J H Golbeck

Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Land Berlin, Germany

Are you J H Golbeck?

Claim your profile

Publications (62)241.76 Total impact

  • Article: Single-sided hydroge bonding to the quinone cofactor in photosystem I probed by selective13C-labelled naphthoquinones and transient EPR
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Hydrogen bonding between teh protein and one or both of the two 1,4-quinone carbonyl groups of a benzo-or naphtho-quinone constitutes a significant protein-cofactor interaction in photosynthetic reaction centers. The redistribution of charge and spin density due to a particular H-bonding scheme leaves the largest hyperfine couplings (hfc) at the highest density positions, i.e., the nuclei of the carbonyl groups directly involved in H-bonding. The spin density changes at the ring carbon positions are accessed exeripmentlaly via electron paramagnetic resonance-determined hfc tensor elements of selective13C isotope labels in one of the two carbonyl groups. Complete hfc tensor data are presented for each of the13C positions in the functional charge-separated state in reaction centers of phytosystem I (PS I) isolated from cyanobacteria. A highly asymmetric H-bonding scheme for the A1 quinone binding site due to a single dominant H-bond to one carbonyl group is confirmed. A comparison to other wel-studied quinone binding sites of other protien-cofactor systems with more complex H-bonding schemes reveals the uniqueness of the PS I site. The single-sided A1 quinone site provides an ideal test case for the various sets of density functional theory (DFT) calculations that are currently available. While the overall agreement between experimental and calculated data is quite satisfactory, a significant discrepancy is found for the high-spin-density13C position associated with the H-bonded carbonyl. The dominant hfc component (and spin density) is underestimated in the DFT calculations, not only for the high-asymmetry case in PS I, but also for other quinone binding sites with less asymmetry that result from more complex H-bonding schemes. The cosnequences and potential relevance of this finding for biological function are discussed.
    Applied Magnetic Resonance 04/2012; 30(3):287-310. · 0.75 Impact Factor
  • Article: Quantum teleportation across a biological membrane by means of correlated spin pair dynamics in photosynthetic reaction centers
    K. M. Salikhov, J. H. Golbeck, D. Stehlik
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: In the process coined quantum teleportation the complete information contained in an input quantum stateΨ i is teleported to a distant location at which the original quantum state is regenerated as teleported output stateΨ i. This paper presents the proof-of-feasibility concept of a quantum teleportation experiment during which an arbitrary input quantum state is teleported across a biological membrane. As particular aspect it is emphasized that all essential subprocesses of the usual quantum teleportation scheme are suggested to be realized by free running reaction processes in a biological membrane-bound reaction center complex with only one significant adaptation required at the input side. The first process of generation of a spin-correlated (Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen) pair of particles (Bell-state source) is a naturally occurring process realized in photosynthetic reaction centers by the primary processes of light-induced charge separation across the membrane. The second process is the so-called Bell-state measurement, which is able to store the complete information of the input quantum state. It is suggested to be realized by a fast spin-dependent recombination between one pair partner spin and a properly engineered input spin. Under suitable recombination conditions the remaining second pair partner spin, situated at the receiver location on the other side of the membrane, is shown to end up in the quantum state identical to that of the initial input state due to the fixed spin correlation of the Bell-state source and the particular spin selectivity of the recombination process. Thus, the input (spin) quantum state is teleported from the spin near the (electron charge) donor side to the acceptor side of the membrane-bound photosynthetic reaction center complex. A comprehensive discussion is presented for this quantum teleportation concept using photosynthetic reaction centers as the quantum channel of communication. Standard electron paramagnetic resonance techniques can be used to set up the input state and read out or hand over the output state for subsequent quantum information processing.
    Applied Magnetic Resonance 04/2012; 31(1):237-252. · 0.75 Impact Factor
  • Article: Interpretation of multifrequency transient EPR spectra of the P 700+ A0Q K− state in photosystem I complexes with a sequential correlated radical pair model: Wild type versus A0 mutants
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Transient electron paramagnetic resonance (TR-EPR) spectra of the electron-hole pair state P700+A0QK− in photosystem I are numerically calculated. Parameter variation concerns mainly the exchange integralJ of the precursor spin pair state P700+A0−QK and its lifetime τ. A prominent emissive feature in the high-field region (P700+ part) of the EPR spectrum turns out to be diminished with increasing lifetime τ of the precursor pair state in the case of positive exchange couplingJ>0 (ferromagnetic type). Correspondingly, the emissive feature becomes more pronounced with increasing lifetime τ in the case of negative exchange couplingJ<0 (antiferromagnetic type). These results can be used to interpret the changes in the pattern observed in TR-EPR spectra comparing wild-type and specific A0 mutants. The central ligating amino acid residue to the A0 chlorophyll cofactor is mutated from native methionine (M) to leucine (L) in either the PsaA or the PsaB branch. Changes are observed only for the A-side mutant: M688L(PsaA). They are consistent with the following parameters in the precursor pair P700+A0−:J≈0.5÷1.0 mT and τ=1.5÷2 ns (as compared to τ∼0.05 ns in the wild type).
