Effects of peripheral substituents on diastereoselectivity of the fifth ligand-binding to chlorophylls, and nomenclature of the asymmetric axial coordination sites

Chlorophyll Pigments and Their Synthetic Analogs

Oxygenic phototrophs use chlorophylls (Chls) as photosynthetically active pigments. A variety of Chl molecules have been found in photosynthetic organisms, including green plants, algae and cyanobacteria. Here, we review their molecular structures with stereochemistry, occurrence in light-harvesting antennas and reaction centers, biosyntheses in the late stage, chemical stabilities and visible absorption maxima in diethyl ether. The observed maxima are comparable to those of semisynthetic Chl analogs, methyl pyropheophorbides, in dichloromethane. The effects of their peripheral substituents and core π-conjugation on the maxima of the monomeric states are discussed. Notably, the oxidation along the molecular x-axis in Chl-a produces its accessory pigments, Chls-b/c, and introduction of an electron-withdrawing formyl group along the y-axis perpendicular to the x-axis affords far-red light absorbing Chls-d/f.

Intramolecular axial α/β-coordination of the 132-terminal pyridyl group to the central zinc atom in chlorophyll-a derivatives

Chlorophyll(Chl)-a derivatives possessing a zinc center and a C13²-alkanoate residue with a terminal pyridyl group were synthesized. Their C13²-epimerically pure products were isolated by preparative reverse phase HPLC. The C13²-stereochemistry resulted in two directed terminal pyridinyl groups that coordinate with the central zinc atom in each stereoisomeric molecule: α/β-intramolecular axial coordination. The asymmetric axial coordinations mimic the immobilization manner of Chl-a in photosynthetically active proteins. The diastereomerically dependent conformers in solution were characterized by 1D/2D NMR, UV-visible absorption, and fluorescence emission as well as circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The ¹H NMR and DOSY spectra revealed that the stereoselectively intramolecular coordination occurred in less coordinative deuterated chloroform, whereas a highly coordinative deuterated pyridine molecule replaced the terminal pyridine moiety as the axial ligand to form a mixture of α/β-coordinated species. Their optical spectra in pyridine were nearly independent of the C13²-stereochemistry and the linkers in the C13²-substituents. The CD bands of β-coordinated species in chloroform were more intense than those of the corresponding α-coordinated stereoisomers, indicating that the former had a larger distortion of the chlorin π-plane than the latter. Therefore, the α-coordinated Chl complex is more conformationally stable than the β-complex.

Absorption shifts of diastereotopically ligated chlorophyll dimers of photosystem I

Excited-state properties of α- and β-ligated chlorophyll dimers of photosystem I were studied at ab initio correlated levels of theory.

Asymmetry of chlorophylls in photosynthetic proteins: from the viewpoint of coordination chemistry

We conducted a meta-analysis of (bacterio)chlorophyll [(B)Chl] molecules in photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes from the viewpoint of coordination chemistry. We surveyed the ligand species and site in the axial coordination of 146 Chl and 21 BChl molecules in 42 reported crystal structures of 12-type proteins. The imidazolyl moiety of histidine (His) is the most abundant ligand, and the second is water, a much weaker ligand. We focused on the positions, the circumstances, and the macrocycle sides for the coordination of the 31 hydrated (B)Chl molecules found in these proteins. A ligand water molecule of a hydrated (B)Chl is not necessarily hydrogen-bonded to the surrounding protein residues. A hydrated (B)Chl seems to occupy the redundant space where more strongly coupled His-Chl complexes cannot be formed. It is noted that 28 of 31 hydrated (B)Chl molecules (90) were coordinated from the α-side of the (bacterio)chlorin macrocycle, the opposite side from which the C 17-propionic ester protrudes. Among them, all five hydrated Chl molecules at the edges of the proteins were coordinated from the α-side, suggesting that (B)Chl molecules prefer this side for the coordination bondings to the β-side. The analysis also revealed that each (B)Chl binding site was composed of both the protein residues and the neighboring pigment molecules contributing roughly equally. It can be safely said that the cofactor pigments aggregated even in the proteins. Penta-coordination is advantageous to flexible adjustment of intermolecular orientations of (B)Chl molecules in the aggregates.

