1
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Akhtar P, Feng Y, Jana S, Wang W, Shen JR, Tan HS, Lambrev PH. Ultrafast Energy Transfer in a Diatom Photosystem II Supercomplex. J Phys Chem Lett 2024; 15:5838-5847. [PMID: 38788163 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.4c01029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2024]
Abstract
The light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) of diatoms, specifically fucoxanthin-Chl a/c binding proteins (FCPs), exhibit structural and functional diversity, as highlighted by recent structural studies of photosystem II-FCP (PSII-FCPII) supercomplexes from different diatom species. The excitation dynamics of PSII-FCPII supercomplexes isolated from the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana was explored using time-resolved fluorescence spectroscopy and two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy at room temperature and 77 K. Energy transfer between FCPII and PSII occurred remarkably fast (<5 ps), emphasizing the efficiency of FCPII as a light-harvesting antenna. The presence of long-wavelength chlorophylls may further help concentrate excitations in the core complex and increase the efficiency of light harvesting. Structure-based calculations reveal remarkably strong excitonic couplings between chlorophylls in the FCP antenna and between FCP and the PSII core antenna that are the basis for the rapid energy transfer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parveen Akhtar
- HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári körút 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
| | - Yue Feng
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - Sanjib Jana
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Wenda Wang
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
| | - Jian-Ren Shen
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, People's Republic of China
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, Okayama University, Okayama 700-8530, Japan
| | - Howe-Siang Tan
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Petar H Lambrev
- HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári körút 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
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2
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Ulrich NJ, Shen G, Bryant DA, Miller SR. Ecological diversification of a cyanobacterium through divergence of its novel chlorophyll d-based light-harvesting system. Curr Biol 2024:S0960-9822(24)00665-1. [PMID: 38851184 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.05.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 05/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/10/2024]
Abstract
The evolution of novel traits can have important consequences for biological diversification. Novelties such as new structures are associated with changes in both genotype and phenotype that often lead to changes in ecological function.1,2 New ecological opportunities provided by a novel trait can trigger subsequent trait modification or niche partitioning3; however, the underlying mechanisms of novel trait diversification are still poorly understood. Here, we report that the innovation of a new chlorophyll (Chl) pigment, Chl d, by the cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina was followed by the functional divergence of its light-harvesting complex. We identified three major photosynthetic spectral types based on Chl fluorescence properties for a collection of A. marina laboratory strains for which genome sequence data are available,4,5 with shorter- and longer-wavelength types more recently derived from an ancestral intermediate phenotype. Members of the different spectral types exhibited extensive variation in the Chl-binding proteins as well as the Chl energy levels of their photosynthetic complexes. This spectral-type divergence is associated with differences in the wavelength dependence of both growth rate and photosynthetic oxygen evolution. We conclude that the divergence of the light-harvesting apparatus has consequently impacted A. marina ecological diversification through specialization on different far-red photons for photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikea J Ulrich
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Gaozhong Shen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, 406 Althouse Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Donald A Bryant
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pennsylvania State University, 406 Althouse Lab, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Scott R Miller
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, 32 Campus Drive, Missoula, MT 59812, USA.
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3
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Bhattacharjee S, Arra S, Daidone I, Pantazis DA. Excitation landscape of the CP43 photosynthetic antenna complex from multiscale simulations. Chem Sci 2024; 15:7269-7284. [PMID: 38756808 PMCID: PMC11095388 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc06714a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2023] [Accepted: 04/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII), the principal enzyme of oxygenic photosynthesis, contains two integral light harvesting proteins (CP43 and CP47) that bind chlorophylls and carotenoids. The two intrinsic antennae play crucial roles in excitation energy transfer and photoprotection. CP43 interacts most closely with the reaction center of PSII, specifically with the branch of the reaction center (D1) that is responsible for primary charge separation and electron transfer. Deciphering the function of CP43 requires detailed atomic-level insights into the properties of the embedded pigments. To advance this goal, we employ a range of multiscale computational approaches to determine the site energies and excitonic profile of CP43 chlorophylls, using large all-atom models of a membrane-bound PSII monomer. In addition to time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) used in the context of a quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics setup (QM/MM), we present a thorough analysis using the perturbed matrix method (PMM), which enables us to utilize information from long-timescale molecular dynamics simulations of native PSII-complexed CP43. The excited state energetics and excitonic couplings have both similarities and differences compared with previous experimental fits and theoretical calculations. Both static TD-DFT and dynamic PMM results indicate a layered distribution of site energies and reveal specific groups of chlorophylls that have shared contributions to low-energy excitations. Importantly, the contribution to the lowest energy exciton does not arise from the same chlorophylls at each system configuration, but rather changes as a function of conformational dynamics. An unexpected finding is the identification of a low-energy charge-transfer excited state within CP43 that involves a lumenal (C2) and the central (C10) chlorophyll of the complex. The results provide a refined basis for structure-based interpretation of spectroscopic observations and for further deciphering excitation energy transfer in oxygenic photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sinjini Bhattacharjee
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr Germany
| | - Srilatha Arra
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila Via Vetoio (Coppito 1) 67010 L'Aquila Italy
| | - Isabella Daidone
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila Via Vetoio (Coppito 1) 67010 L'Aquila Italy
| | - Dimitrios A Pantazis
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr Germany
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4
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Lin C, Mazor Y, Reppert M. Feeling the Strain: Quantifying Ligand Deformation in Photosynthesis. J Phys Chem B 2024; 128:2266-2280. [PMID: 38442033 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.3c06488] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
Structural distortion of protein-bound ligands can play a critical role in enzyme function by tuning the electronic and chemical properties of the ligand molecule. However, quantifying these effects is difficult due to the limited resolution of protein structures and the difficulty of generating accurate structural restraints for nonprotein ligands. Here, we seek to quantify these effects through a statistical analysis of ligand distortion in chlorophyll proteins (CP), where ring deformation is thought to play a role in energy and electron transfer. To assess the accuracy of ring-deformation estimates from available structural data, we take advantage of the C2 symmetry of photosystem II (PSII), comparing ring-deformation estimates for equivalent sites both within and between 113 distinct X-ray and cryogenic electron microscopy PSII structures. Significantly, we find that several deformation modes exhibit considerable variability in predictions, even for equivalent monomers, down to a 2 Å resolution, to an extent that probably prevents their utilization in optical calculations. We further find that refinement restraints play a critical role in determining deformation values to resolution as low as 2 Å. However, for those modes that are well-resolved in the structural data, ring deformation in PSII is strongly conserved across all species tested from cyanobacteria to algae. These results highlight both the opportunities and limitations inherent in structure-based analyses of the bioenergetic and optical properties of CPs and other protein-ligand complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chientzu Lin
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47920, United States
| | - Yuval Mazor
- School of Molecular Sciences, The Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85281, United States
| | - Mike Reppert
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47920, United States
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5
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Nguyen HL, Do TN, Zhong K, Akhtar P, Jansen TLC, Knoester J, Caffarri S, Lambrev P, Tan HS. Inter-subunit energy transfer processes in a minimal plant photosystem II supercomplex. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2024; 10:eadh0911. [PMID: 38394196 PMCID: PMC10889429 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh0911] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) is an integral part of the photosynthesis machinery, in which several light-harvesting complexes rely on inter-complex excitonic energy transfer (EET) processes to channel energy to the reaction center. In this paper, we report on a direct observation of the inter-complex EET in a minimal PSII supercomplex from plants, containing the trimeric light-harvesting complex II (LHCII), the monomeric light-harvesting complex CP26, and the monomeric PSII core complex. Using two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy, we measure an inter-complex EET timescale of 50 picoseconds for excitations from the LHCII-CP26 peripheral antenna to the PSII core. The 2D electronic spectra also reveal that the transfer timescale is nearly constant over the pump spectrum of 600 to 700 nanometers. Structure-based calculations reveal the contribution of each antenna complex to the measured inter-complex EET time. These results provide a step in elucidating the full inter-complex energy transfer network of the PSII machinery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hoang Long Nguyen
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Thanh Nhut Do
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371
| | - Kai Zhong
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Parveen Akhtar
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-HU Nonprofit Limited, Wolfgang Sandner utca 3, Szeged 6728, Hungary
- HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári körút 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
| | - Thomas L. C. Jansen
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Jasper Knoester
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
- Faculty of Science, Leiden University, Einsteinweg 55, NL-2300 RA Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Stefano Caffarri
- Aix Marseille Université, CEA, CNRS, BIAM, LGBP, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Petar Lambrev
- HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári körút 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
| | - Howe-Siang Tan
- School of Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371
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6
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Kosumi D, Bandou-Uotani M, Kato S, Kawakami K, Yonekura K, Kamiya N. Reinvestigation on primary processes of PSII-dimer from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopy. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2024; 159:79-91. [PMID: 38363474 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-024-01076-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
Cyanobacterial photosynthetic apparatus efficiently capture sunlight, and the energy is subsequently transferred to photosystem I (PSI) and II (PSII), to produce electrochemical potentials. PSII is a unique membrane protein complex that photo-catalyzes oxidation of water and majorly contains photosynthetic pigments of chlorophyll a and carotenoids. In the present study, the ultrafast energy transfer and charge separation dynamics of PSII from a thermophilic cyanobacterium Thermosynechococcus vulcanus were reinvestigated by femtosecond pump-probe spectroscopic measurements under low temperature and weak intensity excitation condition. The results imply the two possible models of the energy transfers and subsequent charge separation in PSII. One is the previously suggested "transfer-to-trapped limit" model. Another model suggests that the energy transfers from core CP43 and CP47 antennas to the primary electron donor ChlD1 with time-constants of 0.71 ps and 3.28 ps at 140 K (0.17 and 1.33 ps at 296 K), respectively and that the pheophytin anion (PheoD1-) is generated with the time-constant of 43.0 ps at 140 K (14.8 ps at 296 K) upon excitation into the Qy band of chlorophyll a at 670 nm. The secondary electron transfer to quinone QA: PheoD1-QA → PheoD1QA- is observed with the time-constant of 650 ps only at 296 K. On the other hand, an inefficient β-carotene → chlorophyll a energy transfer (33%) occurred after excitation to the S2 state of β-carotene at 500 nm. Instead, the carotenoid triplet state appeared in an ultrafast timescale after excitation at 500 nm.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daisuke Kosumi
- Institute of Industrial Nanomaterials, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-Ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan.
| | - Miki Bandou-Uotani
- School of Graduate Studies, The Open University of Japan, 2-11 Wakaba, Mihama-Ku, Chiba, 261-8586, Japan
- Division of Technology, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-Ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Shunya Kato
- Department of Physics, Faculty of Science, Kumamoto University, 2-39-1 Kurokami, Chuo-Ku, Kumamoto, 860-8555, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kawakami
- Biostructual Mechanism Laboratory, RIKEN, SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo, Hyougo, 679-5148, Japan.
| | - Koji Yonekura
- Biostructual Mechanism Laboratory, RIKEN, SPring-8 Center, 1-1-1, Kouto, Sayo, Hyougo, 679-5148, Japan
- Institute of Multidisciplinary Research for Advanced Materials, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan
| | - Nobuo Kamiya
- The OCU Research Center for Artificial Photosynthesis, Osaka Metropolitan University, 3-3-138Sumiyoshi-Ku, SugimotoOsaka City, Osaka, 558-8585, Japan
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7
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Gemeinhardt FG, Lahav Y, Schapiro I, Noy D, Müh F, Lindorfer D, Renger T. Short-Range Effects in the Special Pair of Photosystem II Reaction Centers: The Nonconservative Nature of Circular Dichroism. J Phys Chem Lett 2023; 14:11758-11767. [PMID: 38117270 PMCID: PMC10758115 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c02693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2023] [Revised: 11/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 12/21/2023]
Abstract
Photosystem II reaction centers extract electrons from water, providing the basis of oxygenic life on earth. Among the light-sensitive pigments of the reaction center, a central chlorophyll a dimer, known as the special pair, so far has escaped a complete theoretical characterization of its excited state properties. The close proximity of the special pair pigments gives rise to short-range effects that comprise a coupling between local and charge transfer (CT) excited states as well as other intermolecular quantum effects. Using a multiscale simulation and a diabatization technique, we show that the coupling to CT states is responsible for 45% of the excitonic coupling in the special pair. The other short-range effects cause a nonconservative nature of the circular dichroism spectrum of the reaction center by effectively rotating the electric transition dipole moments of the special pair pigments inverting and strongly enhancing their intrinsic rotational strength.
