1
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Migliore A, Corni S, Agostini A, Carbonera D. Unraveling the electronic origin of a special feature in the triplet-minus-singlet spectra of carotenoids in natural photosystems. Phys Chem Chem Phys 2023; 25:28998-29016. [PMID: 37859550 DOI: 10.1039/d3cp03836j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2023]
Abstract
The influence of carotenoid triplet states on the Qy electronic transitions of chlorophylls has been observed in experiments on light-harvesting complexes over the past three decades, but the interpretation of the resulting spectral feature in the triplet minus singlet (T-S) absorption spectra of photosystems is still debated, as the physical-chemical explanation of this feature has been elusive. Here, we resolve this debate, by explaining the T-S spectra of pigment complexes over the Qy-band spectral region through a comparative study of chlorophyll-carotenoid model dyads and larger pigment complexes from the main light harvesting complex of higher plants (LHCII). This goal is achieved by combining state-of-the-art time-dependent density functional theory with analysis of the relationship between electronic properties and nuclear structure, and by comparison to the experiment. We find that the special signature in the T-S spectra of both model and natural photosystems is determined by singlet-like triplet excitations that can be described as effective singlet excitations on chlorophylls influenced by a stable electronic triplet on the carotenoid. The comparison with earlier experiments on different light-harvesting complexes confirms our theoretical interpretation of the T-S spectra in the Qy spectral region. Our results indicate an important role for the chlorophyll-carotenoid electronic coupling, which is also responsible for the fast triplet-triplet energy transfer, suggesting a fast trapping of the triplet into the relaxed carotenoid structure. The gained understanding of the interplay between the electronic and nuclear structures is potentially informative for future studies of the mechanism of photoprotection by carotenoids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agostino Migliore
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Stefano Corni
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
- CNR Institute of Nanoscience, 41125 Modena, Italy
| | - Alessandro Agostini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
| | - Donatella Carbonera
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
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2
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Sen S, Visscher L. Towards the description of charge transfer states in solubilised LHCII using subsystem DFT. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2023; 156:39-57. [PMID: 35988131 PMCID: PMC10070235 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00950-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
Light harvesting complex II (LHCII) in plants and green algae have been shown to adapt their absorption properties, depending on the concentration of sunlight, switching between a light harvesting and a non-harvesting or quenched state. In a recent work, combining classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with quantum chemical calculations (Liguori et al. in Sci Rep 5:15661, 2015) on LHCII, it was shown that the Chl611-Chl612 cluster of the terminal emitter domain can play an important role in modifying the spectral properties of the complex. In that work the importance of charge transfer (CT) effects was highlighted, in re-shaping the absorption intensity of the chlorophyll dimer. Here in this work, we investigate the combined effect of the local excited (LE) and CT states in shaping the energy landscape of the chlorophyll dimer. Using subsystem Density Functional Theory over the classical [Formula: see text]s MD trajectory we look explicitly into the excitation energies of the LE and the CT states of the dimer and their corresponding couplings. Upon doing so, we observe a drop in the excitation energies of the CT states, accompanied by an increase in the couplings between the LE/LE and the LE/CT states facilitated by a shorter interchromophoric distance upon equilibration. Both these changes in conjunction, effectively produces a red-shift of the low-lying mixed exciton/CT states of the supramolecular chromophore pair.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souloke Sen
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lucas Visscher
- Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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3
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Reiter S, Kiss FL, Hauer J, de Vivie-Riedle R. Thermal site energy fluctuations in photosystem I: new insights from MD/QM/MM calculations. Chem Sci 2023; 14:3117-3131. [PMID: 36970098 PMCID: PMC10034153 DOI: 10.1039/d2sc06160k] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2022] [Accepted: 02/03/2023] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Cyanobacterial photosystem I (PSI) is one of the most efficient photosynthetic machineries found in nature. Due to the large scale and complexity of the system, the energy transfer mechanism from the antenna complex to the reaction center is still not fully understood. A central element is the accurate evaluation of the individual chlorophyll excitation energies (site energies). Such an evaluation must include a detailed treatment of site specific environmental influences on structural and electrostatic properties, but also their evolution in the temporal