Strains of synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 with altered PsaC. I. Mutations incorporated in the cysteine ligands of the two [4Fe-4S] clusters FA and FB of photosystem I

Thermodynamic Factors Controlling Electron Transfer among the Terminal Electron Acceptors of Photosystem I: Insights from Kinetic Modelling

Photosystem I is a key component of primary energy conversion in oxygenic photosynthesis. Electron transfer reactions in Photosystem I take place across two parallel electron transfer chains that converge after a few electron transfer steps, sharing both the terminal electron acceptors, which are a series of three iron-sulphur (Fe-S) clusters known as FX, FA, and FB, and the terminal donor, P700. The two electron transfer chains show kinetic differences which are, due to their close geometrical symmetry, mainly attributable to the tuning of the physicochemical reactivity of the bound cofactors, exerted by the protein surroundings. The factors controlling the rate of electron transfer between the terminal Fe-S clusters are still not fully understood due to the difficulties of monitoring these events directly. Here we present a discussion concerning the driving forces associated with electron transfer between FX and FA as well as between FA and FB, employing a tunnelling-based description of the reaction rates coupled with the kinetic modelling of forward and recombination reactions. It is concluded that the reorganisation energy for FX- oxidation shall be lower than 1 eV. Moreover, it is suggested that the analysis of mutants with altered FA redox properties can also provide useful information concerning the upstream phylloquinone cofactor energetics.

Presence of a [3Fe-4S] cluster in a PsaC variant as a functional component of the photosystem I electron transfer chain in Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002

A site-directed C14G mutation was introduced into the stromal PsaC subunit of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 in vivo in order to introduce an exchangeable coordination site into the terminal F_B [4Fe-4S] cluster of Photosystem I (PSI). Using an engineered PSI-less strain (psaAB deletion), psaC was deleted and replaced with recombinant versions controlled by a strong promoter, and the psaAB deletion was complemented. Modified PSI accumulated at lower levels in this strain and supported slower photoautotrophic growth than wild type. As-isolated PSI complexes containing PsaC_C14G showed resonances with g values of 2.038 and 2.007 characteristic of a [3Fe-4S]¹⁺ cluster. When the PSI complexes were illuminated at 15 K, these resonances partially disappeared and two new sets of resonances appeared. The majority set had g values of 2.05, 1.95, and 1.85, characteristic of F_A^-, and the minority set had g values of 2.11, 1.90, and 1.88 from F_B' in the modified site. The S = 1/2 spin state of the latter implied the presence of a thiolate as the terminal ligand. The [3Fe-4S] clusters could be partially reconstituted with iron, producing a larger population of [4Fe-4S] clusters. Rates of flavodoxin reduction were identical in PSI complexes isolated from wild type and the PsaC_C14G variant strain; this implied equivalent capacity for forward electron transfer in PSI complexes that contained [3Fe-4S] and [4Fe-4S] clusters. The development of this cyanobacterial strain is a first step toward translation of in vitro PSI-based biosolar molecular wire systems in vivo and provides new insights into the formation of Fe/S clusters.

Inactivation of iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis regulator SufR in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 induces unique iron-dependent protein-level responses

BACKGROUND

Iron-sulfur (Fe-S) clusters are protein-bound cofactors associated with cellular electron transport and redox sensing, with multiple specific functions in oxygen-evolving photosynthetic cyanobacteria. The aim here was to elucidate protein-level effects of the transcriptional repressor SufR involved in the regulation of Fe-S cluster biogenesis in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.

METHODS

The approach was to quantitate 94 pre-selected target proteins associated with various metabolic functions using SRM in Synechocystis. The evaluation was conducted in response to sufR deletion under different iron conditions, and complemented with EPR analysis on the functionality of the photosystems I and II as well as with RT-qPCR to verify the effects of SufR also on transcript level.