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Affiliation(s)
- Felix G. Gemeinhardt
- Institut
für Theoretische Physik, Johannes
Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Yigal Lahav
- Fritz
Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics Research, Institute of Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
- MIGAL
- Galilee Research Institute, S. Industrial Zone, 1101602 Kiryat Shmona, Israel
| | - Igor Schapiro
- Fritz
Haber Center for Molecular Dynamics Research, Institute of Chemistry, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 9190401 Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Dror Noy
- MIGAL
- Galilee Research Institute, S. Industrial Zone, 1101602 Kiryat Shmona, Israel
- Faculty
of Sciences and Technology, Tel-Hai Academic
College, 1220800 Upper Galilee, Israel
| | - Frank Müh
- Institut
für Theoretische Physik, Johannes
Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Dominik Lindorfer
- Institut
für Theoretische Physik, Johannes
Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Thomas Renger
- Institut
für Theoretische Physik, Johannes
Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Strasse 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
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8
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Sirohiwal A, Pantazis DA. Reaction Center Excitation in Photosystem II: From Multiscale Modeling to Functional Principles. Acc Chem Res 2023; 56:2921-2932. [PMID: 37844298 PMCID: PMC10634305 DOI: 10.1021/acs.accounts.3c00392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2023] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Oxygenic photosynthesis is the fundamental energy-converting process that utilizes sunlight to generate molecular oxygen and the organic compounds that sustain life. Protein-pigment complexes harvest light and transfer excitation energy to specialized pigment assemblies, reaction centers (RC), where electron transfer cascades are initiated. A molecular-level understanding of the primary events is indispensable for elucidating the principles of natural photosynthesis and enabling development of bioinspired technologies. The primary enzyme in oxygenic photosynthesis is Photosystem II (PSII), a membrane-embedded multisubunit complex, that catalyzes the light-driven oxidation of water. The RC of PSII consists of four chlorophyll a and two pheophytin a pigments symmetrically arranged along two core polypeptides; only one branch participates in electron transfer. Despite decades of research, fundamental questions remain, including the origin of this functional asymmetry, the nature of primary charge-transfer states and the identity of the initial electron donor, the origin of the capability of PSII to enact charge separation with far-red photons, i.e., beyond the "red limit" where individual chlorophylls absorb, and the role of protein conformational dynamics in modulating charge-separation pathways.In this Account, we highlight developments in quantum-chemistry based excited-state computations for multipigment assemblies and the refinement of protocols for computing protein-induced electrochromic shifts and charge-transfer excitations calibrated with modern local correlation coupled cluster methods. We emphasize the importance of multiscale atomistic quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics and large-scale molecular dynamics simulations, which enabled direct and accurate modeling of primary processes in RC excitation at the quantum mechanical level.Our findings show how differential protein electrostatics enable spectral tuning of RC pigments and generate functional asymmetry in PSII. A chlorophyll pigment on the active branch (ChlD1) has the lowest site energy in PSII and is the primary electron donor. The complete absence of low-lying charge-transfer states within the central pair of chlorophylls excludes a long-held assumption about the initial charge separation. Instead, we identify two primary charge separation pathways, both with the same pheophytin acceptor (PheoD1): a fast pathway with ChlD1 as the primary electron donor (short-range charge-separation) and a slow pathway with PD1PD2 as the initial donor (long-range charge separation). The low-energy spectrum is dominated by two states with significant charge-transfer character, ChlD1δ+PheoD1δ- and PD1δ+PheoD1δ-. The conformational dynamics of PSII allows these charge-transfer states to span wide energy ranges, pushing oxygenic photosynthesis beyond the "red limit". These results provide a quantum mechanical picture of the primary events in the RC of oxygenic photosynthesis, forming a solid basis for interpreting experimental observations and for extending photosynthesis research in new directions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Sirohiwal
- Department
of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Dimitrios A. Pantazis
- Max-Planck-Institut
für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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9
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Cook RL, Ko L, Whaley KB. A quantum trajectory picture of single photon absorption and energy transport in photosystem II. J Chem Phys 2023; 159:134108. [PMID: 37795784 DOI: 10.1063/5.0168631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2023] [Accepted: 09/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
We use quantum trajectory theory to study the dynamics of the first step in photosynthesis for a single photon interacting with photosystem II (PSII). By considering individual trajectories we are able to look beyond the ensemble average dynamics to compute the PSII system evolution conditioned upon individual photon counting measurements. Measurements of the transmitted photon beam strongly affects the system state, since detection of an outgoing photon confirms that the PSII must be in the electronic ground state, while a null measurement implies it is in an excited electronic state. We show that under ideal conditions, observing the null result transforms a state with a low excited state population to a state with nearly all population contained in the excited states. We study the PSII dynamics conditioned on such photon counting for both a pure excitonic model of PSII and a more realistic model with exciton-phonon coupling to a dissipative phononic environment. In the absence of such coupling, we show that the measured fluorescence rates show oscillations constituting a photon-counting witness of excitonic coherence. Excitonic coupling to the phonon environment has a strong effect on the observed rates of fluorescence, damping the oscillations. Addition of non-radiative decay and incoherent transitions to radical pair states in the reaction center to the phononic model allows extraction of a quantum efficiency of 92.5% from the long-time evolution, consistent with bulk experimental measurements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert L Cook
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - Liwen Ko
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
| | - K Birgitta Whaley
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720, USA
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10
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Ress L, Malý P, Landgraf JB, Lindorfer D, Hofer M, Selby J, Lambert C, Renger T, Brixner T. Time-resolved circular dichroism of excitonic systems: theory and experiment on an exemplary squaraine polymer. Chem Sci 2023; 14:9328-9349. [PMID: 37712031 PMCID: PMC10498725 DOI: 10.1039/d3sc01674a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/28/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Experimental and theoretical foundations for femtosecond time-resolved circular dichroism (TRCD) spectroscopy of excitonic systems are presented. In this method, the system is pumped with linearly polarized light and the signal is defined as the difference between the transient absorption spectrum probed with left and with right circularly polarized light. We present a new experimental setup with a polarization grating as key element to generate circularly polarized pulses. Herein the positive (negative) first order of the diffracted light is left-(right-)circularly polarized and serves as a probe pulse in a TRCD experiment. The grating is capable of transferring ultrashort broadband pulses ranging from 470 nm to 720 nm into two separate beams with opposite ellipticity. By applying a specific chopping scheme we can switch between left and right circular polarizations and detect transient absorption (TA) and TRCD spectra on a shot-to-shot basis simultaneously. We perform experiments on a squaraine polymer, investigating excitonic dynamics, and we develop a general theory for TRCD experiments of excitonically coupled systems that we then apply to describe the experimental data in this particular example. At a magic angle of 54.7° between the pump-pulse polarization and the propagation direction of the probe pulse, the TRCD and TA signals become particularly simple to analyze, since the orientational average over random orientations of complexes factorizes into that of the interaction with the pump and the probe pulse, and the intrinsic electric quadrupole contributions to the TRCD signal average to zero for isotropic samples. Application of exciton theory to linear absorption and to linear circular dichroism spectra of squaraine polymers reveals the presence of two fractions of polymer conformations, a dominant helical conformation with close interpigment distances that are suggested to lead to short-range contributions to site energy shifts and excitonic couplings of the squaraine molecules, and a fraction of unfolded random coils. Theory demonstrates that TRCD spectra of selectively excited helices can resolve state populations that are practically invisible in TA spectroscopy due to the small dipole strength of these states. A qualitative interpretation of TRCD and TA spectra in the spectral window investigated experimentally is offered. The 1 ps time component found in these spectra is related to the slow part of exciton relaxation obtained between states of the helix in the low-energy half of the exciton manifold. The dominant 140 ps time constant reflects the decay of excited states to the electronic ground state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea Ress
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Pavel Malý
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University Ke Karlovu 5 121 16 Praha 2 Czech Republic
| | - Jann B Landgraf
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
- Freiburg Center for Interactive Materials and Bioinspired Technologies (FIT), Universität Freiburg Georges-Köhler-Allee 105 79110 Freiburg Germany
| | - Dominik Lindorfer
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz Altenberger Str. 69 4040 Linz Austria
| | - Michael Hofer
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz Altenberger Str. 69 4040 Linz Austria
| | - Joshua Selby
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Christoph Lambert
- Institut für Organische Chemie, Universität Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Thomas Renger
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz Altenberger Str. 69 4040 Linz Austria
| | - Tobias Brixner
- Institut für Physikalische und Theoretische Chemie, Universität Würzburg Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
- Center for Nanosystems Chemistry (CNC), Universität Würzburg Theodor-Boveri-Weg 97074 Würzburg Germany
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11
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Capone M, Sirohiwal A, Aschi M, Pantazis DA, Daidone I. Alternative Fast and Slow Primary Charge-Separation Pathways in Photosystem II. Angew Chem Int Ed Engl 2023; 62:e202216276. [PMID: 36791234 DOI: 10.1002/anie.202216276] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2022] [Revised: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Photosystem-II (PSII) is a multi-subunit protein complex that harvests sunlight to perform oxygenic photosynthesis. Initial light-activated charge separation takes place at a reaction centre consisting of four chlorophylls and two pheophytins. Understanding the processes following light excitation remains elusive due to spectral congestion, the ultrafast nature, and multi-component behaviour of the charge-separation process. Here, using advanced computational multiscale approaches which take into account the large-scale configurational flexibility of the system, we identify two possible primary pathways to radical-pair formation that differ by three orders of magnitude in their kinetics. The fast (short-range) pathway is dominant, but the existence of an alternative slow (long-range) charge-separation pathway hints at the evolution of redundancy that may serve other purposes, adaptive or protective, related to formation of the unique oxidative species that drives water oxidation in PSII.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Capone
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, via Vetoio (Coppito 1), 67010, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Abhishek Sirohiwal
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany.,Present Address: Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Arrhenius Laboratory, Stockholm University, 10691, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Massimiliano Aschi
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, via Vetoio (Coppito 1), 67010, L'Aquila, Italy
| | - Dimitrios A Pantazis
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470, Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Isabella Daidone
- Department of Physical and Chemical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, via Vetoio (Coppito 1), 67010, L'Aquila, Italy
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12
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Saito K, Mitsuhashi K, Tamura H, Ishikita H. Quantum mechanical analysis of excitation energy transfer couplings in photosystem II. Biophys J 2023; 122:470-483. [PMID: 36609140 PMCID: PMC9941724 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2023.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 01/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