domain, because of the dynamic nature of the energy transfer process. In this work, we calculate the site energies of all 96 chlorophylls in a membrane-embedded model of PSI. The employed hybrid QM/MM approach using the multireference DFT/MRCI method in the QM region allows to obtain accurate site energies under explicit consideration of the natural environment. We identify energy traps and barriers in the antenna complex and discuss their implications for energy transfer to the reaction center. Going beyond previous studies, our model also accounts for the molecular dynamics of the full trimeric PSI complex. Via statistical analysis we show that the thermal fluctuations of single chlorophylls prevent the formation of a single prominent energy funnel within the antenna complex. These findings are also supported by a dipole exciton model. We conclude that energy transfer pathways may form only transiently at physiological temperatures, as thermal fluctuations overcome energy barriers. The set of site energies provided in this work sets the stage for theoretical and experimental studies on the highly efficient energy transfer mechanisms in PSI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian Reiter
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Butenandtstr. 11 81377 Munich Germany
| | - Ferdinand L Kiss
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Butenandtstr. 11 81377 Munich Germany
| | - Jürgen Hauer
- Department of Chemistry, Technical University of Munich Lichtenbergstr. 4, Garching 85747 Germany
| | - Regina de Vivie-Riedle
- Department of Chemistry, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München Butenandtstr. 11 81377 Munich Germany
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4
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Elias E, Liguori N, Croce R. The origin of pigment-binding differences in CP29 and LHCII: the role of protein structure and dynamics. PHOTOCHEMICAL & PHOTOBIOLOGICAL SCIENCES : OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN PHOTOCHEMISTRY ASSOCIATION AND THE EUROPEAN SOCIETY FOR PHOTOBIOLOGY 2023:10.1007/s43630-023-00368-7. [PMID: 36740636 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-023-00368-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The first step of photosynthesis in plants is performed by the light-harvesting complexes (LHC), a large family of pigment-binding proteins embedded in the photosynthetic membranes. These complexes are conserved across species, suggesting that each has a distinct role. However, they display a high degree of sequence homology and their static structures are almost identical. What are then the structural features that determine their different properties? In this work, we compared the two best-characterized LHCs of plants: LHCII and CP29. Using molecular dynamics simulations, we could rationalize the difference between them in terms of pigment-binding properties. The data also show that while the loops between the helices are very flexible, the structure of the transmembrane regions remains very similar in the crystal and the membranes. However, the small structural differences significantly affect the excitonic coupling between some pigment pairs. Finally, we analyzed in detail the structure of the long N-terminus of CP29, showing that it is structurally stable and it remains on top of the membrane even in the absence of other proteins. Although the structural changes upon phosphorylation are minor, they can explain the differences in the absorption properties of the pigments observed experimentally.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduard Elias
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nicoletta Liguori
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Croce
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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5
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Förster A, Visscher L. Quasiparticle Self-Consistent GW-Bethe-Salpeter Equation Calculations for Large Chromophoric Systems. J Chem Theory Comput 2022; 18:6779-6793. [PMID: 36201788 PMCID: PMC9648197 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jctc.2c00531] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
![]()
The GW-Bethe–Salpeter equation
(BSE) method
is promising for calculating the low-lying excitonic states of molecular
systems. However, so far it has only been applied to rather small
molecules and in the commonly implemented diagonal approximations
to the electronic self-energy, it depends on a mean-field starting
point. We describe here an implementation of the self-consistent and
starting-point-independent quasiparticle self-consistent (qsGW)-BSE approach, which is suitable for calculations on
large molecules. We herein show that eigenvalue-only self-consistency
can lead to an unfaithful description of some excitonic states for
chlorophyll dimers while the qsGW-BSE vertical excitation
energies (VEEs) are in excellent agreement with spectroscopic experiments
for chlorophyll monomers and dimers measured in the gas phase. Furthermore,
VEEs from time-dependent density functional theory calculations tend
to disagree with experimental values and using different range-separated
hybrid (RSH) kernels does change the VEEs by up to 0.5 eV. We use
the new qsGW-BSE implementation to calculate the
lowest excitation energies of the six chromophores of the photosystem
II (PSII) reaction center (RC) with nearly 2000 correlated electrons.
Using more than 11,000 (6000) basis functions, the calculation could
be completed in less than 5 (2) days on a single modern compute node.