Synthesis of oligomethylene-strapped chlorophyll derivatives and optical properties of their stereoisomers in a solution

Methyl pheophorbide-a/a' derivatives covalently linked with oligomethylene chains at the 3-CH(2)OCO- and 13(2)-COO- moieties in a molecule were prepared by modifying chlorophyll-a through intramolecular ring-closing metathesis of vinyl groups. At least, a C10-length between the 3(3)- and 13(4)-positions was necessary for the cyclization and connection of a C12-strap was the most suitable to achieve the highest closure yield. The oligomethylene chain in 13(2) R-epimers derived from methyl pheophorbide-a covered the α-face of the chlorin π-plane and the strap in the corresponding 13(2) S-epimers protected the β-face. Synthetic 13(2) R-epimer with a dodecamethylene chain gave a flat chlorin π-plane, while the decamethylene chain in the 13(2) R-epimer distorted the π-system due to its shorter linkage. The distortion by strapping in the 13(2) R-epimer induced a slight blue-shift of Qy peak in dichloromethane. CD spectra of the 13(2) R-epimers were similarly dependent on the chain length, i.e., the distortion of π-plane. Visible absorption and CD spectra of all the strapped 13(2) S-epimers were almost identical and only slightly different from those of the unstrapped. The strapping in the 13(2) S-epimers shifted the Qy peak bathochromically.

Anisotropic organization and microscopic manipulation of self-assembling synthetic porphyrin microrods that mimic chlorosomes: bacterial light-harvesting systems

Being able to control in time and space the positioning, orientation, movement, and sense of rotation of nano- to microscale objects is currently an active research area in nanoscience, having diverse nanotechnological applications. In this paper, we demonstrate unprecedented control and maneuvering of rod-shaped or tubular nanostructures with high aspect ratios which are formed by self-assembling synthetic porphyrins. The self-assembly algorithm, encoded by appended chemical-recognition groups on the periphery of these porphyrins, is the same as the one operating for chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls (BChl's). Chlorosomes, rod-shaped organelles with relatively long-range molecular order, are the most efficient naturally occurring light-harvesting systems. They are used by green photosynthetic bacteria to trap visible and infrared light of minute intensities even at great depths, e.g., 100 m below water surface or in volcanic vents in the absence of solar radiation. In contrast to most other natural light-harvesting systems, the chlorosomal antennae are devoid of a protein scaffold to orient the BChl's; thus, they are an attractive goal for mimicry by synthetic chemists, who are able to engineer more robust chromophores to self-assemble. Functional devices with environmentally friendly chromophores-which should be able to act as photosensitizers within hybrid solar cells, leading to high photon-to-current conversion efficiencies even under low illumination conditions-have yet to be fabricated. The orderly manner in which the BChl's and their synthetic counterparts self-assemble imparts strong diamagnetic and optical anisotropies and flow/shear characteristics to their nanostructured assemblies, allowing them to be manipulated by electrical, magnetic, or tribomechanical forces.

Design principles for chlorophyll-binding sites in helical proteins

The cyclic tetrapyrroles, viz. chlorophylls (Chl), their bacterial analogs bacteriochlorophylls, and hemes are ubiquitous cofactors of biological catalysis that are involved in a multitude of reactions. One systematic approach for understanding how Nature achieves functional diversity with only this handful of cofactors is by designing de novo simple and robust protein scaffolds with heme and/or (bacterio)chlorophyll [(B)Chls]-binding sites. This strategy is currently mostly implemented for heme-binding proteins. To gain more insight into the factors that determine heme-/(B)Chl-binding selectivity, we explored the geometric parameters of (B)Chl-binding sites in a nonredundant subset of natural (B)Chl protein structures. Comparing our analysis to the study of a nonredundant database of heme-binding helical histidines by Negron et al. (Proteins 2009;74:400-416), we found a preference for the m-rotamer in (B)Chl-binding helical histidines, in contrast to the preferred t-rotamer in heme-binding helical histidines. This may be used for the design of specific heme- or (B)Chl-binding sites in water-soluble helical bundles, because the rotamer type defines the positioning of the bound cofactor with respect to the helix interface and thus the protein-binding site. Consensus sequences for (B)Chl binding were identified by combining a computational and database-derived approach and shown to be significantly different from the consensus sequences recommended by Negron et al. (Proteins 2009;74:400-416) for heme-binding helical proteins. The insights gained in this work on helix- (B)Chls-binding pockets provide useful guidelines for the construction of reasonable (B)Chl-binding protein templates that can be optimized by computational tools.