We evaluated excitation energy transfer (EET) coupling (J) between all pairs of chlorophylls (Chls) and pheophytins (Pheos) in the protein environment of photosystem II based on the time-dependent density functional theory with a quantum mechanical/molecular mechanics approach. In the reaction center, the EET coupling between Chls PD1 and PD2 is weaker (|J(PD1/PD2)| = 79 cm-1), irrespective of a short edge-to-edge distance of 3.6 Å (Mg-to-Mg distance of 8.1 Å), than the couplings between PD1 and the accessory ChlD1 (|J(PD1/ChlD2)| = 104 cm-1) and between PD2 and ChlD2 (|J(PD2/ChlD1)| = 101 cm-1), suggesting that PD1 and PD2 are two monomeric Chls rather than a "special pair". There exist strongly coupled Chl pairs (|J| > ∼100 cm-1) in the CP47 and CP43 core antennas, which may be candidates for the red-shifted Chls observed in spectroscopic studies. In CP47 and CP43, Chls ligated to CP47-His26 and CP43-His56, which are located in the middle layer of the thylakoid membrane, play a role in the "hub" that mediates the EET from the lumenal to stromal layers. In the stromal layer, Chls ligated to CP47-His466, CP43-His441, and CP43-His444 mediate the EET from CP47 to ChlD2/PheoD2 and from CP43 to ChlD1/PheoD1 in the reaction center. Thus, the excitation energy from both CP47 and CP43 can always be utilized for the charge-separation reaction in the reaction center.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keisuke Saito
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Koji Mitsuhashi
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hiroyuki Tamura
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
| | - Hiroshi Ishikita
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan; Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
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13
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Mohamed A, Nishi S, Kawakami K, Shen JR, Itoh S, Fukumura H, Shibata Y. Exciton quenching by oxidized chlorophyll Z across the two adjacent monomers in a photosystem II core dimer. PHOTOSYNTHESIS RESEARCH 2022; 154:277-289. [PMID: 35976595 DOI: 10.1007/s11120-022-00948-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/31/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to clarify (1) which pigment in a photosystem II (PSII) core complex is responsible for the 695-nm emission at 77 K and (2) the molecular basis for the oxidation-induced fluorescence quenching in PSII. Picosecond time-resolved fluorescence dynamics was compared between the dimeric and monomeric PSII with and without addition of an oxidant. The results indicated that the excitation-energy flow to the 695-nm-emitting chlorophyll (Chl) at 36 K and 77 K was hindered upon monomerization, clearly demonstrating significant exciton migration from the Chls on one monomer to the 695-nm-emitting pigment on the adjacent monomer. Oxidation of the redox-active Chl, which is named ChlZ caused almost equal quenching of the 684-nm and 695-nm emission bands in the dimer, and lower quenching of the 695-nm band in the monomer. These results suggested two possible scenarios responsible for the 695-nm emission band: (A) Chl11-13 pair and the oxidized ChlZD1 work as the 695-nm emitting Chl and the quenching site, respectively, and (B) Chl29 and the oxidized ChlZD2 work as the 695-nm emitting Chl and the quenching site, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Mohamed
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
- Centre Énergie Matériaux Télécommunications, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1650, Boul. Lionel-Boulet, Varennes, QC, J3X 1S2, Canada
| | - Shunsuke Nishi
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kawakami
- Biostructural Mechanism Laboratory, RIKEN Spring-8 Center, Hyogo, 679-5148, Japan
| | - Jian-Ren Shen
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, 700-8530, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Division of Material Science (Physics), Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8602, Japan
| | - Hiroshi Fukumura
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan
- Department of Chemistry, KU Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200F, 3001, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Yutaka Shibata
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University, Aramaki Aza Aoba, Aoba-Ku, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan.
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14
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Huang X, Qin B, Qin L, Peng Z, Xia S, Su Y, Sun K, Peng K. A comparative study on photosynthetic characteristics and flavonoid metabolism between Camellia petelotii (Merr.) Sealy and Camellia impressinervis Chang &Liang. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2022; 13:1071458. [PMID: 36544877 PMCID: PMC9762238 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2022.1071458] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Camellia petelotii (Merr.) Sealy and Camellia impressinervis Chang & Liang belong to the golden subgroup of Camellia (Theaceae). This subgroup contains the yellow-flowering species of the genus, which have high medicinal and ornamental value and a narrow geographical distribution. These species differ in their tolerance to high light intensity. This study aimed to explore the differences in their light-stress responses and light damage repair processes, and the effect of these networks on secondary metabolite synthesis. Two-year-old plants of both species grown at 300 µmol·m-2·s-1 photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) were shifted to 700 µmol·m-2·s-1 PAR for 5 days shifting back to 300 µmol·m-2·s-1 PAR for recovery for 5 days. Leaf samples were collected at the start of the experiment and 2 days after each shift. Data analysis included measuring photosynthetic indicators, differential transcriptome expression, and quantifying plant hormones, pigments, and flavonoids. Camellia impressinervis showed a weak ability to recover from photodamage that occurred at 700 µmol·m-2·s-1 compared with C. petelotii. Photodamage led to decreased photosynthesis, as shown by repressed transcript abundance for photosystem II genes psbA, B, C, O, and Q, photosystem I genes psaB, D, E, H, and N, electron transfer genes petE and F, and ATP synthesis genes ATPF1A and ATPF1B. High-light stress caused more severe damage to C. impressinervis, which showed a stronger response to reactive oxygen species than C. petelotii. In addition, high-light stress promoted the growth and development of high zeatin signalling and increased transcript abundance of adenylate dimethylallyl transferase (IPT) and histidine-containing phosphotransferase (AHP). The identification of transcriptional differences in the regulatory networks that respond to high-light stress and activate recovery of light damage in these two rare species adds to the resources available to conserve them and improve their value through molecular breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xin Huang
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
- Forestry Research Institute of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Bo Qin
- Forestry Research Institute of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Lei Qin
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Zhihong Peng
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Shitou Xia
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Yi Su
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
| | - Kaidao Sun
- Forestry Research Institute of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Nanning, China
| | - Keqin Peng
- Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Phytohormones and Growth Development, Hunan Agricultural University, Changsha, China
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15
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Fujita Y, Zhang X, Mohamed A, Ye S, Shibata Y. Accumulation of quenched LHCII around PSI in Chlamydomonas cells in state2 revealed by cryo-fluorescence lifetime imaging. JOURNAL OF PHOTOCHEMISTRY AND PHOTOBIOLOGY. B, BIOLOGY 2022; 236:112584. [PMID: 36272337 DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotobiol.2022.112584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2022] [Revised: 09/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2022] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Fluorescence-spectral microscope observations of photosynthetic organisms at cryogenic temperatures have the ability to spectrally resolve the two photosystems (PSs) and thus provide a powerful tool to elucidate the functional analysis of photosynthesis in vivo. In the present study, a measurement channel of the fluorescence lifetime at 680 nm was added to the cryo-microscope system previously developed by the authors. This provides access to information on the functional state of the light-harvesting system in living cells during regulation by a mechanism called state transitions. The observations of state1-locked and state2-locked Chlamydomonas cells at 80 K enabled us to identify a component showing rapidly decaying fluorescence with a lifetime of ca. 3 ps and emitting at around 676 nm. The component was assigned to the light-harvesting complex II (LHCII) that is isolated from both PSs and in a quenched state, probably due to the formation of aggregates. Simultaneous spectral observations revealed the accumulation of this free LHCII in the photosystem I (PSI)-enriched region within each state2-locked cell. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first in-vivo observation which suggests the localization of the quenched LHCII aggregates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Fujita
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan
| | - XianJun Zhang
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan; Division for Interdisciplinary Advanced Research and Education, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan
| | - Ahmed Mohamed
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan
| | - Shen Ye
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan
| | - Yutaka Shibata
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Sciences, Tohoku University, 980-8578 Sendai, Japan.
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16
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From antenna to reaction center: Pathways of ultrafast energy and charge transfer in photosystem II. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2208033119. [PMID: 36215463 PMCID: PMC9586314 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208033119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The photosystem II core complex (PSII-CC) is a photosynthetic complex that contains antenna proteins, which collect energy from sunlight, and a reaction center, which converts the collected energy to redox potential. Understanding the interplay between the antenna proteins and the reaction center will facilitate the development of more efficient solar energy conversion technologies. Here, we study the sub-100-ps dynamics of PSII-CC with two-dimensional electronic-vibrational spectroscopy, which connects energy flows with physical space, allowing a direct mapping of energy transfer pathways. Our results reveal a complex dynamical scheme which includes a specific pathway that connects CP43 to the reaction center. Resolving this pathway experimentally provides insights into the energy conversion processes in natural photosynthesis. The photosystem II core complex (PSII-CC) is the smallest subunit of the oxygenic photosynthetic apparatus that contains core antennas and a reaction center, which together allow for rapid energy transfer and charge separation, ultimately leading to efficient solar energy conversion. However, there is a lack of consensus on the interplay between the energy transfer and charge separation dynamics of the core complex. Here, we report the application of two-dimensional electronic-vibrational (2DEV) spectroscopy to the spinach PSII-CC at 77 K. The simultaneous temporal and spectral resolution afforded by 2DEV spectroscopy facilitates the separation and direct assignment of coexisting dynamical processes. Our results show that the dominant dynamics of the PSII-CC are distinct in different excitation energy regions. By separating the excitation regions, we are able to distinguish the intraprotein dynamics and interprotein energy transfer. Additionally, with the improved resolution, we are able to identify the key pigments involved in the pathways, allowing for a direct connection between dynamical and structural information. Specifically, we show that C505 in CP43 and the peripheral chlorophyll ChlzD1 in the reaction center are most likely responsible for energy transfer from CP43 to the reaction center.
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17
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Biswas S, Niedzwiedzki DM, Pakrasi HB. Introduction of cysteine-mediated quenching in the CP43 protein of photosystem II builds resilience to high-light stress in a cyanobacterium. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA. BIOENERGETICS 2022; 1863:148580. [PMID: 35654167 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2022.148580] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Revised: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Photosystem (PS) II is prone to photodamage both as a direct consequence of light, and indirectly by producing reactive oxygen species. Engineering high-light tolerance in cyanobacteria with minimal impact on PSII function is desirable in synthetic biology. IsiA, a CP43 homolog found exclusively in cyanobacteria, can dissipate excess light energy. We have recently determined that the sole cysteine residue of IsiA in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 has a critical role in non-photochemical quenching. Similar cysteine-mediated energy quenching has also been observed in green‑sulfur bacteria. Sequence analysis of IsiA and CP43 aligns cysteine 260 of IsiA with valine 277 of CP43 in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. In the current study, we explore the impact of replacing valine 277 of CP43 to a cysteine on growth, PSII activity and high-light tolerance. Our results imply a decline in the PSII output for the mutant (CP43V277C) presumably due to the dissipation of absorbed light energy by cysteine. Spectroscopic analysis of isolated PSII from this mutant strain also suggests a delayed transfer of excitation energy from CP43-associated chlorophyll a to PSII reaction center. The mutation makes the PSII high-light tolerant and provides a small advantage in growth under high-light conditions. This previously unexplored strategy to engineer high-light tolerance could be a step further towards developing cyanobacterial cells as biofactories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sandeep Biswas
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
| | - Dariusz M Niedzwiedzki
- Center for Solar Energy and Energy Storage, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA; Department of Energy, Environmental & Chemical Engineering, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
| | - Himadri B Pakrasi
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA.