In agreement with previous TD-DFT calculations using RSH kernels on
models that also do not include environmental effects, our qsGW-BSE calculations only yield states with local characters
in the low-energy spectrum of the hexameric complex. Earlier works
with RSH kernels have demonstrated that the protein environment facilitates
the experimentally observed interchromophoric charge transfer. Therefore,
future research will need to combine correlation effects beyond TD-DFT
with an explicit treatment of environmental electrostatics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arno Förster
- Theoretical Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1083, NL-1081 HVAmsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lucas Visscher
- Theoretical Chemistry, Vrije Universiteit, De Boelelaan 1083, NL-1081 HVAmsterdam, The Netherlands
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6
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Kim E, Kubota-Kawai H, Kawai F, Yokono M, Minagawa J. Conformation of Light-Harvesting Complex II Trimer Depends upon Its Binding Site. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:5855-5865. [PMID: 35920883 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c04061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) trimer in plants functions as a major antenna complex and a quencher to protect it from photooxidative damage. Theoretical studies on the structure of an LHCII trimer have demonstrated that excitation energy transfer between chlorophylls (Chls) in LHCII can be modulated by its exquisite conformational fluctuation. However, conformational changes depending on its binding location have not yet been investigated, even though reorganization of protein complexes occurs by physiological regulations. In this study, we investigated conformational differences in LHCII by comparing published structures of an identical LHCII trimer in the three different photosystem supercomplexes from the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Our results revealed distinct differences in Chl configurations as well as polypeptide conformations of the LHCII trimers depending on its binding location. We propose that these configurational differences readily modulate the function of LHCII and possibly lead to a change in excitation-energy flow over the photosynthetic supercomplex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eunchul Kim
- Division of Environmental Photobiology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | | | - Fumihiro Kawai
- Faculty of Science, Yamagata University, Yamagata 990-8560, Japan
| | - Makio Yokono
- Division of Environmental Photobiology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
| | - Jun Minagawa
- Division of Environmental Photobiology, National Institute for Basic Biology, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan.,Department of Basic Biology, School of Life Science, Graduate University for Advanced Studies, Okazaki 444-8585, Japan
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7
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Mikalčiūtė A, Gelzinis A, Mačernis M, Büchel C, Robert B, Valkunas L, Chmeliov J. Structure-based model of fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein complex: Calculations of chlorophyll electronic couplings. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:234101. [PMID: 35732526 DOI: 10.1063/5.0092154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Diatoms are a group of marine algae that are responsible for a significant part of global oxygen production. Adapted to life in an aqueous environment dominated by the blue-green light, their major light-harvesting antennae-fucoxanthin-chlorophyll protein complexes (FCPs)-exhibit different pigment compositions than of plants. Despite extensive experimental studies, until recently the theoretical description of excitation energy dynamics in these complexes was limited by the lack of high-resolution structural data. In this work, we use the recently resolved crystallographic information of the FCP complex from Phaeodactylum tricornutum diatom [Wang et al., Science 363, 6427 (2019)] and quantum chemistry-based calculations to evaluate the chlorophyll transition dipole moments, atomic transition charges from electrostatic potential, and the inter-chlorophyll couplings in this complex. The obtained structure-based excitonic couplings form the foundation for any modeling of stationary or time-resolved spectroscopic data. We also calculate the inter-pigment Förster energy transfer rates and identify two quickly equilibrating chlorophyll clusters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Austėja Mikalčiūtė
- Institute of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Avenue 9, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Andrius Gelzinis
- Institute of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Avenue 9, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Mindaugas Mačernis
- Institute of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Avenue 9, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Claudia Büchel
- Institute of Molecular Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, Max-von-Laue Straße 9, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Bruno Robert
- Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell (I2BC), Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Leonas Valkunas
- Institute of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Avenue 9, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania
| | - Jevgenij Chmeliov
- Institute of Chemical Physics, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Saulėtekio Avenue 9, LT-10222 Vilnius, Lithuania
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8
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Ciuti S, Agostini A, Barbon A, Bortolus M, Paulsen H, Di Valentin M, Carbonera D. Magnetophotoselection in the Investigation of Excitonically Coupled Chromophores: The Case of the Water-Soluble Chlorophyll Protein. MOLECULES (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2022; 27:molecules27123654. [PMID: 35744779 PMCID: PMC9227413 DOI: 10.3390/molecules27123654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2022] [Revised: 06/01/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
A magnetophotoselection (MPS) investigation of the photoexcited triplet state of chlorophyll a both in a frozen organic solvent and in a protein environment, provided by the water-soluble chlorophyll protein (WSCP) of Lepidium virginicum, is reported. The MPS experiment combines the photoselection achieved by exciting with linearly polarized light with the magnetic selection of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy, allowing the determination of the relative orientation of the optical transition dipole moment and the zero-field splitting tensor axes in both environments. We demonstrate the robustness of the proposed methodology for a quantitative description of the excitonic interactions among pigments. The orientation of the optical transition dipole moments determined by the EPR analysis in WSCP, identified as an appropriate model system, are in excellent agreement with those calculated in the point-dipole approximation. In addition, MPS provides information on the electronic properties of the triplet state, localized on a single chlorophyll a pigment of the protein cluster, in terms of orientation of the zero-field splitting tensor axes in the molecular frame.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Ciuti
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.C.); (A.A.); (A.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Alessandro Agostini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.C.); (A.A.); (A.B.); (M.B.)
- Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Branišovská 1160/31, 370 05 České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Antonio Barbon
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.C.); (A.A.); (A.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Marco Bortolus
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.C.); (A.A.); (A.B.); (M.B.)
| | - Harald Paulsen
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes Gutenberg-University of Mainz, Johann-Joachim Becher-Weg 7, 55128 Mainz, Germany;
| | - Marilena Di Valentin
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.C.); (A.A.); (A.B.); (M.B.)
- Correspondence: (M.D.V.); (D.C.); Tel.: +39-0498275139 (M.D.V.); +39-0498275144 (D.C.)
| | - Donatella Carbonera
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy; (S.C.); (A.A.); (A.B.); (M.B.)
- Correspondence: (M.D.V.); (D.C.); Tel.: +39-0498275139 (M.D.V.); +39-0498275144 (D.C.)
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9
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Cignoni E, Slama V, Cupellini L, Mennucci B. The atomistic modeling of light-harvesting complexes from the physical models to the computational protocol. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:120901. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0086275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The function of light-harvesting complexes is determined by a complex network of dynamic interactions among all the different components: the aggregate of pigments, the protein, and the surrounding environment. Complete and reliable predictions on these types of composite systems can be only achieved with an atomistic description. In the last few decades, there have been important advances in the atomistic modeling of light-harvesting complexes. These advances have involved both the completeness of the physical models and the accuracy and effectiveness of the computational protocols. In this Perspective, we present an overview of the main theoretical and computational breakthroughs attained so far in the field, with particular focus on the important role played by the protein and its dynamics. We then discuss the open problems in their accurate modeling that still need to be addressed. To illustrate an effective computational workflow for the modeling of light harvesting complexes, we take as an example the plant antenna complex CP29 and its H111N mutant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edoardo Cignoni
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, University of Pisa, via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Vladislav Slama
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, University of Pisa, via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Cupellini
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, University of Pisa, via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - Benedetta Mennucci
- Dipartimento di Chimica e Chimica Industriale, University of Pisa, via G. Moruzzi 13, 56124 Pisa, Italy
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10
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Tölle J, Neugebauer J. The Seamless Connection of Local and Collective Excited States in Subsystem Time-Dependent Density Functional Theory. J Phys Chem Lett 2022; 13:1003-1018. [PMID: 35061387 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.1c04023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
The theoretical understanding of photoinduced processes in multichromophoric systems requires, as an essential ingredient, the possibility of accurately describing their electronically excited states. However, the size of these systems often prohibits the usage of conventional electronic-structure methods, so that often multiscale approaches based on phenomenologically motivated models are employed. In contrast, subsystem time-dependent density functional theory (sTDDFT) allows for a subsystem-based ab initio description of multichromophoric systems and therefore allows for, in principle, an exact description of photoinduced processes. This Perspective aims to outline the theoretical foundations and commonly used practical realizations as well as to illustrate benefits of recent developments and open issues in the field of sTDDFT. Prospective, potential future applications and possible methodological developments are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Tölle
- Theoretische Organische Chemie, Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
| | - Johannes Neugebauer
- Theoretische Organische Chemie, Organisch-Chemisches Institut and Center for Multiscale Theory and Computation, Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster, Corrensstraße 40, 48149 Münster, Germany
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11
