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/26/2022] [Accepted: 02/07/2023] [Indexed: 03/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Protein-protein interface interactions dictate efficient excitation energy transfer from light-harvesting antennas to the photosystem II (PSII) core. In this work, we construct a 1.2 million atom-scale model of plant C2S2-type PSII-LHCII supercomplex and perform microsecond-scale molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to explore the interactions and assembly mechanisms of the sizeable PSII-LHCII supercomplex. We optimize the nonbonding interactions of the PSII-LHCII cryo-EM structure using microsecond-scale MD simulations. Binding free energy calculations with component decompositions reveal that hydrophobic interactions predominantly drive antenna-core association and the antenna-antenna interactions are relatively weak. Despite the positive electrostatic interaction energies, hydrogen bonds and salt bridges mainly provide directional or anchoring forces for interface binding. Analysis of the roles of small intrinsic subunits of PSII suggests that LHCII and CP26 first interact with small intrinsic subunits and then bind to the core proteins, whereas CP29 adopts a one-step binding process to the PSII core without the assistance of other factors. Our study provides insights into the molecular underpinnings of the self-organization and regulation of plant PSII-LHCII. It lays the framework for deciphering the general assembly principles of photosynthetic supercomplexes and possibly other macromolecular structures. The finding also has implications for repurposing photosynthetic systems to enhance photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruichao Mao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan 430070 Hubei China
| | - Han Zhang
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan 430070 Hubei China
| | - Lihua Bie
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan 430070 Hubei China
| | - Lu-Ning Liu
- Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool Liverpool L69 7ZB UK .,Frontiers Science Center for Deep Ocean Multispheres and Earth System, College of Marine Life Sciences, Ocean University of China Qingdao 266003 China
| | - Jun Gao
- Hubei Key Laboratory of Agricultural Bioinformatics, College of Informatics, Huazhong Agricultural University Wuhan 430070 Hubei China
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11
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Chen Y, Xu B, Yao R, Chen C, Zhang C. Mimicking the Oxygen-Evolving Center in Photosynthesis. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:929532. [PMID: 35874004 PMCID: PMC9302449 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.929532] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 06/20/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
The oxygen-evolving center (OEC) in photosystem II (PSII) of oxygenic photosynthetic organisms is a unique heterometallic-oxide Mn4CaO5-cluster that catalyzes water splitting into electrons, protons, and molecular oxygen through a five-state cycle (Sn, n = 0 ~ 4). It serves as the blueprint for the developing of the man-made water-splitting catalysts to generate solar fuel in artificial photosynthesis. Understanding the structure-function relationship of this natural catalyst is a great challenge and a long-standing issue, which is severely restricted by the lack of a precise chemical model for this heterometallic-oxide cluster. However, it is a great challenge for chemists to precisely mimic the OEC in a laboratory. Recently, significant advances have been achieved and a series of artificial Mn4XO4-clusters (X = Ca/Y/Gd) have been reported, which closely mimic both the geometric structure and the electronic structure, as well as the redox property of the OEC. These new advances provide a structurally well-defined molecular platform to study the structure-function relationship of the OEC and shed new light on the design of efficient catalysts for the water-splitting reaction in artificial photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yang Chen
- Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Boran Xu
- Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ruoqing Yao
- Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Changhui Chen
- Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Chunxi Zhang
- Laboratory of Photochemistry, Institute of Chemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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12
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Molecular Evolution of Far-Red Light-Acclimated Photosystem II. Microorganisms 2022; 10:microorganisms10071270. [PMID: 35888987 PMCID: PMC9325196 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms10071270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 06/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacteria are major contributors to global carbon fixation and primarily use visible light (400-700 nm) to drive oxygenic photosynthesis. When shifted into environments where visible light is attenuated, a small, but highly diverse and widespread number of cyanobacteria can express modified pigments and paralogous versions of photosystem subunits and phycobiliproteins that confer far-red light (FRL) absorbance (700-800 nm), a process termed far-red light photoacclimation, or FaRLiP. During FaRLiP, alternate photosystem II (PSII) subunits enable the complex to bind chlorophylls d and f, which absorb at lower energy than chlorophyll a but still support water oxidation. How the FaRLiP response arose remains poorly studied. Here, we report ancestral sequence reconstruction and structure-based molecular evolutionary studies of the FRL-specific subunits of FRL-PSII. We show that the duplications leading to the origin of two PsbA (D1) paralogs required to make chlorophyll f and to bind chlorophyll d in water-splitting FRL-PSII are likely the first to have occurred prior to the diversification of extant cyanobacteria. These duplications were followed by those leading to alternative PsbC (CP43) and PsbD (D2) subunits, occurring early during the diversification of cyanobacteria, and culminating with those leading to PsbB (CP47) and PsbH paralogs coincident with the radiation of the major groups. We show that the origin of FRL-PSII required the accumulation of a relatively small number of amino acid changes and that the ancestral FRL-PSII likely contained a chlorophyll d molecule in the electron transfer chain, two chlorophyll f molecules in the antenna subunits at equivalent positions, and three chlorophyll a molecules whose site energies were altered. The results suggest a minimal model for engineering far-red light absorbance into plant PSII for biotechnological applications.