    Applied Magnetic Resonance 04/2012; 24(3):467-482. · 0.75 Impact Factor
  • Article: Recruitment of a foreign quinone into the A1 site of photosystem I. In vivo replacement of plastoquinone-9 by media-supplemented naphthoquinones in phylloquinone biosynthetic pathway mutants of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Interruption of the phylloquinone (PhQ) biosynthetic pathway by interposon mutagenesis of the menA and menB genes in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 results in plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9) occupying the A(1) site and functioning in electron transfer from A(0) to the FeS clusters in photosystem (PS) I (Johnson, T. W., Shen, G., Zybailov, B., Kolling, D., Reategui, R., Beauparlant, S., Vassiliev, I. R., Bryant, D. A., Jones, A. D., Golbeck, J. H., and Chitnis, P. R. (2000) J. Biol. Chem. 275, 8523-8530. We report here the isolation of menB26, a strain of the menB mutant that grows in high light by virtue of a higher PS I to PS II ratio. PhQ can be reincorporated into the A(1) site of the menB26 mutant strain by supplementing the growth medium with authentic PhQ. The reincorporation of PhQ also occurs in cells that have been treated with protein synthesis inhibitors, consistent with a displacement of PQ-9 from the A(1) site by mass action. The doubling time of the menB26 mutant cells, but not the menA mutant cells, approaches the wild type when the growth medium is supplemented with naphthoquinone (NQ) derivatives such as 2-CO(2)H-1,4-NQ and 2-CH(3)-1,4-NQ. Since PhQ replaces PQ-9 in the supplemented menB26 mutant cells, but not in the menA mutant cells, the phytyl tail accompanies the incorporation of these quinones into the A(1) site. Studies with menB26 mutant cells and perdeuterated 2-CH(3)-1,4-NQ shows that phytylation occurs at position 3 of the NQ ring because the deuterated 2-methyl group remains intact. Therefore, the specificity of the phytyltransferase enzyme is selective with respect to the group present at ring positions 2 and 3. Supplementing the growth medium of menB26 mutant cells with 1,4-NQ also leads to its incorporation into the A(1) site, but typically without either the phytyl tail or the methyl group. These findings open the possibility of biologically incorporating novel quinones into the A(1) site by supplementing the growth medium of menB26 mutant cells.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 11/2001; 276(43):39512-21. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: Iron-sulfur clusters in type I reaction centers.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Type I reaction centers (RCs) are multisubunit chlorophyll-protein complexes that function in photosynthetic organisms to convert photons to Gibbs free energy. The unique feature of Type I RCs is the presence of iron-sulfur clusters as electron transfer cofactors. Photosystem I (PS I) of oxygenic phototrophs is the best-studied Type I RC. It is comprised of an interpolypeptide [4Fe-4S] cluster, F(X), that bridges the PsaA and PsaB subunits, and two terminal [4Fe-4S] clusters, F(A) and F(B), that are bound to the PsaC subunit. In this review, we provide an update on the structure and function of the bound iron-sulfur clusters in Type I RCs. The first new development in this area is the identification of F(A) as the cluster proximal to F(X) and the resolution of the electron transfer sequence as F(X)-->F(A)-->F(B)-->soluble ferredoxin. The second new development is the determination of the three-dimensional NMR solution structure of unbound PsaC and localization of the equal- and mixed-valence pairs in F(A)(-) and F(B)(-). We provide a survey of the EPR properties and spectra of the iron-sulfur clusters in Type I RCs of cyanobacteria, green sulfur bacteria, and heliobacteria, and we summarize new information about the kinetics of back-reactions involving the iron-sulfur clusters.
    Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 10/2001; 1507(1-3):139-60. · 4.66 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: Photoinduced transient absorbance spectra of P840/P840(+) and the FMO protein in reaction centers of Chlorobium vibrioforme.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The kinetics of photoinduced absorbance changes in the 400-ns to 100-ms time range were studied between 770 and 1025 nm in reaction center core (RCC) complexes isolated from the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium vibrioforme. A global, multiple stretched-exponential analysis shows the presence of two distinct but strongly overlapping spectra. The spectrum of the 70-micros component consists of a broad bleaching with two minima at 810 and 825 nm and a broad positive band at wavelengths greater than 865 nm and is assigned to the decay of (3)Bchl a of the Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) protein. The contribution of the 70-micros component correlates with the amount of FMO protein in the isolated RCC complex. The spectrum of the 1.6-micros component has a sharp bleaching at 835 nm, a maximum at 805 nm, a broad positive band at wavelengths higher than 865 nm, and a broad negative band at wavelengths higher than 960 nm. When the RCC is incubated with inorganic iron and sulfur, the 1.6-micros component is replaced by a component with a lifetime of approximately 40 micros, consistent with the reconstruction of the F(X) cluster. We propose that the 1.6-micros component results from charge recombination between P840(+) and an intermediate electron acceptor operating between A(0) and F(X). Our studies in Chlorobium RCCs show that approaches that employ a single wavelength in the measurement of absorption changes have inherent limitations and that a global kinetic analysis at multiple wavelengths in the near-infrared is required to reliably separate absorption changes due to P840/P840(+) from the decay of (3)Bchl a in the FMO protein.