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Sorour MI, Kistler KA, Marcus AH, Matsika S. Accurate Modeling of Excitonic Coupling in Cyanine Dye Cy3. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:7852-7866. [PMID: 34494437 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c05556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Accurate modeling of excitonic coupling in molecules is of great importance for inferring the structures and dynamics of coupled systems. Cy3 is a cyanine dye that is widely used in molecular spectroscopy. Its well-separated excitation bands, high sensitivity to the surroundings, and the high energy transfer efficiency make it a perfect choice for excitonic coupling experiments. Many methods have been used to model the excitonic coupling in molecules with varying degrees of accuracy. The atomic transition charge model offers a high-accuracy and cost-effective way to calculating the excitonic coupling. The main focus of this work is to generate high-quality atomic transition charges that can accurately model the Cy3 dye's transition density. The transition density of the excitation of the ground to first excited state is calculated using configuration-interaction singles and time-dependent density functional theory and is benchmarked against the algebraic diagrammatic construction method. Using the transition density we derived the atomic transition charges using two approaches: Mulliken population analysis and charges fitted to the transition electrostatic potential. The quality of the charges is examined, and their ability to accurately calculate the excitonic coupling is assessed via comparison to experimental data of an artificial biscyanine construct. Theoretical comparisons to the supermolecule ab initio couplings and the widely used point-dipole approximation are also made. Results show that using the transition electrostatic potential is a reliable approach for generating the transition atomic charges. A high-quality set of charges, that can be used to model the Cy3 dye dimer excitonic coupling with high-accuracy and a reasonable computational cost, is obtained.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed I Sorour
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
| | - Kurt A Kistler
- Department of Chemistry, Brandywine Campus, The Pennsylvania State University, Media, Pennsylvania 19063, United States
| | - Andrew H Marcus
- Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Oregon, Eugene, Oregon 97403, United States
| | - Spiridoula Matsika
- Department of Chemistry, Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19122, United States
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12
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Agostini A, Nicol L, Da Roit N, Bortolus M, Croce R, Carbonera D. Altering the exciton landscape by removal of specific chlorophylls in monomeric LHCII provides information on the sites of triplet formation and quenching by means of ODMR and EPR spectroscopies. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2021; 1862:148481. [PMID: 34363791 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2021.148481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2021] [Revised: 07/09/2021] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The triplet states populated under illumination in the monomeric light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) were analyzed by EPR and Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance (ODMR) in order to fully characterize the perturbations introduced by site-directed mutations leading to the removal of key chlorophylls. We considered the A2 and A5 mutants, lacking Chls a612(a611) and Chl a603 respectively, since these Chls have been proposed as the sites of formation of triplet states which are subsequently quenched by the luteins. Chls a612 and Chl a603 belong to the two clusters determining the low energy exciton states in the complex. Their removal is expected to significantly alter the excitation energy transfer pathways. On the basis of the TR- and pulse EPR triplet spectra, the two symmetrically related pairs constituted by Chl a612/Lut620 and Chl a603/Lut621 were both possible candidate for triplet-triplet energy transfer (TTET). However, the ODMR results clearly show that only Lut620 is involved in triplet quenching. In the A5 mutant, the Chl a612/Lut620 pair retains this pivotal photoprotective role, while the A2 mutant was found to activate an alternative pathway involving the Chl a603/Lut621pair. These results shows that LHCII is characterized by a robust photoprotective mechanism, able to adapt to the removal of individual chromophores while maintaining a remarkable degree of Chl triplet quenching. Small amounts of unquenched Chl triplet states were also detected. The analysis of the results allowed us to assign the sites of "unquenched" chlorophyll triplets to Chl a610 and Chl a602.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Agostini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Lauren Nicol
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Nicola Da Roit
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Marco Bortolus
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Roberta Croce
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Science, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and LaserLaB Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Donatella Carbonera
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy.