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18
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Huang X, Qin B, Xia S, Su Y, Ku W, Chen R, Peng K. A comparative study on the effects of strong light stress on the photosynthetic characteristics of the shade plant Camellia petelotii (Merr.) Sealy. Biologia (Bratisl) 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s11756-022-01172-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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19
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Sarngadharan P, Maity S, Kleinekathöfer U. Spectral densities and absorption spectra of the core antenna complex CP43 from photosystem II. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:215101. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0091005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Besides absorbing light, the core antenna complex CP43 of photosystem II is of great importance in transferring excitation energy from the antenna complexes to the reaction center. Excitation energies, spectral densities, and linear absorption spectra of the complex have been evaluated by a multiscale approach. In this scheme, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics molecular dynamics simulations are performed employing the parameterized density functional tight binding (DFTB) while the time-dependent long-range-corrected DFTB scheme is applied for the excited state calculations. The obtained average spectral density of the CP43 complex shows a very good agreement with experimental results. Moreover, the excitonic Hamiltonian of the system along with the computed site-dependent spectral densities was used to determine the linear absorption. While a Redfield-like approximation has severe shortcomings in dealing with the CP43 complex due to quasi-degenerate states, the non-Markovian full second-order cumulant expansion formalism is able to overcome the drawbacks. Linear absorption spectra were obtained, which show a good agreement with the experimental counterparts at different temperatures. This study once more emphasizes that by combining diverse techniques from the areas of molecular dynamics simulations, quantum chemistry, and open quantum systems, it is possible to obtain first-principle results for photosynthetic complexes, which are in accord with experimental findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pooja Sarngadharan
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Sayan Maity
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Sciences, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
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20
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Kimura A, Kitoh-Nishioka H, Aota T, Hamaguchi T, Yonekura K, Kawakami K, Shinzawa-Itoh K, Inoue-Kashino N, Ifuku K, Yamashita E, Kashino Y, Itoh S. Theoretical Model of the Far-Red-Light-Adapted Photosystem I Reaction Center of Cyanobacterium Acaryochloris marina Using Chlorophyll d and the Effect of Chlorophyll Exchange. J Phys Chem B 2022; 126:4009-4021. [PMID: 35617171 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.2c00869] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
A theoretical model of the far-red-light-adapted photosystem I (PSI) reaction center (RC) complex of a cyanobacterium, Acaryochloris marina (AmPSI), was constructed based on the exciton theory and the recently identified molecular structure of AmPSI by Hamaguchi et al. (Nat. Commun., 2021, 12, 2333). A. marina performs photosynthesis under the visible to far-red light (400-750 nm), which is absorbed by chlorophyll d (Chl-d). It is in contrast to the situation of all the other oxygenic photosynthetic processes of cyanobacteria and plants, which contains chlorophyll a (Chl-a) that absorbs only 400-700 nm visible light. AmPSI contains 70 Chl-d, 1 Chl-d', 2 pheophytin a (Pheo-a), and 12 carotenoids in the currently available structure. A special pair of Chl-d/Chl-d' acts as the electron donor (P740) and two Pheo-a act as the primary electron acceptor A0 as the counterparts of P700 and Chl-a, respectively, of Chl-a-type PSIs. The exciton Hamiltonian of AmPSI was constructed considering the excitonic coupling strength and site energy shift of individual pigments using the Poisson-TrESP (P-TrESP) and charge density coupling (CDC) methods. The model was constructed to fit the experimentally measured spectra of absorption and circular dichroism (CD) spectra during downhill/uphill excitation energy transfer processes. The constructed theoretical model of AmPSI was further compared with the Chl-a-type PSI of Thermosynechococcus elongatus (TePSI), which contains only Chl-a and Chl-a'. The functional properties of AmPSI and TePSI were further examined by the in silico exchange of Chl-d by Chl-a in the models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Kimura
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | | | - Toshimichi Aota
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Tasuku Hamaguchi
- Biostructural Mechanism Laboratory, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 776 Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Koji Yonekura
- Biostructural Mechanism Laboratory, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 776 Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Keisuke Kawakami
- Biostructural Mechanism Laboratory, RIKEN SPring-8 Center, 776 Sayo, Hyogo 679-5148, Japan
| | - Kyoko Shinzawa-Itoh
- Graduate School of Science, University of Hyogo, Ako-gun, Hyogo 678-1297, Japan
| | | | - Kentaro Ifuku
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto 606-8502, Japan
| | - Eiki Yamashita
- Laboratory of Supramolecular Crystallography, Institute for Protein Research, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka 565-0871, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Kashino
- Graduate School of Science, University of Hyogo, Ako-gun, Hyogo 678-1297, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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21
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Akhtar P, Sipka G, Han W, Li X, Han G, Shen JR, Garab G, Tan HS, Lambrev PH. Ultrafast excitation quenching by the oxidized photosystem II reaction center. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:145101. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0086046] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) is the pigment–protein complex driving the photoinduced oxidation of water and reduction of plastoquinone in all oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. Excitations in the antenna chlorophylls are photochemically trapped in the reaction center (RC) producing the chlorophyll–pheophytin radical ion pair P+ Pheo−. When electron donation from water is inhibited, the oxidized RC chlorophyll P+ acts as an excitation quencher, but knowledge on the kinetics of quenching is limited. Here, we used femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy to compare the excitation dynamics of PSII with neutral and oxidized RC (P+). We find that equilibration in the core antenna has a major lifetime of about 300 fs, irrespective of the RC redox state. Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy revealed additional slower energy equilibration occurring on timescales of 3–5 ps, concurrent with excitation trapping. The kinetics of PSII with open RC can be described well with previously proposed models according to which the radical pair P+ Pheo− is populated with a main lifetime of about 40 ps, which is primarily determined by energy transfer between the core antenna and the RC chlorophylls. Yet, in PSII with oxidized RC (P+), fast excitation quenching was observed with decay lifetimes as short as 3 ps and an average decay lifetime of about 90 ps, which is shorter than the excited-state lifetime of PSII with open RC. The underlying mechanism of this extremely fast quenching prompts further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parveen Akhtar
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Link 21, 637371, Singapore
- Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
- ELI-ALPS, ELI-HU Non-profit Ltd., Wolfgang Sandner u. 3, Szeged 6728, Hungary
| | - Gábor Sipka
- Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
| | - Wenhui Han
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Xingyue Li
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Guangye Han
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Jian-Ren Shen
- Photosynthesis Research Center, Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science, and Graduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Okayama University, Okayama, Japan
| | - Győző Garab
- Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
| | - Howe-Siang Tan
- School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Link 21, 637371, Singapore
| | - Petar H. Lambrev
- Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
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22
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Do TN, Nguyen HL, Caffarri S, Tan HS. Two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy of the Q x to Q y relaxation of chlorophylls a in photosystem II core complex. J Chem Phys 2022; 156:145102. [DOI: 10.1063/5.0079500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Using two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy, we measured the Qx to Qy transfer dynamics of the chlorophyll a (Chl a) manifold in the photosystem II (PSII) monomeric core complex from Arabidopsis thaliana. A PSII monomeric core consists of 35 Chls a and no Chl b, thus allowing for a clear window to study Chl a Qx dynamics in a large pigment-protein complex. Initial excitation in the Qx band results in a transfer to the Qy band in less than 60 fs. Upon the ultrafast transfer, regardless of the excitation frequency within the Qx band, the quasi-transient absorption spectra are very similar. This observation indicates that Chl a’s Qx to Qy transfer is not frequency selective. Using a simple model, we determined that this is not due to the lifetime broadening of the ultrafast transfer but predominantly due to a lack of correlation between the PSII core complex’s Chl a Qx and Qy bands. We suggest the origin to be the intrinsic loss of correlation during the Qx to Qy internal conversion as observed in previous studies of molecular Chl a dissolved in solvents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thanh Nhut Do
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore, 637371
| | - Hoang Long Nguyen
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore, 637371
| | - Stefano Caffarri
- Aix Marseille Université, CEA, CNRS, BIAM, UMR7265, LGBP Team, 13009 Marseille, France
| | - Howe-Siang Tan
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore, 637371
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23
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Viola S, Roseby W, Santabarbara S, Nürnberg D, Assunção R, Dau H, Sellés J, Boussac A, Fantuzzi A, Rutherford AW. Impact of energy limitations on function and resilience in long-wavelength Photosystem II. eLife 2022; 11:79890. [PMID: 35852834 PMCID: PMC9439682 DOI: 10.7554/elife.79890] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2022] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) uses the energy from red light to split water and reduce quinone, an energy-demanding process based on chlorophyll a (Chl-a) photochemistry. Two types of cyanobacterial PSII can use chlorophyll d (Chl-d) and chlorophyll f (Chl-f) to perform the same reactions using lower energy, far-red light. PSII from Acaryochloris marina has Chl-d replacing all but one of its 35 Chl-a, while PSII from Chroococcidiopsis thermalis, a facultative far-red species, has just 4 Chl-f and 1 Chl-d and 30 Chl-a. From bioenergetic considerations, the far-red PSII were predicted to lose photochemical efficiency and/or resilience to photodamage. Here, we compare enzyme turnover efficiency, forward electron transfer, back-reactions and photodamage in Chl-f-PSII, Chl-d-PSII, and Chl-a-PSII. We show that: (i) all types of PSII have a comparable efficiency in enzyme turnover; (ii) the modified energy gaps on the acceptor side of Chl-d-PSII favour recombination via PD1+Phe- repopulation, leading to increased singlet oxygen production and greater sensitivity to high-light damage compared to Chl-a-PSII and Chl-f-PSII; (iii) the acceptor-side energy gaps in Chl-f-PSII are tuned to avoid harmful back reactions, favouring resilience to photodamage over efficiency of light usage. The results are explained by the differences in the redox tuning of the electron transfer cofactors Phe and QA and in the number and layout of the chlorophylls that share the excitation energy with the primary electron donor. PSII has adapted to lower energy in two distinct ways, each appropriate for its specific environment but with different functional penalties.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefania Viola
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | - William Roseby
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
| | | | | | | | - Holger Dau
- Physics Department, Freie Universität BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Julien Sellés
- Institut de Biologie Physico-Chimique, UMR CNRS 7141 and Sorbonne UniversitéParisFrance
| | - Alain Boussac
- Institut de Biologie Intégrative de la Cellule, UMR9198, CEA SaclayGif-Sur-YvetteFrance
| | - Andrea Fantuzzi
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College LondonLondonUnited Kingdom
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24
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Kondo T, Shibata Y. Recent advances in single-molecule spectroscopy studies on light-harvesting processes in oxygenic photosynthesis. Biophys Physicobiol 2022. [PMCID: PMC9173860 DOI: 10.2142/biophysico.bppb-v19.0013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes (LHCs) play a crucial role in concentrating the photon energy from the sun that otherwise excites a typical pigment molecule, such as chlorophyll-a, only several times a second. Densely packed pigments in the complexes ensure efficient energy transfer to the reaction center. At the same time, LHCs have the ability to switch to an energy-quenching state and thus play a photoprotective role under excessive light conditions. Photoprotection is especially important for oxygenic photosynthetic organisms because toxic reactive oxygen species can be generated through photochemistry under aerobic conditions. Because of the extreme complexity of the systems in which various types of pigment molecules strongly interact with each other and with the surrounding protein matrixes, there has been long-standing difficulty in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying the flexible switching between the light-harvesting and quenching states. Single-molecule spectroscopy studies are suitable to reveal the conformational dynamics of LHCs reflected in the fluorescence properties that are obscured in ordinary ensemble measurements. Recent advanced single-molecule spectroscopy studies have revealed the dynamical fluctuations of LHCs in their fluorescence peak position, intensity, and lifetime. The observed dynamics seem relevant to the conformational plasticity required for the flexible activations of photoprotective energy quenching. In this review, we survey recent advances in the single-molecule spectroscopy study of the light-harvesting systems of oxygenic photosynthesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Toru Kondo