    Biophysical Journal 08/2001; 81(1):382-93. · 3.65 Impact Factor
  • Article: Electron transfer may occur in the chlorosome envelope: the CsmI and CsmJ proteins of chlorosomes are 2Fe-2S ferredoxins.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Chlorosomes of the green sulfur bacterium Chlorobium tepidum have previously been shown to contain at least 10 polypeptides [Chung, S., Frank, G., Zuber, H., and Bryant, D. A. (1994) Photosynth. Res. 41, 261-275]. Based upon the N-terminal amino acid sequences determined for two of these proteins, the corresponding genes were isolated using degenerate oligonucleotide hybridization probes. The csmI and csmJ genes encode proteins of 244 and 225 amino acids, respectively. A third gene, denoted csmX, that predicts a protein of 221 amino acids with strong sequence similarity to CsmI and CsmJ, was found to be encoded immediately upstream from the csmJ gene. All three proteins have strong sequence similarity in their amino-terminal domains to [2Fe-2S] ferredoxins of the adrenodoxin/putidaredoxin subfamily of ferredoxins. CsmI and CsmJ were overproduced in Escherichia coli, and both proteins were shown by EPR spectroscopy to contain iron-sulfur clusters. The g-tensor and relaxation properties are consistent with their assignment as [2Fe-2S] clusters. Isolated chlorosomes were also shown to contain [2Fe-2S] clusters whose properties were similar to those of the recombinant CsmI and CsmJ proteins. Redox titration of isolated chlorosomes showed these clusters to have potentials of about -201 and +92 mV vs SHE. The former potential is similar to that measured by redox titration of the clusters in inclusion bodies of CsmJ. Possible roles for these iron-sulfur proteins in electron transport and light harvesting are discussed.
    Biochemistry 02/2001; 40(2):464-73. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Recruitment of a foreign quinone into the A1 site of photosystem I. Altered kinetics of electron transfer in phylloquinone biosynthetic pathway mutants studied by time-resolved optical, EPR, and electrometric techniques.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Interruption of the menA or menB gene in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 results in the incorporation of a foreign quinone, termed Q, into the A(1) site of photosystem I with a number of experimental indicators identifying Q as plastoquinone-9. A global multiexponential analysis of time-resolved optical spectra in the blue region shows the following three kinetic components: 1) a 3-ms lifetime in the absence of methyl viologen that represents charge recombination between P700(+) and an FeS(-) cluster; 2) a 750-microseconds lifetime that represents electron donation from an FeS(-) cluster to methyl viologen; and 3) an approximately 15-microseconds lifetime that represents an electrochromic shift of a carotenoid pigment. Room temperature direct detection transient EPR studies of forward electron transfer show a spectrum of P700(+) Q(-) during the lifetime of the spin polarization and give no evidence of a significant population of P700(+) FeS(-) for t </= 2-3 microseconds. The UV difference spectrum measured 5 microseconds after a flash shows a maximum at 315 nm, a crossover at 280 nm, and a minimum at 255 nm as well as a shoulder at 290-295 nm, all of which are characteristic of the plastoquinone-9 anion radical. Kinetic measurements that monitor Q at 315 nm show a major phase of forward electron transfer to the FeS clusters with a lifetime of approximately 15 microseconds, which matches the electrochromic shift at 485 nm of the carotenoid, as well as an minor phase with a lifetime of approximately 250 microseconds. Electrometric measurements show similar biphasic kinetics. The slower kinetic phase can be detected using time-resolved EPR spectroscopy and has a spectrum characteristic of a semiquinone anion radical. We estimate the redox potential of plastoquinone-9 in the A(1) site to be more oxidizing than phylloquinone so that electron transfer from Q(-) to F(X) is thermodynamically unfavorable in the menA and menB mutants.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 08/2000; 275(31):23429-38. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: The bound electron acceptors in green sulfur bacteria: resolution of the g-tensor for the F(X) iron-sulfur cluster in Chlorobium tepidum.