RESULTS

The results on both protein and transcript levels show that SufR acts not only as a repressor of the suf operon when iron is available but also has other direct and indirect functions in the cell, including maintenance of the expression of pyruvate:ferredoxin oxidoreductase NifJ and other Fe-S cluster proteins under iron sufficient conditions. Furthermore, the results imply that in the absence of iron the suf operon is repressed by some additional regulatory mechanism independent of SufR.

CONCLUSIONS

The study demonstrates that Fe-S cluster metabolism in Synechocystis is stringently regulated, and has complex interactions with multiple primary functions in the cell, including photosynthesis and central carbon metabolism.

GENERAL SIGNIFICANCE

The study provides new insight into the regulation of Fe-S cluster biogenesis via suf operon, and the associated wide-ranging protein-level changes in photosynthetic cyanobacteria.

Iron-sulphur clusters, their biosynthesis, and biological functions in protozoan parasites

Fe-S clusters are ensembles of sulphide-linked di-, tri-, and tetra-iron centres of a variety of metalloproteins that play important roles in reduction and oxidation of mitochondrial electron transport, energy metabolism, regulation of gene expression, cell survival, nitrogen fixation, and numerous other metabolic pathways. The Fe-S clusters are assembled by one of four distinct systems: NIF, SUF, ISC, and CIA machineries. The ISC machinery is a house-keeping system conserved widely from prokaryotes to higher eukaryotes, while the other systems are present in a limited range of organisms and play supplementary roles under certain conditions such as stress. Fe-S cluster-containing proteins and the components required for Fe-S cluster biosynthesis are modulated under stress conditions, drug resistance, and developmental stages. It is also known that a defect in Fe-S proteins and Fe-S cluster biogenesis leads to many genetic disorders in humans, which indicates the importance of the systems. In this review, we describe the biological and physiological significance of Fe-S cluster-containing proteins and their biosynthesis in parasitic protozoa including Plasmodium, Trypanosoma, Leishmania, Giardia, Trichomonas, Entamoeba, Cryptosporidium, Blastocystis, and microsporidia. We also discuss the roles of Fe-S cluster biosynthesis in proliferation, differentiation, and stress response in protozoan parasites. The heterogeneity of the systems and the compartmentalization of Fe-S cluster biogenesis in the protozoan parasites likely reflect divergent evolution under highly diverse environmental niches, and influence their parasitic lifestyle and pathogenesis. Finally, both Fe-S cluster-containing proteins and their biosynthetic machinery in protozoan parasites are remarkably different from those in their mammalian hosts. Thus, they represent a rational target for the development of novel chemotherapeutic and prophylactic agents against protozoan infections.

Wiring photosystem I for direct solar hydrogen production

The generation of H(2) by the use of solar energy is a promising way to supply humankind's energy needs while simultaneously mitigating environmental concerns that arise due to climate change. The challenge is to find a way to connect a photochemical module that harnesses the sun's energy to a catalytic module that generates H(2) with high quantum yields and rates. In this review, we describe a technology that employs a "molecular wire" to connect a terminal [4Fe-4S] cluster of Photosystem I directly to a catalyst, which can be either a Pt nanoparticle or the distal [4Fe-4S] cluster of an [FeFe]- or [NiFe]-hydrogenase enzyme. The keys to connecting these two moieties are surface-located cysteine residues, which serve as ligands to Fe-S clusters and which can be changed through site-specific mutagenesis to glycine residues, and the use of a molecular wire terminated in sulfhydryl groups to connect the two modules. The sulfhydryl groups at the end of the molecular wire form a direct chemical linkage to a suitable catalyst or can chemically rescue a [4Fe-4S] cluster, thereby generating a strong coordination bond. Specifically, the molecular wire can connect the F(B) iron-sulfur cluster of Photosystem I either to a Pt nanoparticle or, by using the same type of genetic modification, to the differentiated iron atom of the distal [4Fe-4S].(Cys)(3)(Gly) cluster of hydrogenase. When electrons are supplied by a sacrificial donor, this technology forms the cathode of a photochemical half-cell that evolves H(2) when illuminated. If such a device were connected to the anode of a photochemical half-cell that oxidizes water, an in vitro solar energy converter could be realized that generates only O(2) and H(2) in the light. A similar methodology can be used to connect Photosystem I to other redox proteins that have surface-located [4Fe-4S] clusters. The controlled light-driven production of strong reductants by such systems can be used to produce other biofuels or to provide mechanistic insights into enzymes catalyzing multielectron, proton-coupled reactions.