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13
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Sen S, Mascoli V, Liguori N, Croce R, Visscher L. Understanding the Relation between Structural and Spectral Properties of Light-Harvesting Complex II. J Phys Chem A 2021; 125:4313-4322. [PMID: 33979158 PMCID: PMC8165694 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpca.1c01467] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) is a pigment-protein complex present in higher plants and green algae. LHCII represents the main site of light absorption, and its role is to transfer the excitation energy toward the photosynthetic reaction centers, where primary energy conversion reactions take place. The optical properties of LHCII are known to depend on protein conformation. However, the relation between the structural and spectroscopic properties of the pigments is not fully understood yet. In this respect, previous classical molecular dynamics simulations of LHCII in a model membrane [Sci. Rep. 2015, 5, 1-10] have shown that the configuration and excitonic coupling of a chlorophyll (Chl) dimer functioning as the main terminal emitter of the complex are particularly sensitive to conformational changes. Here, we use quantum chemistry calculations to investigate in greater detail the effect of pigment-pigment interactions on the excited-state landscape. While most previous studies have used a local picture in which electrons are localized on single pigments, here we achieve a more accurate description of the Chl dimer by adopting a supramolecular picture where time-dependent density functional theory is applied to the whole system at once. Our results show that specific dimer configurations characterized by shorter inter-pigment distances can result in a sizable intensity decrease (up to 36%) of the Chl absorption bands in the visible spectral region. Such a decrease can be predicted only when accounting for Chl-Chl charge-transfer excitations, which is possible using the above-mentioned supramolecular approach. The charge-transfer character of the excitations is quantified by two types of analyses: one focusing on the composition of the excitations and the other directly on the observable total absorption intensities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Souloke Sen
- Amsterdam Center for Multiscale Modeling, Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Vincenzo Mascoli
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Dep. Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Nicoletta Liguori
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Dep. Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Roberta Croce
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Dep. Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Lucas Visscher
- Amsterdam Center for Multiscale Modeling, Division of Theoretical Chemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, De Boelelaan 1083, 1081 HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Agostini A, Bortolus M, Ferlez B, Walters K, Golbeck JH, van der Est A, Carbonera D. Differential sensitivity to oxygen among the bacteriochlorophylls g in the type-I reaction centers of Heliobacterium modesticaldum. Photochem Photobiol Sci 2021; 20:747-759. [PMID: 34018156 DOI: 10.1007/s43630-021-00049-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The type-I, homodimeric photosynthetic reaction center (RC) of Heliobacteria (HbRC) is the only known RC in which bacteriochlorophyll g (BChl g) is found. It is also simpler than other RCs, having the smallest number of protein subunits and bound chromophores of any type-I RC. In the presence of oxygen, BChl g isomerizes to 81-hydroxychlorophyll aF (Chl aF). This naturally occurring process provides a way of altering the chlorophylls and studying the effect of these changes on energy and electron transfer. Transient absorbance difference spectroscopy reveals that triplet-state formation occurs in the antenna chlorophylls of HbRCs but does not provide site-specific information. Here, we report on an extended optically detected magnetic resonance (ODMR) study of the antenna triplet states in HbRCs with differing levels of conversion of BChl g to Chl aF. The data reveal pools of BChl g molecules with different triplet zero-field splitting parameters and different susceptibilities to chemical oxidation. By relating the detailed spectroscopic characteristics derived from the ODMR data to the recently solved crystallographic structure, we have tentatively identified BChl g molecules in which the probability of triplet formation is high and sites at which BChl g conversion is more likely, providing useful information about the fate of the excitation in the complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Agostini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 1, 35131, Padua, Italy.,Biology Centre, Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Plant Molecular Biology, Branisovska 31, 37005, České Budějovice, Czechia
| | - Marco Bortolus
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 1, 35131, Padua, Italy
| | - Bryan Ferlez
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA.,Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and MSU-DOE Plant Research Laboratory, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Karim Walters
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - John H Golbeck
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, 16802, USA
| | - Art van der Est
- Department of Chemistry, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock, Way, Saint Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Donatella Carbonera
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo, 1, 35131, Padua, Italy.
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15
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Lapillo M, Cignoni E, Cupellini L, Mennucci B. The energy transfer model of nonphotochemical quenching: Lessons from the minor CP29 antenna complex of plants. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2020; 1861:148282. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2020.148282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2020] [Revised: 07/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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16
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Liguori N, Croce R, Marrink SJ, Thallmair S. Molecular dynamics simulations in photosynthesis. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2020; 144:273-295. [PMID: 32297102 PMCID: PMC7203591 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-020-00741-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/24/2020] [Indexed: 05/12/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is regulated by a dynamic interplay between proteins, enzymes, pigments, lipids, and cofactors that takes place on a large spatio-temporal scale. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations provide a powerful toolkit to investigate dynamical processes in (bio)molecular ensembles from the (sub)picosecond to the (sub)millisecond regime and from the Å to hundreds of nm length scale. Therefore, MD is well suited to address a variety of questions arising in the field of photosynthesis research. In this review, we provide an introduction to the basic concepts of MD simulations, at atomistic and coarse-grained level of resolution. Furthermore, we discuss applications of MD simulations to model photosynthetic systems of different sizes and complexity and their connection to experimental observables. Finally, we provide a brief glance on which methods provide opportunities to capture phenomena beyond the applicability of classical MD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicoletta Liguori
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Lasers, Life and Biophotonics, Faculty of Sciences, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Roberta Croce
- Department of Physics and Astronomy and Institute for Lasers, Life and Biophotonics, Faculty of Sciences, De Boelelaan 1081, 1081 HV, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Siewert J Marrink
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute & Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sebastian Thallmair
- Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute & Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 7, 9747 AG, Groningen, The Netherlands.