- School of Life Science and Technology, Tokyo Institute of Technology
| | - Yutaka Shibata
- Department of Chemistry, Graduate School of Science, Tohoku University
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25
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Srivastava A, Ahad S, Wat JH, Reppert M. Accurate prediction of mutation-induced frequency shifts in chlorophyll proteins with a simple electrostatic model. J Chem Phys 2021; 155:151102. [PMID: 34686046 DOI: 10.1063/5.0064567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes control local chlorophyll (Chl) transition frequencies through a variety of electrostatic and steric forces. Site-directed mutations can modify this local spectroscopic tuning, providing critical insight into native photosynthetic functions and offering the tantalizing prospect of creating rationally designed Chl proteins with customized optical properties. Unfortunately, at present, no proven methods exist for reliably predicting mutation-induced frequency shifts in advance, limiting the method's utility for quantitative applications. Here, we address this challenge by constructing a series of point mutants in the water-soluble chlorophyll protein of Lepidium virginicum and using them to test the reliability of a simple computational protocol for mutation-induced site energy shifts. The protocol uses molecular dynamics to prepare mutant protein structures and the charge density coupling model of Adolphs et al. [Photosynth. Res. 95, 197-209 (2008)] for site energy prediction; a graphical interface that implements the protocol automatically is published online at http://nanohub.org/tools/pigmenthunter. With the exception of a single outlier (presumably due to unexpected structural changes), we find that the calculated frequency shifts match the experiment remarkably well, with an average error of 1.6 nm over a 9 nm spread in wavelengths. We anticipate that the accuracy of the method can be improved in the future with more advanced sampling of mutant protein structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amit Srivastava
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Safa Ahad
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Jacob H Wat
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
| | - Mike Reppert
- Department of Chemistry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana 47907, USA
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26
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Akhtar P, Caspy I, Nowakowski PJ, Malavath T, Nelson N, Tan HS, Lambrev PH. Two-Dimensional Electronic Spectroscopy of a Minimal Photosystem I Complex Reveals the Rate of Primary Charge Separation. J Am Chem Soc 2021; 143:14601-14612. [PMID: 34472838 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.1c05010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Photosystem I (PSI), found in all oxygenic photosynthetic organisms, uses solar energy to drive electron transport with nearly 100% quantum efficiency, thanks to fast energy transfer among antenna chlorophylls and charge separation in the reaction center. There is no complete consensus regarding the kinetics of the elementary steps involved in the overall trapping, especially the rate of primary charge separation. In this work, we employed two-dimensional coherent electronic spectroscopy to follow the dynamics of energy and electron transfer in a monomeric PSI complex from Synechocystis PCC 6803, containing only subunits A-E, K, and M, at 77 K. We also determined the structure of the complex to 4.3 Å resolution by cryoelectron microscopy with refinements to 2.5 Å. We applied structure-based modeling using a combined Redfield-Förster theory to compute the excitation dynamics. The absorptive 2D electronic spectra revealed fast excitonic/vibronic relaxation on time scales of 50-100 fs from the high-energy side of the absorption spectrum. Antenna excitations were funneled within 1 ps to a small pool of chlorophylls absorbing around 687 nm, thereafter decaying with 4-20 ps lifetimes, independently of excitation wavelength. Redfield-Förster energy transfer computations showed that the kinetics is limited by transfer from these red-shifted pigments. The rate of primary charge separation, upon direct excitation of the reaction center, was determined to be 1.2-1.5 ps-1. This result implies activationless electron transfer in PSI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Parveen Akhtar
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Link 21, 637371 Singapore.,Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary.,ELI-ALPS, ELI-HU Non-profit Ltd., Wolfgang Sandner u. 3, Szeged 6728, Hungary
| | - Ido Caspy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Paweł J Nowakowski
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Link 21, 637371 Singapore
| | - Tirupathi Malavath
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Nathan Nelson
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Howe-Siang Tan
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, Nanyang Link 21, 637371 Singapore
| | - Petar H Lambrev
- Biological Research Centre, Szeged, Temesvári krt. 62, Szeged 6726, Hungary
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27
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Renger T. Semiclassical Modified Redfield and Generalized Förster Theories of Exciton Relaxation/Transfer in Light-Harvesting Complexes: The Quest for the Principle of Detailed Balance. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:6406-6416. [PMID: 34126008 PMCID: PMC8237266 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.1c01479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
![]()
A conceptual problem
of transfer theories that use a semiclassical
description of the electron-vibrational coupling is the neglect of
the correlation between momenta and coordinates of nuclei. In the
Redfield theory of exciton relaxation, this neglect leads to a violation
of the principle of detailed balance; equal “uphill”
and “downhill” transfer rate constants are obtained.
Here, we investigate how this result depends on nuclear reorganization
effects, neglected in Redfield but taken into account in the modified
Redfield theory. These reorganization effects, resulting from a partial
localization of excited states, are found to promote a preferential
“downhill” relaxation of excitation energy. However,
for realistic spectral densities of light-harvesting antennae in photosynthesis,
the reorganization effects are too small to compensate for the missing
coordinate–momentum uncertainty. For weaker excitonic couplings
as they occur between domains of strongly coupled pigments, we find
the principle of detailed balance to be fulfilled in a semiclassical
variant of the generalized Förster theory. A qualitatively
correct description of the transfer is obtained with this theory at
a significantly lower computational cost as with the quantum generalized
Förster theory. Larger deviations between the two theories
are expected for large energy gaps as they occur in complexes with
chemically different pigments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Renger
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
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28
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Tamura H, Saito K, Ishikita H. The origin of unidirectional charge separation in photosynthetic reaction centers: nonadiabatic quantum dynamics of exciton and charge in pigment-protein complexes. Chem Sci 2021; 12:8131-8140. [PMID: 34194703 PMCID: PMC8208306 DOI: 10.1039/d1sc01497h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Exciton charge separation in photosynthetic reaction centers from purple bacteria (PbRC) and photosystem II (PSII) occurs exclusively along one of the two pseudo-symmetric branches (active branch) of pigment-protein complexes. The microscopic origin of unidirectional charge separation in photosynthesis remains controversial. Here we elucidate the essential factors leading to unidirectional charge separation in PbRC and PSII, using nonadiabatic quantum dynamics calculations in conjunction with time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) with the quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics/polarizable continuum model (QM/MM/PCM) method. This approach accounts for energetics, electronic coupling, and vibronic coupling of the pigment excited states under electrostatic interactions and polarization of whole protein environments. The calculated time constants of charge separation along the active branches of PbRC and PSII are similar to those observed in time-resolved spectroscopic experiments. In PbRC, Tyr-M210 near the accessary bacteriochlorophyll reduces the energy of the intermediate state and drastically accelerates charge separation overcoming the electron-hole interaction. Remarkably, even though both the active and inactive branches in PSII can accept excitons from light-harvesting complexes, charge separation in the inactive branch is prevented by a weak electronic coupling due to symmetry-breaking of the chlorophyll configurations. The exciton in the inactive branch in PSII can be transferred to the active branch via direct and indirect pathways. Subsequently, the ultrafast electron transfer to pheophytin in the active branch prevents exciton back transfer to the inactive branch, thereby achieving unidirectional charge separation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroyuki Tamura
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8654 Japan
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku Tokyo 153-8904 Japan
| | - Keisuke Saito
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8654 Japan
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku Tokyo 153-8904 Japan
| | - Hiroshi Ishikita
- Department of Applied Chemistry, The University of Tokyo 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku Tokyo 113-8654 Japan
- Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, The University of Tokyo 4-6-1 Komaba, Meguro-ku Tokyo 153-8904 Japan
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29
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Kimura A, Kitoh-Nishioka H, Shigeta Y, Itoh S. Comparison between the Light-Harvesting Mechanisms of Type-I Photosynthetic Reaction Centers of Heliobacteria and Photosystem I: Pigment Site Energy Distribution and Exciton State. J Phys Chem B 2021; 125:3727-3738. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.0c09400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Kimura
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Hirotaka Kitoh-Nishioka
- JST, PRESTO, 4-1-8 Honcho, Kawaguchi, Saitama 332-0012, Japan
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
- Graduate School of System Informatics, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501, Japan
| | - Yasuteru Shigeta
- Center for Computational Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tennodai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8571, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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30
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Ara AM, Ahmed MK, D'Haene S, van Roon H, Ilioaia C, van Grondelle R, Wahadoszamen M. Absence of far-red emission band in aggregated core antenna complexes. Biophys J 2021; 120:1680-1691. [PMID: 33675767 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpj.2021.02.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2020] [Revised: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 02/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Reported herein is a Stark fluorescence spectroscopy study performed on photosystem II core antenna complexes CP43 and CP47 in their native and aggregated states. The systematic mathematical modeling of the Stark fluorescence spectra with the aid of conventional Liptay formalism revealed that induction of aggregation in both the core antenna complexes via detergent removal results in a single quenched species characterized by a remarkably broad and inhomogenously broadened emission lineshape peaking around 700 nm. The quenched species possesses a fairly large magnitude of charge-transfer character. From the analogy with the results from aggregated peripheral antenna complexes, the quenched species is thought to originate from the enhanced chlorophyll-chlorophyll interaction due to aggregation. However, in contrast, aggregation of both core antenna complexes did not produce a far-red emission band at ∼730 nm, which was identified in most of the aggregated peripheral antenna complexes. The 730-nm emission band of the aggregated peripheral antenna complexes was attributed to the enhanced chlorophyll-carotenoid (lutein1) interaction in the terminal emitter locus. Therefore, it is very likely that the no occurrence of the far-red band in the aggregated core antenna complexes is directly related to the absence of lutein1 in their structures. The absence of the far-red band also suggests the possibility that aggregation-induced conformational change of the core antenna complexes does not yield a chlorophyll-carotenoid interaction associated energy dissipation channel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anjue Mane Ara
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Physics, Jagannath University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
| | | | - Sandrine D'Haene
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Henny van Roon
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Cristian Ilioaia
- Institute for Integrative Biology of the Cell, CEA, CNRS, Université Paris-Saclay, Gif-sur-Yvette, France
| | - Rienk van Grondelle
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Md Wahadoszamen
- Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Physics, University of Dhaka, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
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31
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Reinot T, Khmelnitskiy A, Kell A, Jassas M, Jankowiak R. Exciton Lifetime Distributions and Population Dynamics in the FMO Protein Complex from Prosthecochloris aestuarii. ACS OMEGA 2021; 6:5990-6008. [PMID: 33681637 PMCID: PMC7931385 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.1c00286] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Significant protein rearrangement upon excitation and energy transfer in Fenna-Matthews-Olson protein of Prosthecochloris aestuarii results in a modified energy landscape, which induces more changes in pigment site energies than predicted by the "standard" hole-burning theory. The energy changes are elucidated by simulations while investigating the effects of site-dependent disorder, both static (site-energy distribution widths) and dynamic (spectral density shapes). The resulting optimized site energies and their fluctuations are consistent with relative differences observed in inhomogeneous widths calculated by recent molecular dynamic simulations. Two sets of different spectral densities reveal how their shapes affect the population dynamics and distribution of exciton lifetimes. Calculations revealed the wavelength-dependent distributions of exciton lifetimes (T 1) in the femtosecond to picosecond time frame. We suggest that the calculated multimodal and asymmetric wavelength-dependent T 1 distributions offer more insight into the interpretation of resonant hole-burned (HB) spectra, kinetic traces in two-dimensional (2D) electronic spectroscopy experiments, and widely used global analyses in fitting data from transient absorption experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tonu Reinot