Proteomic analysis of the heat shock response in Synechocystis PCC6803 and a thermally tolerant knockout strain lacking the histidine kinase 34 gene

Proteomic analysis of the heat shock response of wild type and a mutant of the histidine kinase 34 gene (Deltahik34), which shows increased thermal tolerance, has been performed in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC6803. In vivo radioactive labelling demonstrates that major proteomic changes occur within 1 h of heat shock. 2-D DIGE and MS have been used to quantify changes in specific proteins following heat shock in the wild type and the mutant. Over 100 spots, corresponding to 65 different proteins alter following heat shock. Changes occur not only in the classical heat shock proteins but also in the protein biosynthetic machinery, amino acid biosynthetic enzymes, components of the light and dark acts of photosynthesis and energy metabolism. The Deltahik34 cells have elevated levels of heat shock proteins under both non-heat shock and heat shock conditions, in comparison to the wild type, consistent with Hik34, or a down stream component, being a negative regulator of heat shock-responsive genes.

The sufR gene (sll0088 in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803) functions as a repressor of the sufBCDS operon in iron-sulfur cluster biogenesis in cyanobacteria

The suf operon is composed of four genes (sufB, sufC, sufD, and sufS) and is highly conserved in the genomes of cyanobacteria. Open reading frame sll0088 in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 is located near the 5' end of the suf operon but is transcribed in the direction opposite that of the suf operon. We previously reported the isolation of two independent suppressor strains of C14S(PsaC) that mapped to sll0088 and restored photoautotrophic growth. The protein encoded by sll0088 has two significant features: (i) a DNA-binding domain near the N terminus and (ii) four highly conserved cysteine residues near the C terminus. The protein has high sequence similarity to transcription regulatory proteins with a conserved DNA-binding domain and can be classified in the DeoR family of helix-loop-helix proteins. The protein falls into a further subclass that contains a C-X(12)-C-X(13)-C-X(14)-C motif near the C terminus, which may represent a metal-binding site. The expressed Sll0088 protein harbored an iron-sulfur cluster as shown by optical and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Compared to the wild type, expression levels of the sufBCDS genes were elevated when cells were grown under conditions of oxidative and iron stress and were even higher in a null mutant of Synechococcus sp. strain PCC 7002 in which the sll0088 homolog was insertionally inactivated. In agreement with the proposed role of the sufBCDS genes in iron metabolism, the growth rate of the null mutant was significantly higher than that of the wild type under iron-limiting conditions. We propose that the protein encoded by sll0088 is a transcriptional repressor of the suf operon, and we name the gene sufR.

The universally conserved HCF101 protein is involved in assembly of [4Fe-4S]-cluster-containing complexes in Arabidopsis thaliana chloroplasts