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18
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Lishchuk A, Vasilev C, Johnson MP, Hunter CN, Törmä P, Leggett GJ. Turning the challenge of quantum biology on its head: biological control of quantum optical systems. Faraday Discuss 2019; 216:57-71. [PMID: 31016297 DOI: 10.1039/c8fd00241j] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
When light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), isolated from spinach, is adsorbed onto arrays of gold nanostructures formed by interferometric lithography, a pronounced splitting of the plasmon band is observed that is attributable to strong coupling of the localised surface plasmon resonance to excitons in the pigment-protein complex. The system is modelled as coupled harmonic oscillators, yielding an exciton energy of 2.24 ± 0.02 eV. Analysis of dispersion curves yields a Rabi energy of 0.25 eV. Extinction spectra of the strongly coupled system yield a resonance at 1.43 eV that varies as a function of the density of nanostructures in the array. The enhanced intensity of this feature is attributed to strong plasmon-exciton coupling. Comparison of data for a large number of light-harvesting complexes indicates that by control of the protein structure and/or pigment compliment it is possible to manipulate the strength of plasmon-exciton coupling. In strongly coupled systems, ultra-fast exchange of energy occurs between pigment molecules: coherent coupling between non-local excitons can be manipulated via selection of the protein structure enabling the observation of transitions that are not seen in the weak coupling regime. Synthetic biology thus provides a means to control quantum-optical interactions in the strong coupling regime.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Lishchuk
- Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Brook Hill, Sheffield S3 7HF, UK.
| | - Cvetelin Vasilev
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Matthew P Johnson
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - C Neil Hunter
- Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN, UK
| | - Päivi Törmä
- Department of Applied Physics, Aalto University, School of Science, P.O. Box 15100, 00076 Aalto, Finland
| | - Graham J Leggett
- Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Brook Hill, Sheffield S3 7HF, UK.
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Götze JP. Vibrational Relaxation in Carotenoids as an Explanation for Their Rapid Optical Properties. J Phys Chem B 2019; 123:2203-2209. [PMID: 30779570 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b09841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
We propose the ultrafast S2 (1Bu) to S1 (2Ag) "electronic internal conversion" observed in carotenoids to be a vibrational relaxation of the 1Bu state. This suggestion arises from comparing excited-state geometries computed with the CAM-B3LYP density functional to the ground states; it is found that each conjugated atom moves less than 5 pm in, for example, violaxanthin. However, the changes of excitation energies are large, ranging from 0.4 to 1.2 eV. This is connected to the size of the conjugated system: while each atom contributes only 0.02-0.06 eV, the sum amounts to the observed shift. Additional analysis of computational data is provided from new or already published calculations. As the mechanism may be valid for all linear polyenes, the model has implications that go beyond the presented case of carotenoids. Finally, four sets of experimental data on carotenoids published elsewhere are reinterpreted. The model predicts near-infrared (IR) absorptions and transient femtosecond IR spectra within 0.1 eV accuracy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan P Götze
- Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie , Freie Universität Berlin , Takustr. 3 14195 Berlin , Germany
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20
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Agostini A, Palm DM, Paulsen H, Carbonera D. Optically Detected Magnetic Resonance of Chlorophyll Triplet States in Water-Soluble Chlorophyll Proteins from Lepidium virginicum: Evidence for Excitonic Interaction among the Four Pigments. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:6156-6163. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b01906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Agostini
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Daniel M. Palm
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Harald Paulsen
- Institute of Molecular Physiology, Johannes-Gutenberg University Mainz, Johannes-von-Müller-Weg 6, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - Donatella Carbonera
- Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Padova, Via Marzolo 1, 35131 Padova, Italy
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