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Anton Khmelnitskiy
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Adam Kell
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Mahboobe Jassas
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
| | - Ryszard Jankowiak
- Department
of Chemistry, Department of Physics, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, United States
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32
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Sirohiwal A, Neese F, Pantazis DA. Chlorophyll excitation energies and structural stability of the CP47 antenna of photosystem II: a case study in the first-principles simulation of light-harvesting complexes. Chem Sci 2021; 12:4463-4476. [PMID: 34163712 PMCID: PMC8179452 DOI: 10.1039/d0sc06616h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Natural photosynthesis relies on light harvesting and excitation energy transfer by specialized pigment-protein complexes. Their structure and the electronic properties of the embedded chromophores define the mechanisms of energy transfer. An important example of a pigment-protein complex is CP47, one of the integral antennae of the oxygen-evolving photosystem II (PSII) that is responsible for efficient excitation energy transfer to the PSII reaction center. The charge-transfer excitation induced among coupled reaction center chromophores resolves into charge separation that initiates the electron transfer cascade driving oxygenic photosynthesis. Mapping the distribution of site energies among the 16 chlorophyll molecules of CP47 is essential for understanding excitation energy transfer and overall antenna function. In this work, we demonstrate a multiscale quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) approach utilizing full time-dependent density functional theory with modern range-separated functionals to compute for the first time the excitation energies of all CP47 chlorophylls in a complete membrane-embedded cyanobacterial PSII dimer. The results quantify the electrostatic effect of the protein on the site energies of CP47 chlorophylls, providing a high-level quantum chemical excitation profile of CP47 within a complete computational model of "near-native" cyanobacterial PSII. The ranking of site energies and the identity of the most red-shifted chlorophylls (B3, followed by B1) differ from previous hypotheses in the literature and provide an alternative basis for evaluating past approaches and semiempirically fitted sets. Given that a lot of experimental studies on CP47 and other light-harvesting complexes utilize extracted samples, we employ molecular dynamics simulations of isolated CP47 to identify which parts of the polypeptide are most destabilized and which pigments are most perturbed when the antenna complex is extracted from PSII. We demonstrate that large parts of the isolated complex rapidly refold to non-native conformations and that certain pigments (such as chlorophyll B1 and β-carotene h1) are so destabilized that they are probably lost upon extraction of CP47 from PSII. The results suggest that the properties of isolated CP47 are not representative of the native complexed antenna. The insights obtained from CP47 are generalizable, with important implications for the information content of experimental studies on biological light-harvesting antenna systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Sirohiwal
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr Germany.,Fakultät für Chemie und Biochemie, Ruhr-Universität Bochum 44780 Bochum Germany
| | - Frank Neese
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr Germany
| | - Dimitrios A Pantazis
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr Germany
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33
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Klinger A, Lindorfer D, Müh F, Renger T. Normal mode analysis of spectral density of FMO trimers: Intra- and intermonomer energy transfer. J Chem Phys 2020; 153:215103. [PMID: 33291900 DOI: 10.1063/5.0027994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The intermolecular contribution to the spectral density of the exciton-vibrational coupling of the homotrimeric Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) light-harvesting protein of green sulfur bacteria P. aestuarii is analyzed by combining a normal mode analysis of the protein with the charge density coupling method for the calculation of local transition energies of the pigments. Correlations in site energy fluctuations across the whole FMO trimer are found at low vibrational frequencies. Including, additionally, the high-frequency intrapigment part of the spectral density, extracted from line-narrowing spectra, we study intra- and intermonomer exciton transfer. Whereas the intrapigment part of the spectral density is important for fast intramonomer exciton relaxation, the intermolecular contributions (due to pigment-environment coupling) determine the intermonomer exciton transfer. Neither the variations of the local Huang-Rhys factors nor the correlations in site energy fluctuations have a critical influence on energy transfer. At room temperature, the intermonomer transfer in the FMO protein occurs on a 10 ps time scale, whereas intramonomer exciton equilibration is roughly two orders of magnitude faster. At cryogenic temperatures, intermonomer transfer limits the lifetimes of the lowest exciton band. The lifetimes are found to increase between 20 ps in the center of this band up to 100 ps toward lower energies, which is in very good agreement with the estimates from hole burning data. Interestingly, exciton delocalization in the FMO monomers is found to slow down intermonomer energy transfer, at both physiological and cryogenic temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Klinger
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Dominik Lindorfer
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Frank Müh
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Thomas Renger
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
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34
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Sirohiwal A, Neese F, Pantazis DA. Protein Matrix Control of Reaction Center Excitation in Photosystem II. J Am Chem Soc 2020; 142:18174-18190. [PMID: 33034453 PMCID: PMC7582616 DOI: 10.1021/jacs.0c08526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) is a multisubunit pigment-protein complex that uses light-induced charge separation to power oxygenic photosynthesis. Its reaction center chromophores, where the charge transfer cascade is initiated, are arranged symmetrically along the D1 and D2 core polypeptides and comprise four chlorophyll (PD1, PD2, ChlD1, ChlD2) and two pheophytin molecules (PheoD1 and PheoD2). Evolution favored productive electron transfer only via the D1 branch, with the precise nature of primary excitation and the factors that control asymmetric charge transfer remaining under investigation. Here we present a detailed atomistic description for both. We combine large-scale simulations of membrane-embedded PSII with high-level quantum-mechanics/molecular-mechanics (QM/MM) calculations of individual and coupled reaction center chromophores to describe reaction center excited states. We employ both range-separated time-dependent density functional theory and the recently developed domain based local pair natural orbital (DLPNO) implementation of the similarity transformed equation of motion coupled cluster theory with single and double excitations (STEOM-CCSD), the first coupled cluster QM/MM calculations of the reaction center. We find that the protein matrix is exclusively responsible for both transverse (chlorophylls versus pheophytins) and lateral (D1 versus D2 branch) excitation asymmetry, making ChlD1 the chromophore with the lowest site energy. Multipigment calculations show that the protein matrix renders the ChlD1 → PheoD1 charge-transfer the lowest energy excitation globally within the reaction center, lower than any pigment-centered local excitation. Remarkably, no low-energy charge transfer states are located within the "special pair" PD1-PD2, which is therefore excluded as the site of initial charge separation in PSII. Finally, molecular dynamics simulations suggest that modulation of the electrostatic environment due to protein conformational flexibility enables direct excitation of low-lying charge transfer states by far-red light.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abhishek Sirohiwal
- Max-Planck-Institut
für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
- Fakultät
für Chemie und Biochemie, Ruhr-Universität
Bochum, 44780 Bochum, Germany
| | - Frank Neese
- Max-Planck-Institut
für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
| | - Dimitrios A. Pantazis
- Max-Planck-Institut
für Kohlenforschung, Kaiser-Wilhelm-Platz 1, 45470 Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany
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Energy transfer and primary charge separation upon selective femtosecond excitation at 810 nm in the reaction center complex from Heliobacterium modesticaldum. J Photochem Photobiol A Chem 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jphotochem.2020.112758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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36
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Wu L, Zhang L, Tu W, Sun R, Li F, Lin Y, Zhang Y, Liu C, Yang C. Photosynthetic inner antenna CP47 plays important roles in ephemeral plants in adapting to high light stress. JOURNAL OF PLANT PHYSIOLOGY 2020; 251:153189. [PMID: 32526555 DOI: 10.1016/j.jplph.2020.153189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/08/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Throughout 3.5 billion years of evolution, photosynthesis of land plants has developed a complicated antenna system to cope with the ever-changing environments. The antenna system of photosystem (PS) II includes the outer antennae and inner antennae. The inner antennae CP43 and CP47, located in the closest peripheral of PSII reaction center (RC), play important roles in facilitating excitation energy transport from the outer antennae to the PSII RC. Although PSII RC is the last station of energy transport, it is the inner antenna CP47, not the RC, which possesses the lowest energy level in PSII. Berteroa incana (B. incana), which is a vascular plant grown in the Gobi region, can sustain very high photosynthesis capacity under very high light conditions. It has been discovered that the thylakoid membrane of B. incana possesses a unique low fluorescence emission spectrum because the fluorescence emission of CP47 (695 nm) is the main fluorescence emission peak of PSII. In this paper, the thylakoid membrane, isolated from B. incana grown under a light condition of 100 μM photons m-2 s-1 and subjected to high light treatment (1600 μM photons m-2 s-1 for 1.5 h or 3 h) was employed for the research. It has been found that the high fluorescence emission of CP47 decreased remarkably upon exposure to the high light treatment. Further observation revealed that the drastic changes in the CP47 fluorescence emission were accompanied by a slight reduction in the amount of CP47 and an enhancement of the CP29-LHCII-CP24 assembly. It is proposed that CP47 enables the functional switch between the excitation energy transfer towards PSII RC, and the overexcitation quenching in the PSII core. Together with CP43, CP47 plays important roles in regulating excitation energy distribution in PSII core complexes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lishuan Wu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources/Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Lin Zhang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources/Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Wenfeng Tu
- Key Laboratory of Photobiology, Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China
| | - Ruixue Sun
- Qingdao Institute, Shanghai Institute of Technological Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 264000, China
| | - Fei Li
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources/Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Yajun Lin
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China; State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Yuanming Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Xinjiang Institute and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China
| | - Cheng Liu
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources/Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
| | - Chunhong Yang
- Key Laboratory of Plant Resources/Beijing Botanical Garden, Institute of Botany, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100093, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
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37
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Asymmetry in Charge Transfer Pathways Caused by Pigment–Protein Interactions in the Photosystem II Reaction Center Complex. Catalysts 2020. [DOI: 10.3390/catal10060718] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
This article discusses the photoinduced charge transfer (CT) kinetics within the reaction center complex of photosystem II (PSII RC). The PSII RC exhibits a structural symmetry in its arrangement of pigments forming two prominent branches, D1 and D2. Despite this symmetry, the CT has been observed to occur exclusively in the D1 branch. The mechanism to realize such functional asymmetry is yet to be understood. To approach this matter, we applied the theoretical tight-binding model of pigment excitations and simulated CT dynamics based upon the framework of an open quantum system. This simulation used a recently developed method of computation based on the quasi-adiabatic propagator path integral. A quantum CT state is found to be dynamically active when its site energy is resonant with the exciton energies of the PSII RC, regardless of the excitonic landscape we utilized. Through our investigation, it was found that the relative displacement between the local molecular energy levels of pigments can play a crucial role in realizing this resonance and therefore greatly affects the CT asymmetry in the PSII RC. Using this mechanism phenomenologically, we demonstrate that a near 100-to-1 ratio of reduction between the pheophytins in the D1 and D2 branches can be realized at both 77 K and 300 K. Our results indicate that the chlorophyll Chl D 1 is the most active precursor of the primary charge separation in the D1 branch and that the reduction of the pheophytins can occur within pico-seconds. Additionally, a broad resonance of the active CT state implies that a large static disorder observed in the CT state originates in the fluctuations of the relative displacements between the local molecular energy levels of the pigments in the PSII RC.