The seedling-lethal nuclear Arabidopsis hcf101 (high chlorophyll fluorescence) mutant is impaired in photosynthesis and complemented by the wild-type HCF101 cDNA. Photosystem I (PSI) activity is abolished, and PSI core complexes fail to accumulate in hcf101, whereas levels of other thylakoid membrane proteins are unaffected. Northern and in vivo labelling analyses as well as studies on polysome loading show that PSI transcript levels and translation rates of proteins, which belong to PSI, are normal in hcf101. PSI-specific fluorescence at 77 K is shifted from 735 to 728 nm in hcf101, indicating that exitons cannot efficiently be transferred to the PSI reaction centre, whereby the PSI antenna is almost unaffected. Mutant plants not only fail to accumulate mature PSI, which contains three [4Fe-4S]clusters (FSCs), but also are characterized by reduced levels of the soluble FSC-containing complex ferredoxin-thioredoxin reductase (FTR) in the stroma. Inhibited FTR maturation is not a secondary effect stemming from lack of PSI because the mutant hcf145, which also lacks PSI, accumulates FTR at normal levels. Levels of the [2Fe-2S] cluster-containing soluble and membrane proteins, ferredoxin and PetC, respectively, were unchanged in hcf101 plants. These data suggest a specific role of HCF101 in FSC biogenesis. HCF101 is plastid localized and belongs to an ancient and universally conserved family of P-loop ATPases previously designated as the 'MRP' (metGrelated protein) family. The function identified for HCF101 suggests a new designation, FSC, for this family.

Suppressor mutations in the study of photosystem I biogenesis: sll0088 is a previously unidentified gene involved in reaction center accumulation in Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803

In previous work, some members of our group isolated mutant strains of Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 in which point mutations had been inserted into the psaC gene to alter the cysteine residues to the F(A) and F(B) iron-sulfur clusters in the PsaC subunit of photosystem I (J. P. Yu, I. R. Vassiliev, Y. S. Jung, J. H. Golbeck, and L. McIntosh, J. Biol. Chem. 272:8032-8039, 1997). These mutant strains did not grow photoautotrophically due to suppressed levels of chlorophyll a and photosystem I. In the results described here, we show that suppressor mutations produced strains that are capable of photoautotrophic growth at moderate light intensity (20 micromol m(-2) s(-1)). Two separate suppressor strains of C14S(PsaC), termed C14S(PsaC)-R62 and C14S(PsaC)-R18, were studied and found to have mutations in a previously uncharacterized open reading frame of the Synechocystis sp. strain PCC 6803 genome named sll0088. C14S(PsaC)-R62 was found to substitute Pro for Arg at residue 161 as the result of a G482-->C change in sll0088, and C14S(PsaC)-R18 was found to have a three-amino-acid insertion of Gly-Tyr-Phe following Cys231 as the result of a TGGTTATTT duplication at T690 in sll0088. These suppressor strains showed near-wild-type levels of chlorophyll a and photosystem I, yet the serine oxygen ligand to F(B) was retained as shown by the retention of the S > or = 3/2 spin state of the [4Fe-4S] cluster. The inactivation of sll0088 by insertion of a kanamycin resistance cartridge in the primary C14S(PsaC) mutant produced an engineered suppressor strain capable of photoautotrophic growth. There was no difference in psaC gene expression or in the amount of PsaC protein assembled in thylakoids between the wild type and an sll0088 deletion mutant. The sll0088 gene encodes a protein predicted to be a transcriptional regulator with sequence similarities to transcription factors in other prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, including Arabidopsis thaliana. The protein contains a typical helix-turn-helix DNA-binding motif and can be classified as a negative regulator by phylogenetic analysis. This suggests that the product of sll0088 has a role in regulating the biogenesis of photosystem I.

Control of electron transport in photosystem I by the iron-sulfur cluster FX in response to intra- and intersubunit interactions