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Chiu YF, Chu HA. New Structural and Mechanistic Insights Into Functional Roles of Cytochrome b 559 in Photosystem II. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:914922. [PMID: 35755639 PMCID: PMC9214863 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.914922] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/27/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Cytochrome (Cyt) b 559 is a key component of the photosystem II (PSII) complex for its assembly and proper function. Previous studies have suggested that Cytb 559 has functional roles in early assembly of PSII and in secondary electron transfer pathways that protect PSII against photoinhibition. In addition, the Cytb 559 in various PSII preparations exhibited multiple different redox potential forms. However, the precise functional roles of Cytb 559 in PSII remain unclear. Recent site-directed mutagenesis studies combined with functional genomics and biochemical analysis, as well as high-resolution x-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy studies on native, inactive, and assembly intermediates of PSII have provided important new structural and mechanistic insights into the functional roles of Cytb 559. This mini-review gives an overview of new exciting results and their significance for understanding the structural and functional roles of Cytb 559 in PSII.
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Oliver N, Avramov AP, Nürnberg DJ, Dau H, Burnap RL. From manganese oxidation to water oxidation: assembly and evolution of the water-splitting complex in photosystem II. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 152:107-133. [PMID: 35397059 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00912-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The manganese cluster of photosystem II has been the focus of intense research aiming to understand the mechanism of H2O-oxidation. Great effort has also been applied to investigating its oxidative photoassembly process, termed photoactivation that involves the light-driven incorporation of metal ions into the active Mn4CaO5 cluster. The knowledge gained on these topics has fundamental scientific significance, but may also provide the blueprints for the development of biomimetic devices capable of splitting water for solar energy applications. Accordingly, synthetic chemical approaches inspired by the native Mn cluster are actively being explored, for which the native catalyst is a useful benchmark. For both the natural and artificial catalysts, the assembly process of incorporating Mn ions into catalytically active Mn oxide complexes is an oxidative process. In both cases this process appears to share certain chemical features, such as producing an optimal fraction of open coordination sites on the metals to facilitate the binding of substrate water, as well as the involvement of alkali metals (e.g., Ca2+) to facilitate assembly and activate water-splitting catalysis. This review discusses the structure and formation of the metal cluster of the PSII H2O-oxidizing complex in the context of what is known about the formation and chemical properties of different Mn oxides. Additionally, the evolutionary origin of the Mn4CaO5 is considered in light of hypotheses that soluble Mn2+ was an ancient source of reductant for some early photosynthetic reaction centers ('photomanganotrophy'), and recent evidence that PSII can form Mn oxides with structural resemblance to the geologically abundant birnessite class of minerals. A new functional role for Ca2+ to facilitate sustained Mn2+ oxidation during photomanganotrophy is proposed, which may explain proposed physiological intermediates during the likely evolutionary transition from anoxygenic to oxygenic photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicholas Oliver
- Physics Department, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Anton P Avramov
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA
| | - Dennis J Nürnberg
- Physics Department, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Holger Dau
- Physics Department, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 14, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Robert L Burnap
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, 74078, USA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexey Amunts
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