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Cao J, Cogdell RJ, Coker DF, Duan HG, Hauer J, Kleinekathöfer U, Jansen TLC, Mančal T, Miller RJD, Ogilvie JP, Prokhorenko VI, Renger T, Tan HS, Tempelaar R, Thorwart M, Thyrhaug E, Westenhoff S, Zigmantas D. Quantum biology revisited. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2020; 6:eaaz4888. [PMID: 32284982 PMCID: PMC7124948 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz4888] [Citation(s) in RCA: 170] [Impact Index Per Article: 42.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/06/2020] [Indexed: 05/21/2023]
Abstract
Photosynthesis is a highly optimized process from which valuable lessons can be learned about the operating principles in nature. Its primary steps involve energy transport operating near theoretical quantum limits in efficiency. Recently, extensive research was motivated by the hypothesis that nature used quantum coherences to direct energy transfer. This body of work, a cornerstone for the field of quantum biology, rests on the interpretation of small-amplitude oscillations in two-dimensional electronic spectra of photosynthetic complexes. This Review discusses recent work reexamining these claims and demonstrates that interexciton coherences are too short lived to have any functional significance in photosynthetic energy transfer. Instead, the observed long-lived coherences originate from impulsively excited vibrations, generally observed in femtosecond spectroscopy. These efforts, collectively, lead to a more detailed understanding of the quantum aspects of dissipation. Nature, rather than trying to avoid dissipation, exploits it via engineering of exciton-bath interaction to create efficient energy flow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jianshu Cao
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Richard J. Cogdell
- Institute of Molecular, Cell and Systems Biology, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Science, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - David F. Coker
- Department of Chemistry, Boston University, 590 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215, USA
| | - Hong-Guang Duan
- Atomically Resolved Dynamics Department, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Jürgen Hauer
- Technische Universität München, Dynamische Spektroskopien, Fakultät für Chemie, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching, Germany, and Photonics Institute, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrich Kleinekathöfer
- Department of Physics and Earth Science, Jacobs University Bremen, Campus Ring 1, 28759 Bremen, Germany
| | - Thomas L. C. Jansen
- Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Tomáš Mančal
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 5, CZ-12116 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - R. J. Dwayne Miller
- Atomically Resolved Dynamics Department, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
- Departments of Chemistry and Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 3H6, Canada
| | | | - Valentyn I. Prokhorenko
- Atomically Resolved Dynamics Department, Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Thomas Renger
- Institute of Theoretical Physics, Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenberger Str. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - Howe-Siang Tan
- Division of Chemistry and Biological Chemistry, School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Nanyang Technological University, 21 Nanyang Link, Singapore 637371, Singapore
| | - Roel Tempelaar
- Department of Chemistry, Columbia University, 3000 Broadway, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Michael Thorwart
- I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg, Jungiusstrasse 9, 20355 Hamburg, Germany
- The Hamburg Centre for Ultrafast Imaging, Universität Hamburg, 22761 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Erling Thyrhaug
- Technische Universität München, Dynamische Spektroskopien, Fakultät für Chemie, Lichtenbergstr. 4, 85748 Garching, Germany, and Photonics Institute, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
| | - Sebastian Westenhoff
- Department of Chemistry and Molecular Biology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg 40530, Sweden
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39
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Kell A, Khmelnitskiy AY, Reinot T, Jankowiak R. On uncorrelated inter-monomer Förster energy transfer in Fenna-Matthews-Olson complexes. J R Soc Interface 2020; 16:20180882. [PMID: 30958204 DOI: 10.1098/rsif.2018.0882] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) light-harvesting antenna protein of green sulfur bacteria is a long-studied pigment-protein complex which funnels energy from the chlorosome to the reaction centre where photochemistry takes place. The structure of the FMO protein from Chlorobaculum tepidum is known as a homotrimeric complex containing eight bacteriochlorophyll a per monomer. Owing to this structure FMO has strong intra-monomer and weak inter-monomer electronic coupling constants. While long-lived (sub-picosecond) coherences within a monomer have been a prevalent topic of study over the past decade, various experimental evidence supports the presence of subsequent inter-monomer energy transfer on a picosecond time scale. The latter has been neglected by most authors in recent years by considering only sub-picosecond time scales or assuming that the inter-monomer coupling between low-energy states is too weak to warrant consideration of the entire trimer. However, Förster theory predicts that energy transfer of the order of picoseconds is possible even for very weak (less than 5 cm-1) electronic coupling between chromophores. This work reviews experimental data (with a focus on emission and hole-burned spectra) and simulations of exciton dynamics which demonstrate inter-monomer energy transfer. It is shown that the lowest energy 825 nm absorbance band cannot be properly described by a single excitonic state. The energy transfer through FMO is modelled by generalized Förster theory using a non-Markovian, reduced density matrix approach to describe the electronic structure. The disorder-averaged inter-monomer transfer time across the 825 nm band is about 27 ps. While only isolated FMO proteins are presented, the presence of inter-monomer energy transfer in the context of the overall photosystem is also briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam Kell
- 1 Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University , Manhattan, KS , USA
| | | | - Tonu Reinot
- 1 Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University , Manhattan, KS , USA
| | - Ryszard Jankowiak
- 1 Department of Chemistry, Kansas State University , Manhattan, KS , USA.,2 Department of Physics, Kansas State University , Manhattan, KS , USA
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40
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Müh F, Zouni A. Structural basis of light-harvesting in the photosystem II core complex. Protein Sci 2020; 29:1090-1119. [PMID: 32067287 PMCID: PMC7184784 DOI: 10.1002/pro.3841] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2020] [Revised: 02/06/2020] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Photosystem II (PSII) is a membrane-spanning, multi-subunit pigment-protein complex responsible for the oxidation of water and the reduction of plastoquinone in oxygenic photosynthesis. In the present review, the recent explosive increase in available structural information about the PSII core complex based on X-ray crystallography and cryo-electron microscopy is described at a level of detail that is suitable for a future structure-based analysis of light-harvesting processes. This description includes a proposal for a consistent numbering scheme of protein-bound pigment cofactors across species. The structural survey is complemented by an overview of the state of affairs in structure-based modeling of excitation energy transfer in the PSII core complex with emphasis on electrostatic computations, optical properties of the reaction center, the assignment of long-wavelength chlorophylls, and energy trapping mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Müh
- Department of Theoretical Biophysics, Institute for Theoretical Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - Athina Zouni
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Institute for Biology, Biophysics of Photosynthesis, Berlin, Germany
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41
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Taylor N, Kassal I. Why are photosynthetic reaction centres dimeric? Chem Sci 2019; 10:9576-9585. [PMID: 32055331 PMCID: PMC6993572 DOI: 10.1039/c9sc03712h] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
All photosynthetic organisms convert solar energy into chemical energy through charge separation in dimeric reaction centres. It is unknown why early reaction centres dimerised and completely displaced their monomeric ancestors. Here, we discuss several proposed explanations for reaction-centre dimerism and conclude-with only weak assumptions about the primordial dimerisation event-that the most probable explanation for the dimerism is that it arose because it enhanced light-harvesting efficiency by deepening the excitonic trap, i.e., by enhancing the rate of exciton transfer from an antenna complex and decreasing the rate of back transfer. This effect would have outweighed the negative effect dimerisation would have had on charge transfer within the reaction centre. Our argument implies that dimerisation likely occurred after the evolution of the first antennas, and it explains why the lower-energy state of the special pair is bright.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha Taylor
- School of Chemistry and University of Sydney Nano Institute , University of Queensland , QLD 4072 , Australia
| | - Ivan Kassal
- School of Chemistry , University of Sydney Nano Institute , University of Sydney , NSW 2006 , Australia .
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42
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Yoneda Y, Nagasawa Y, Umena Y, Miyasaka H. β-Carotene Probes the Energy Transfer Pathway in the Photosystem II Core Complex. J Phys Chem Lett 2019; 10:3710-3714. [PMID: 31136182 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.9b01072] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
The dynamics of the intact photosystem II core complex (PSII-CC) has been investigated extensively to elucidate its excellent photofunction. However, it is significantly difficult to observe the primary photosynthetic processes in PSII-CC because a vast number of chlorophylls (Chl) in the core complex show similar spectral features. In the present work, the dynamics of the energy transfer (ET) from β-carotene (Bcr) in intact PSII-CC followed by charge separation (CS) at the reaction center (RC) with different excitation wavelengths were compared. Upon excitation at 510 nm, which selectively excites Bcr (Bcr651) inside of the D1-D2 RC, the pheophytin anion absorption band appeared within 9.6 ps. On the other hand, upon excitation at 490 nm, mainly exciting unspecified Bcr in the antenna complex, the anion band appeared after 20 ps. These excitation wavelength dependence experiments revealed a new ET pathway of PSII-CC, which indicates that the initial CS of PSII-CC is limited by ET to the RC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuke Yoneda
- Graduate School of Engineering Sciences , Osaka University , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
| | - Yutaka Nagasawa
- College of Life Sciences , Ritsumeikan University , Kusatsu , Shiga 525-8577 , Japan
| | - Yasufumi Umena
- Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Science , Okayama University , Okayama , Okayama 700-8530 , Japan
| | - Hiroshi Miyasaka
- Graduate School of Engineering Sciences , Osaka University , Toyonaka , Osaka 560-8531 , Japan
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43
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Bennett DIG, Amarnath K, Park S, Steen CJ, Morris JM, Fleming GR. Models and mechanisms of the rapidly reversible regulation of photosynthetic light harvesting. Open Biol 2019; 9:190043. [PMID: 30966997 PMCID: PMC6501642 DOI: 10.1098/rsob.190043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2019] [Accepted: 03/07/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The rapid response of photosynthetic organisms to fluctuations in ambient light intensity is incompletely understood at both the molecular and membrane levels. In this review, we describe research from our group over a 10-year period aimed at identifying the photophysical mechanisms used by plants, algae and mosses to control the efficiency of light harvesting by photosystem II on the seconds-to-minutes time scale. To complement the spectroscopic data, we describe three models capable of describing the measured response at a quantitative level. The review attempts to provide an integrated view that has emerged from our work, and briefly looks forward to future experimental and modelling efforts that will refine and expand our understanding of a process that significantly influences crop yields.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doran I. G. Bennett
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Kapil Amarnath
- Department of Physics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093, USA
| | - Soomin Park
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Collin J. Steen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Jonathan M. Morris
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
| | - Graham R. Fleming
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- Molecular Biophysics and Integrated Bioimaging Division, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
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44
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Wilson S, Ruban AV. Enhanced NPQ affects long-term acclimation in the spring ephemeral Berteroa incana. BIOCHIMICA ET BIOPHYSICA ACTA-BIOENERGETICS 2019; 1861:148014. [PMID: 30880080 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbabio.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2018] [Revised: 02/08/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The spring ephemeral Berteroa incana is a familial relative of Arabidopsis thaliana and thrives in a diverse range of terrestrial ecosystems. Within this study, the novel chlorophyll fluorescence parameter of photochemical quenching in the dark (qPd) was used to measure the redox state of the primary quinone electron acceptor (QA) in order to estimate the openness of photosystem II (PSII) reaction centres (RC). From this, the early onset of photoinactivation can be sensitively quantified alongside the light tolerance of PSII and the photoprotective efficiency of nonphotochemical quenching (NPQ). This study shows that, with regards to A. thaliana, NPQ is enhanced in B. incana in both low-light (LL) and high-light (HL) acclimation states. Moreover, light tolerance is increased by up to 500%, the rate of photoinactivation is heavily diminished, and the ability to recover from light stress is enhanced in B. incana, relative to A. thaliana. This is due to faster synthesis of zeaxanthin and a larger xanthophyll cycle (XC) pool available for deepoxidation. Moreover, preferential energy transfer via CP47 around the RC further enhances efficient photoprotection. As a result, a high functional cross-section of photosystem II is maintained and is not downregulated when B. incana is acclimated to HL. A greater capacity for protective NPQ allows B. incana to maintain an enhanced light-harvesting capability when acclimated to a range of light conditions. This enhancement of flexible short-term protection saves the metabolic cost of long-term acclimatory changes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sam Wilson
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom
| | - Alexander V Ruban
- School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS, United Kingdom.