Photosystem I (PS I) is a transmembranal multisubunit complex that mediates light-induced electron transfer from plactocyanine to ferredoxin. The electron transfer proceeds from an excited chlorophyll a dimer (P700) through a chlorophyll a (A0), a phylloquinone (A1), and a [4Fe-4S] iron-sulfur cluster FX, all located on the core subunits PsaA and PsaB, to iron-sulfur clusters FA and FB, located on subunit PsaC. Earlier, it was attempted to determine the function of FX in the absence of FA/B mainly by chemical dissociation of subunit PsaC. However, not all PsaC subunits could be removed from the PS I preparations by this procedure without partially damaging FX. We therefore removed subunit PsaC by interruption of the psaC2 gene of PS I in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Cells could not grow under photosynthetic conditions when subunit PsaC was deleted, yet the PsaC-deficient mutant cells grew under heterotrophic conditions and assembled the core subunits of PS I in which light-induced electron transfer from P700 to A1 occurred. The photoreduction of FX was largely inhibited, as seen from direct measurement of the extent of electron transfer from A1 to FX. From the crystal structure it can be seen that the removal of subunits PsaC, PsaD, and PsaE in the PsaC-deficient mutant resulted in the braking of salt bridges between these subunits and PsaB and PsaA and the formation of a net of two negative surface charges on PsaA/B. The potential induced on FX by these surface charges is proposed to inhibit electron transport from the quinone. In the complete PS I complex, replacement of a cysteine ligand of FX by serine in site-directed mutation C565S/D566E in subunit PsaB caused an approximately 10-fold slow down of electron transfer from the quinone to FX without much affecting the extent of this electron transfer compared with wild type. Based on these and other results, we propose that FX might have a major role in controlling electron transfer through PS I.

Iron-sulfur clusters in type I reaction centers

Type I reaction centers (RCs) are multisubunit chlorophyll-protein complexes that function in photosynthetic organisms to convert photons to Gibbs free energy. The unique feature of Type I RCs is the presence of iron-sulfur clusters as electron transfer cofactors. Photosystem I (PS I) of oxygenic phototrophs is the best-studied Type I RC. It is comprised of an interpolypeptide [4Fe-4S] cluster, F(X), that bridges the PsaA and PsaB subunits, and two terminal [4Fe-4S] clusters, F(A) and F(B), that are bound to the PsaC subunit. In this review, we provide an update on the structure and function of the bound iron-sulfur clusters in Type I RCs. The first new development in this area is the identification of F(A) as the cluster proximal to F(X) and the resolution of the electron transfer sequence as F(X)-->F(A)-->F(B)-->soluble ferredoxin. The second new development is the determination of the three-dimensional NMR solution structure of unbound PsaC and localization of the equal- and mixed-valence pairs in F(A)(-) and F(B)(-). We provide a survey of the EPR properties and spectra of the iron-sulfur clusters in Type I RCs of cyanobacteria, green sulfur bacteria, and heliobacteria, and we summarize new information about the kinetics of back-reactions involving the iron-sulfur clusters.

PHOTOSYSTEM I: Function and Physiology

Photosystem I is the light-driven plastocyanin-ferredoxin oxidoreductase in the thylakoid membranes of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. In recent years, sophisticated spectroscopy, molecular genetics, and biochemistry have been used to understand the light conversion and electron transport functions of photosystem I. The light-harvesting complexes and internal antenna of photosystem I absorb photons and transfer the excitation energy to P700, the primary electron donor. The subsequent charge separation and electron transport leads to the reduction of ferredoxin. The photosystem I proteins are responsible for the precise arrangement of cofactors and determine redox properties of the electron transfer centers. With the availability of genomic information and the structure of photosystem I, one can now probe the functions of photosystem I proteins and cofactors. The strong reductant produced by photosystem I has a central role in chloroplast metabolism, and thus photosystem I has a critical role in the metabolic networks and physiological responses in plants.

Respiratory chain complex I is essential for sexual development in neurospora and binding of iron sulfur clusters are required for enzyme assembly

We have cloned and disrupted in vivo, by repeat-induced point mutations, the nuclear gene coding for an iron sulfur subunit of complex I from Neurospora crassa, homologue of the mammalian TYKY protein. Analysis of the obtained mutant nuo21.3c revealed that complex I fails to assemble. The peripheral arm of the enzyme is disrupted while its membrane arm accumulates. Furthermore, mutated 21.3c-kD proteins, in which selected cysteine residues were substituted with alanines or serines, were expressed in mutant nuo21. 3c. The phenotypes of these strains regarding the formation of complex I are similar to that of the original mutant, indicating that binding of iron sulfur centers to protein subunits is a prerequisite for complex I assembly. Homozygous crosses of nuo21.3c strain, and of other complex I mutants, are unable to complete sexual development. The crosses are blocked at an early developmental stage, before fusion of the nuclei of opposite mating types. This phenotype can be rescued only by transformation with the intact gene. Our results suggest that this might be due to the compromised capacity of complex I-defective strains in energy production.