Mimics of the self-assembling chlorosomal bacteriochlorophylls: regio- and stereoselective synthesis and stereoanalysis of acyl(1-hydroxyalkyl)porphyrins

Diacylation of copper 10,20-bis(3,5-di-tert-butylphenylporphyrin) using Friedel-Crafts conditions at short reaction times, high concentrations of catalyst, and 0-4 degrees C affords only the 3,17-diacyl-substituted porphyrins, out of the 12 possible regioisomers. At longer reaction times and higher temperatures, the 3,13-diacyl compounds are also formed, and the two isomers can be conveniently separated by normal chromatographic techniques. Monoreduction of these diketones affords in good yields the corresponding acyl(1-hydroxyalkyl)porphyrins, which after zinc metalation are mimics of the natural chlorosomal bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) d. Racemate resolution by HPLC on a variety of chiral columns was achieved and further optimized, thus permitting easy access to enantiopure porphyrins. Enantioselective reductions proved to be less effective in this respect, giving moderate yields and only 79% ee in the best case. The absolute configuration of the 3(1)-stereocenter was assigned by independent chemical and spectroscopic methods. Self-assembly of a variety of these zinc BChl d mimics proves that a collinear arrangement of the hydroxyalkyl substituent with the zinc atom and the carbonyl substituent is not a stringent requirement, since both the 3,13 and the 3,17 regioisomers self-assemble readily as the racemates. Interestingly, the separated enantiomers self-assemble less readily, as judged by absorption, fluorescence, and transmission electron microscopy studies. Circular dichroism spectra of the self-assemblies show intense Cotton effects, which are mirror-images for the two 3(1)-enantiomers, proving that the supramolecular chirality is dependent on the configuration at the 3(1)-stereocenter. Upon disruption of these self-assemblies with methanol, which competes with zinc ligation, only very weak monomeric Cotton effects are present. The favored heterochiral self-assembly process may also be encountered for the natural BChls. This touches upon the long-standing problem of why both 3(1)-epimers are encountered in BChls in ratios that vary with the illumination and culturing conditions.

Preferential pathways for light-trapping involving beta-ligated chlorophylls

The magnesium atom of chlorophylls (Chls) is always five- or six-coordinated within chlorophyll-protein complexes which are the main light-harvesting systems of plants, algae and most photosynthetic bacteria. Due to the presence of stereocenters and the axial ligation of magnesium the two faces of Chls are diastereotopic. It has been previously recognized that the alpha-configuration having the magnesium ligand on the opposite face of the 17-propionic acid moiety is more frequently encountered and is more stable than the more seldom beta-configuration that has the magnesium ligand on the same face [T.S. Balaban, P. Fromme, A.R. Holzwarth, N. Kraubeta, V.I. Prokhorenko, Relevance of the diastereotopic ligation of magnesium atoms in chlorophylls in Photosystem I, Biochim. Biophys. Acta (Bioenergetics), 1556 (2002) 197-207; T. Oba, H. Tamiaki, Which side of the pi-macrocycle plane of (bacterio)chlorophylls is favored for binding of the fifth ligand? Photosynth. Res. 74 (2002) 1-10]. In photosystem I only 14 Chls out of a total of 96 are in a beta-configuration and these occupy preferential positions around the reaction center. We have now analyzed the alpha/beta dichotomy in the homodimeric photosystem II based on the 2.9 A resolution crystal structure [A. Guskov, J. Kern, A. Gabdulkhakov, M. Broser, A. Zouni, W. Saenger, Cyanobacterial photosystem II at 2.9 A resolution: role of quinones, lipids, channels and chloride, Nature Struct. Mol. Biol. 16 (2009) 334-342] and find that out of 35 Chls in each monomer only 9 are definitively in the beta-configuration, while 4 are uncertain. Ab initio calculations using the approximate coupled-cluster singles-and-doubles model CC2 [O. Christiansen, H. Koch, P. Jørgensen, The second-order approximate coupled cluster singles and doubles model CC2, Chem. Phys. Lett. 243 (1995) 409-418] now correctly predict the absorption spectra of Chls a and b and conclusively show for histidine, which is the most frequent axial ligand of magnesium in chlorophyll-protein complexes, that only slight differences (<4 nm) are encountered between the alpha- and beta-configurations. Significant red shifts (up to 50 nm) can, however, be encountered in excitonically coupled beta-beta-Chl dimers. Surprisingly, in both photosystems I and II very similar "special" beta-beta dimers are encountered at practically the same distances from P700 and P680, respectively. In purple bacteria LH2, the B850 ring is composed exclusively of such tightly coupled beta-bacteriochlorophylls a. A statistical analysis of the close contacts with the protein matrix (<5 A) shows significant differences between the alpha- and beta-configurations and the subunit providing the axial magnesium ligand. The present study allows us to conclude that the excitation energy transfer in light-harvesting systems, from a peripheral antenna towards the reaction center, may follow preferential pathways due to structural reasons involving beta-ligated Chls.