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45
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Hsieh ST, Zhang L, Ye DW, Huang X, Cheng YC. A theoretical study on the dynamics of light harvesting in the dimeric photosystem II core complex: regulation and robustness of energy transfer pathways. Faraday Discuss 2019; 216:94-115. [PMID: 31016302 DOI: 10.1039/c8fd00205c] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
Here we present our theoretical investigations into the light reaction in the dimeric photosystem II (PSII) core complex. An effective model for excitation energy transfer (EET) and primary charge separation (CS) in the PSII core complex was developed, with model parameters constructed based on molecular dynamics (MD) simulation data. Compared to experimental results, we demonstrated that this model faithfully reproduces the absorption spectra of the RC and core light-harvesting complexes (CP43 and CP47) as well as the full EET dynamics among the chromophores in the PSII core complex. We then applied master equation simulations and network analysis to investigate detailed EET plus CS dynamics in the system, allowing us to identify key EET pathways and produce a coarse-grained cluster model for the light reaction in the dimeric PSII core complex. We show that non-equilibrium energy transfer channels play important roles in the efficient light harvesting process and that multiple EET pathways exist between subunits of PSII to ensure the robustness of light harvesting in the system. Furthermore, we revealed that inter-monomer energy transfer dominated by the coupling between the two CLA625 molecules enables efficient energy exchange between two CP47s in the dimeric PSII core complex, which leads to significant energy pooling in the CP47 domain during the light reaction. Our study provides a blueprint for the design of light harvesting in the PSII core and show that a structure-based approach using molecular dynamics simulations and quantum chemistry calculations can be effectively utilized to elucidate the dynamics of light harvesting in complex photosynthetic systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou-Ting Hsieh
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Structural Chemistry, Fujian Institute of Research on the Structure of Matter, Chinese Academy of Sciences Fuzhou, Fujian CN 350002, China
| | - De-Wei Ye
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
| | - Xuhui Huang
- Department of Chemistry, Institute for Advance Study and School of Science, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
| | - Yuan-Chung Cheng
- Department of Chemistry, National Taiwan University, Taipei City, Taiwan.
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46
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Kimura A, Itoh S. Theoretical Model of Exciton States and Ultrafast Energy Transfer in Heliobacterial Type I Homodimeric Reaction Center. J Phys Chem B 2018; 122:11852-11859. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcb.8b08014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Akihiro Kimura
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
| | - Shigeru Itoh
- Department of Physics, Graduate School of Science, Nagoya University, Nagoya 464-8602, Japan
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47
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Häse F, Roch LM, Aspuru-Guzik A. Chimera: enabling hierarchy based multi-objective optimization for self-driving laboratories. Chem Sci 2018; 9:7642-7655. [PMID: 30393525 PMCID: PMC6182568 DOI: 10.1039/c8sc02239a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/04/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Finding the ideal conditions satisfying multiple pre-defined targets simultaneously is a challenging decision-making process, which impacts science, engineering, and economics. Additional complexity arises for tasks involving experimentation or expensive computations, as the number of evaluated conditions must be kept low. We propose Chimera as a general purpose achievement scalarizing function for multi-target optimization where evaluations are the limiting factor. Chimera combines concepts of a priori scalarizing with lexicographic approaches and is applicable to any set of n unknown objectives. Importantly, it does not require detailed prior knowledge about individual objectives. The performance of Chimera is demonstrated on several well-established analytic multi-objective benchmark sets using different single-objective optimization algorithms. We further illustrate the applicability and performance of Chimera with two practical examples: (i) the auto-calibration of a virtual robotic sampling sequence for direct-injection, and (ii) the inverse-design of a four-pigment excitonic system for an efficient energy transport. The results indicate that Chimera enables a wide class of optimization algorithms to rapidly find ideal conditions. Additionally, the presented applications highlight the interpretability of Chimera to corroborate design choices for tailoring system parameters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florian Häse
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , USA . ; Tel: +1-617-384-8188
| | - Loïc M Roch
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , USA . ; Tel: +1-617-384-8188
| | - Alán Aspuru-Guzik
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , USA . ; Tel: +1-617-384-8188
- Department of Chemistry and Department of Computer Science , University of Toronto , Toronto , Ontario M5S3H6 , Canada
- Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence , Toronto , Ontario M5S1M1 , Canada
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) Senior Fellow , Toronto , Ontario M5S1M1 , Canada
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48
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Energy-dependent quenching adjusts the excitation diffusion length to regulate photosynthetic light harvesting. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2018; 115:E9523-E9531. [PMID: 30237283 PMCID: PMC6187178 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1806597115] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants’ photosynthetic mechanism adjusts to fluctuations in light intensity. Intermittent bright sunlight can damage light-harvesting proteins; to preempt this, plants dissipate excess absorbed excitation energy as heat. Energy-dependent quenching (qE) of excitations occurs on the seconds to minutes timescale through conformational changes in antenna proteins. Using a multiscale model of photosystem II, we show that changes in light harvesting due to qE can be explained using a single parameter, the excitation diffusion length, which decreases as qE activates. These findings have implications for the interpretation of pulse amplitude-modulated fluorescence, a common noninvasive measurement of photosynthetic activity in leaves. An important determinant of crop yields is the regulation of photosystem II (PSII) light harvesting by energy-dependent quenching (qE). However, the molecular details of excitation quenching have not been quantitatively connected to the fraction of excitations converted to chemical energy by PSII reaction centers (PSII yield), which determines flux to downstream metabolism. Here, we incorporate excitation dissipation by qE into a pigment-scale model of excitation transfer and trapping for a 200 × 200-nm patch of the grana membrane. We show that excitation transport can be rigorously coarse grained to a 2D random walk with an excitation diffusion length determined by the extent of quenching. We present an alternative method for analyzing pulse amplitude-modulated chlorophyll fluorescence measurements that incorporates the effects of a variable excitation diffusion length during qE activation.
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49
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Fujihashi Y, Higashi M, Ishizaki A. Intramolecular Vibrations Complement the Robustness of Primary Charge Separation in a Dimer Model of the Photosystem II Reaction Center. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:4921-4929. [PMID: 30095266 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b02119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The energy conversion of oxygenic photosynthesis is triggered by primary charge separation in proteins at the photosystem II reaction center. Here, we investigate the impacts of the protein environment and intramolecular vibrations on primary charge separation at the photosystem II reaction center. This is accomplished by combining the quantum dynamic theories of condensed phase electron transfer with quantum chemical calculations to evaluate the vibrational Huang-Rhys factors of chlorophyll and pheophytin molecules. We report that individual vibrational modes play a minor role in promoting charge separation, contrary to the discussion in recent publications. Nevertheless, these small contributions accumulate to considerably influence the charge separation rate, resulting in subpicosecond charge separation almost independent of the driving force and temperature. We suggest that the intramolecular vibrations complement the robustness of the charge separation in the photosystem II reaction center against the inherently large static disorder of the involved electronic energies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuta Fujihashi
- Institute for Molecular Science , National Institutes of Natural Sciences , Okazaki 444-8585 , Japan
| | - Masahiro Higashi
- Department of Chemistry, Biology, and Marine Science , University of the Ryukyus , 1 Senbaru , Nishihara , Okinawa 903-0213 , Japan
| | - Akihito Ishizaki
- Institute for Molecular Science , National Institutes of Natural Sciences , Okazaki 444-8585 , Japan
- School of Physical Sciences , The Graduate University for Advanced Studies , Okazaki 444-8585 , Japan
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50
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Bennett DIG, Malý P, Kreisbeck C, van Grondelle R, Aspuru-Guzik A. Mechanistic Regimes of Vibronic Transport in a Heterodimer and the Design Principle of Incoherent Vibronic Transport in Phycobiliproteins. J Phys Chem Lett 2018; 9:2665-2670. [PMID: 29683676 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpclett.8b00844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Following the observation of coherent oscillations in nonlinear spectra of photosynthetic pigment protein complexes, in particular, phycobilliproteins such as PC645, coherent vibronic transport has been suggested as a design principle for novel light-harvesting materials. Vibronic transport between energetically remote pigments is coherent when the presence of a vibration resonant with the electronic energy gap supports transient delocalization between the electronic excited states. We establish the mechanism of vibronic transport for a model heterodimer across a wide range of molecular parameter values. The resulting mechanistic map demonstrates that the molecular parameters of phycobiliproteins in fact support incoherent vibronic transport. This result points to an important design principle: Incoherent vibronic transport is more efficient than a coherent mechanism when energetic disorder exceeds the coupling between the donor and vibrationally excited acceptor states. Finally, our results suggest that the role of coherent vibronic transport in pigment protein complexes should be reevaluated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doran I G Bennett
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , United States
- Bio-Inspired Solar Energy Program , Canadian Institute for Advanced Research , Toronto , Ontario M5G 1Z8 , Canada
| | - Pavel Malý
- Bio-Inspired Solar Energy Program , Canadian Institute for Advanced Research , Toronto , Ontario M5G 1Z8 , Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1081 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands
- Institute of Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics , Charles University , Ke Karlovu 3 , 121 16 Prague 2 , Czech Republic
| | - Christoph Kreisbeck
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , United States
| | - Rienk van Grondelle
- Bio-Inspired Solar Energy Program , Canadian Institute for Advanced Research , Toronto , Ontario M5G 1Z8 , Canada
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Faculty of Sciences , VU University Amsterdam , De Boelelaan 1081 , 1081 HV Amsterdam , The Netherlands
| | - Alán Aspuru-Guzik
- Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology , Harvard University , 12 Oxford Street , Cambridge , Massachusetts 02138 , United States
- Bio-Inspired Solar Energy Program , Canadian Institute for Advanced Research , Toronto , Ontario M5G 1Z8 , Canada
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