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Gisriel CJ, Shen G, Ho MY, Kurashov V, Flesher DA, Wang J, Armstrong WH, Golbeck JH, Gunner MR, Vinyard DJ, Debus RJ, Brudvig GW, Bryant DA. Structure of a monomeric photosystem II core complex from a cyanobacterium acclimated to far-red light reveals the functions of chlorophylls d and f. J Biol Chem 2022; 298:101424. [PMID: 34801554 PMCID: PMC8689208 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbc.2021.101424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2021] [Revised: 11/12/2021] [Accepted: 11/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Far-red light (FRL) photoacclimation in cyanobacteria provides a selective growth advantage for some terrestrial cyanobacteria by expanding the range of photosynthetically active radiation to include far-red/near-infrared light (700-800 nm). During this photoacclimation process, photosystem II (PSII), the water:plastoquinone photooxidoreductase involved in oxygenic photosynthesis, is modified. The resulting FRL-PSII is comprised of FRL-specific core subunits and binds chlorophyll (Chl) d and Chl f molecules in place of several of the Chl a molecules found when cells are grown in visible light. These new Chls effectively lower the energy canonically thought to define the "red limit" for light required to drive photochemical catalysis of water oxidation. Changes to the architecture of FRL-PSII were previously unknown, and the positions of Chl d and Chl f molecules had only been proposed from indirect evidence. Here, we describe the 2.25 Å resolution cryo-EM structure of a monomeric FRL-PSII core complex from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7335 cells that were acclimated to FRL. We identify one Chl d molecule in the ChlD1 position of the electron transfer chain and four Chl f molecules in the core antenna. We also make observations that enhance our understanding of PSII biogenesis, especially on the acceptor side of the complex where a bicarbonate molecule is replaced by a glutamate side chain in the absence of the assembly factor Psb28. In conclusion, these results provide a structural basis for the lower energy limit required to drive water oxidation, which is the gateway for most solar energy utilization on earth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gaozhong Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Ming-Yang Ho
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Department of Life Science, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Vasily Kurashov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - David A Flesher
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jimin Wang
- Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | | | - John H Golbeck
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Department of Chemistry, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Marilyn R Gunner
- Department of Physics, City College of New York, New York, New York, USA
| | - David J Vinyard
- Department of Biological Sciences, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA
| | - Richard J Debus
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, California, USA
| | - Gary W Brudvig
- Department of Chemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA; Department of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA.
| | - Donald A Bryant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Intercollege Graduate Program in Plant Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
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Debus RJ. Alteration of the O 2-Producing Mn 4Ca Cluster in Photosystem II by the Mutation of a Metal Ligand. Biochemistry 2021; 60:3841-3855. [PMID: 34898175 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biochem.1c00504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
The O2-evolving Mn4Ca cluster in photosystem II (PSII) is arranged as a distorted Mn3Ca cube that is linked to a fourth Mn ion (denoted as Mn4) by two oxo bridges. The Mn4 and Ca ions are bridged by residue D1-D170. This is also the only residue known to participate in the high-affinity Mn(II) site that participates in the light-driven assembly of the Mn4Ca cluster. In this study, we use Fourier transform infrared difference spectroscopy to characterize the impact of the D1-D170E mutation. On the basis of analyses of carboxylate and carbonyl stretching modes and the O-H stretching modes of hydrogen-bonded water molecules, we show that this mutation alters the extensive network of hydrogen bonds that surrounds the Mn4Ca cluster in the same manner as that of many other mutations. It also alters the equilibrium between conformers of the Mn4Ca cluster in the dark-stable S1 state so that a high-spin form of the S2 state is produced during the S1-to-S2 transition instead of the low-spin form that gives rise to the S2 state multiline electron paramagnetic resonance signal. The mutation may also change the coordination mode of the carboxylate group at position 170 to unidentate ligation of Mn4. This is the first mutation of a metal ligand in PSII that substantially impacts the spectroscopic signatures of the Mn4Ca cluster without substantially eliminating O2 evolution. The results have significant implications for our understanding of the roles of alternate active/inactive conformers of the Mn4Ca cluster in the mechanism of O2 formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard J Debus
- Department of Biochemistry, University of California, Riverside, California 92521, United States
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