Chlorophylls, ligands and assembly of light-harvesting complexes in chloroplasts

Chlorophyll (Chl) b serves an essential function in accumulation of light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) in plants. In this article, this role of Chl b is explored by considering the properties of Chls and the ligands with which they interact in the complexes. The overall properties of the Chls, not only their spectral features, are altered as consequences of chemical modifications on the periphery of the molecules. Important modifications are introduction of oxygen atoms at specific locations and reduction or desaturation of sidechains. These modifications influence formation of coordination bonds by which the central Mg atom, the Lewis acid, of Chl molecules interacts with amino acid sidechains, as the Lewis base, in proteins. Chl a is a versatile Lewis acid and interacts principally with imidazole groups but also with sidechain amides and water. The 7-formyl group on Chl b withdraws electron density toward the periphery of the molecule and consequently the positive Mg is less shielded by the molecular electron cloud than in Chl a. Chl b thus tends to form electrostatic bonds with Lewis bases with a fixed dipole, such as water and, in particular, peptide backbone carbonyl groups. The coordination bonds are enhanced by H-bonds between the protein and the 7-formyl group. These additional strong interactions with Chl b are necessary to achieve assembly of stable LHCs.

The 17-propionate function of (bacterio)chlorophylls: biological implication of their long esterifying chains in photosynthetic systems

Molecular structures of (bacterio)chlorophylls [= (B)Chls] in photosynthetic apparatus are surveyed, and a diversity of the ester groups of the 17-propionate substituent is particularly focused on in this review. In oxygenic photosynthetic species including green plants and algae, the ester of Chl molecules is limited to a phytyl group. Geranylgeranyl and farnesyl groups in addition to phytyl are observed in (B)Chl molecules inside photosynthetic proteins of anoxygenic bacteria. In main light-harvesting antennas of green bacteria (chlorosomes), a greater variety of ester groups including long straight chains are used in the composite BChl molecules. This diversity is ascribable to the fact that chlorosomal BChls self-aggregate to form a core part of chlorosomes without any specific interaction of oligopeptides. Biological significance of the long chains is discussed in photosynthetic apparatus, especially in chlorosomes.

Transmission electron microscopic study on supramolecular nanostructures of bacteriochlorophyll self-aggregates in chlorosomes of green photosynthetic bacteria

Supramolecular nanostructures of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) self-aggregates in major light-harvesting complexes (chlorosomes) of green photosynthetic bacteria were successfully observed by freeze-fracture transmission electron microscope. Rod-shaped nanostructures with approximately 10 nm in diameter could be visualized in three types of green sulfur bacteria (Chlorobium). Diameter of the rod-shaped nanostructures in Chlorobium chlorosomes was independent of the molecular structures of their light-harvesting pigments, namely BChl-c or d. In contrast, chlorosomes of the green filamentous bacterium Chloroflexus aurantiacus had rod-shaped nanostructures with approximately 5 nm in diameter. The present results support that BChl self-aggregates in chlorosomes form rod-shaped nanostructures called rod-elements with approximately 10- and 5-nm diameters for Chlorobium and Chloroflexus, respectively.

Gallium(III) complexes of methyl pyropheophorbide-a as synthetic models for investigation of diastereomerically controlled axial ligation towards chlorophylls

Gallium(III) chlorins possessing a series of axial ligands were synthesized as model compounds of natural chlorophylls. A pair of diastereomers arising from the fifth axial coordination onto the asymmetric chlorin pi-macrocycle could be discriminated in a solution by both (1)H- and (13)C NMR spectroscopies.