The cysteine-proximal aspartates in the Fx-binding niche of photosystem I. Effect of alanine and lysine replacements on photoautotrophic growth, electron transfer rates, single-turnover flash efficiency, and EPR spectral properties

The FX electron acceptor in Photosystem I (PS I) is a highly electronegative (Em = -705 mV) interpolypeptide [4Fe-4S] cluster ligated by cysteines 556 and 565 on PsaB and cysteines 574 and 583 on PsaA in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. An aspartic acid is adjacent to each of these cysteines on PsaB and adjacent to the proline-proximal cysteine on PsaA. We investigated the effect of D566PsaB and D557PsaB on electron transfer through FX by changing each aspartate to the neutral alanine or to the positively charged lysine either singly (D566APsaB, D557APsaB, D566KPsaB, and D557KPsaB) or in pairs (D557APsaB/D566APsaB and D557KPsaB/D566APsaB). All mutants except for D557KPsaB/D566APsaB grew photoautotrophically, but the growth of D557KPsaB and D557APsaB/D566APsaB was impaired under low light. The doubling time was increased, and the chlorophyll content per cell was lower in D557KPsaB and D557APsaB/D566APsaB relative to the wild type and the other mutants. Nevertheless, the rates of NADP+ photoreduction in PS I complexes from all mutants were no less than 75% of that of the wild type. The kinetics of back-reaction of the electron acceptors on a single-turnover flash showed efficient electron transfer to the terminal acceptors FA and FB in PS I complexes from all mutants. The EPR spectrum of FX was identical to that in the wild type in all but the single and double D566APsaB mutants, where the high-field resonance was shifted downfield. We conclude that the impaired growth of some of the mutants is related to a reduced accumulation of PS I rather than to photosynthetic efficiency. The chemical nature and the charge of the amino acids adjacent to the cysteine ligands on PsaB do not appear to be significant factors in the efficiency of electron transfer through FX.

POSTTRANSLATIONAL ASSEMBLY OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC METALLOPROTEINS

The assembly of chloroplast metalloproteins requires biochemical catalysis. Assembly factors involved in the biosynthesis of metalloproteins might be required to synthesize, chaperone, or transport the cofactor; modify or chaperone the apoprotein; or catalyze cofactor-protein association. Genetic and biochemical approaches have been applied to the study of the assembly of chloroplast iron-sulfur centers, cytochromes, plastocyanin, and the manganese center of photosystem II. These have led to the discovery of NifS-homologues and cysteine desulfhydrase for iron-sulfur center assembly, six loci (CCS1-CCS5, ccsA) for c-type cytochrome assembly, four loci for cytochrome b6 assembly (CCB1-CCB4), the CtpA protease, which is involved in pre-D1 processing, and the PCY2 locus, which is involved in holoplastocyanin accumulation. New assembly factors are likely to be discovered via the study of assembly-defective mutants of Arabidopsis, cyanobacteria, Chlamydomonas, maize, and via the functional analysis of candidate cofactor metabolizing components identified in the genome databases.

PsaC subunit of photosystem I is oriented with iron-sulfur cluster F(B) as the immediate electron donor to ferredoxin and flavodoxin

The PsaC subunit of photosystem I (PS I) binds two [4Fe-4S] clusters, F(A) and F(B), functioning as electron carriers between F(X) and soluble ferredoxin. To resolve the issue whether F(A) or F(B) is proximal to F(X), we used single-turnover flashes to promote step-by-step electron transfer between electron carriers in control (both F(A) and F(B) present) and HgCl2-treated (F(B)-less) PS I complexes from Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301 and analyzed the kinetics of P700+ reduction by monitoring the absorbance changes at 832 nm in the presence of a fast electron donor (phenazine methosulfate (PMS)). In control PS I complexes exogenously added ferredoxin, or flavodoxin could be photoreduced on each flash, thus allowing P700+ to be reduced from PMS. In F(B)-less complexes, both in the presence and in the absence of ferredoxin or flavodoxin, P700+ was reduced from PMS only on the first flash and was reduced from F(X)- on the following flashes, indicating lack of electron transfer to ferredoxin or flavodoxin. In the F(B)-less complexes, a normal level of P700 photooxidation was detected accompanied by a high yield of charge recombination between P700+ and F(A)- in the presence of a slow donor, 2,6-dichlorophenol-indophenol. This recombination remained the only pathway of F(A)- reoxidation in the presence of added ferredoxin, consistent with the lack of forward electron transfer. F(A)- could be reoxidized by methyl viologen in F(B)-less PS I complexes, although at a concentration two orders of magnitude higher than is required in wild-type PS I complexes, thus implying the presence of a diffusion barrier. The inhibition of electron transfer to ferredoxin and flavodoxin was completely reversed after reconstituting the F(B) cluster. Using rate versus distance estimates for electron transfer rates from F(X) to ferredoxin for two possible orientations of PsaC, we conclude that the kinetic data are best compatible with PsaC being oriented with F(A) as the cluster proximal to F(X) and F(B) as the distal cluster that donates electrons to ferredoxin.

Strains of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 with altered PsaC. II. EPR and optical spectroscopic properties of FA and FB in aspartate, serine, and alanine replacements of cysteines 14 and 51

A psaC deletion mutant of the unicellular cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 was utilized to incorporate site-specific amino acid substitutions in the cysteine residues that ligate the FA and FB iron-sulfur clusters in Photosystem I (PS I). Cysteines 14 and 51 of PsaC were changed to aspartic acid (C14DPsaC, C51DPsaC, C14D/C51DPsaC), serine (C14SPsaC, C51SPsaC), and alanine (C14APsaC, C51APsaC), and the properties of FA and FB were characterized by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy and time-resolved optical spectroscopy. The C14DPsaC-PS I and C14SPsaC-PS I complexes showed high levels of photoreduction of FA with g values of 2.045, 1. 944, and 1.852 after illumination at 15 K, but there was no evidence of reduced FB in the g = 2 region. The C51DPsaC-PS I and C51SPsaC-PS I complexes showed low levels of photoreduction of FB with g values of 2.067, 1.931, and 1.881 after illumination at 15 K, but there was no evidence of reduced FA in the g = 2 region. The presence of FB was inferred in C14DPsaC-PS I and C14SPsaC-PS I, and the presence of FA was inferred in C51DPsaC-PS I and C51SPsaC-PS I by magnetic interaction in the photoaccumulated spectra and by the equal spin concentration of the irreversible P700(+) cation generated by illumination at 77 K. Flash-induced optical absorbance changes at 298 K in the presence of a fast electron donor indicate that two electron acceptors function after FX in the four mutant PS I complexes at room temperature. These data suggest that a mixed-ligand [4Fe-4S] cluster is present in the mutant sites of C14X-PS I and C51X-PS I (where X = D or S), but that the proposed spin state of S = 3/2 renders the resonances undetectable in the g = 2 region. The C14APsaC-PS I, C51APsaC-PS I and C14D/C51DPsaC-PS I complexes show only the photoreduction of FX, consistent with the absence of PsaC. These results show that only those PsaC proteins that contain two [4Fe-4S] clusters are capable of assembling onto PS I cores in vivo.