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The photosynthetic reaction center (RC) of green sulfur bacteria contains two [4Fe-4S] clusters named F(A) and F(B), by analogy with photosystem I (PS I). PS I also contains an interpolypeptide [4Fe-4S] cluster named F(X); however, spectroscopic evidence for an analogous iron-sulfur cluster in green sulfur bacteria remains equivocal. To minimize oxidative damage to the iron-sulfur clusters, we studied the sensitivity of F(A) and F(B) to molecular oxygen in whole cells of Chlorobium vibrioforme and Chlorobium tepidum and obtained highly photoactive membranes and RCs from Cb. tepidum by adjusting isolation conditions to maximize the amplitude of the F(A)(-)/F(B)(-) electron paramagnetic resonance signal at g = 1.89 (measured at 126 mW of microwave power and 14 K) relative to the P840(+) signal at g = 2.0028 (measured at 800 microW of microwave power and 14 K). In these optimized preparations we were able to differentiate F(X)(-) from F(A)(-)/F(B)(-) by their different relaxation properties. At temperatures between 4 and 9 K, isolated membranes and RCs of Cb. tepidum show a broad peak at g = 2.12 and a prominent high-field trough at g = 1.76 (measured at 126 mW of microwave power). The complete g-tensor of F(X)(-), extracted by numerical simulation, yields principal values of 2.17, 1.92, and 1. 77 and is similar to F(X) in PS I. An important difference from PS I is that because the bound cytochrome is available as a fast electron donor in Chlorobium, it is not necessary to prereduce F(A) and F(B) to photoaccumulate F(X)(-).
    Biophysical Journal 07/2000; 78(6):3160-9. · 3.65 Impact Factor
  • Article: Paramagnetic 1H NMR spectroscopy of the reduced, unbound Photosystem I subunit PsaC: sequence-specific assignment of contact-shifted resonances and identification of mixed- and equal-valence Fe-Fe pairs in [4Fe-4S] centers FA− and FB−
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: and FB. The g-tensor orientation of FA − and FB − is believed to be correlated to the preferential localization of the mixed-valence and equal-valence (ferrous) iron pairs in each [4Fe-4S]+ cluster. The preferential position of the mixed-valence and equal-valence pairs, in turn, can be inferred from the study of the temperature dependence of contact-shifted resonances by 1H NMR spectroscopy. For this, a sequence-specific assignment of these signals is required. The 1H NMR spectrum of reduced, unbound PsaC from Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 at 280.4 K in 99% D2O solution shows 18 hyperfine-shifted resonances. The non-solvent-exchangeable, hyperfine-shifted resonances of reduced PsaC are clearly identified as belonging to the cysteines coordinating the clusters FA − and FB − by their downfield chemical shifts, by their temperature dependencies, and by their short T 1 relaxation times. The usual fast method of assigning the 1H NMR spectra of reduced [4Fe-4S] proteins through magnetization transfer from the oxidized to the reduced state was not feasible in the case of reduced PsaC. Therefore, a de novo self-consistent sequence-specific assignment of the hyperfine-shifted resonances was obtained based on dipolar connectivities from 1D NOE difference spectra and on longitudinal relaxation times using the X-ray structure of Clostridium acidi urici 2[4Fe-4S] cluster ferredoxin at 0.94 Å resolution as a model. The results clearly show the same sequence-specific distribution of Curie and anti-Curie cysteines for unbound, reduced PsaC as established for other [4Fe-4S]-containing proteins; therefore, the mixed-valence and equal-valence (ferrous) Fe-Fe pairs in FA − and FB − have the same preferential positions relative to the protein. The analysis reveals that the magnetic properties of the two [4Fe-4S] clusters are essentially indistinguishable in unbound PsaC, in contrast to the PsaC that is bound as a component of the PS I complex.
    JBIC Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry 05/2000; 5(3):381-392. · 3.29 Impact Factor
  • Article: Recruitment of a foreign quinone into the A(1) site of photosystem I. II. Structural and functional characterization of phylloquinone biosynthetic pathway mutants by electron paramagnetic resonance and electron-nuclear double resonance spectroscopy.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron-nuclear double resonance studies of the photosystem (PS) I quinone acceptor, A(1), in phylloquinone biosynthetic pathway mutants are described. Room temperature continuous wave EPR measurements at X-band of whole cells of menA and menB interruption mutants show a transient reduction and oxidation of an organic radical with a g-value and anisotropy characteristic of a quinone. In PS I complexes, the continuous wave EPR spectrum of the photoaccumulated Q(-) radical, measured at Q-band, and the electron spin-polarized transient EPR spectra of the radical pair P700(+) Q(-), measured at X-, Q-, and W-bands, show three prominent features: (i) Q(-) has a larger g-anisotropy than native phylloquinone, (ii) Q(-) does not display the prominent methyl hyperfine couplings attributed to the 2-methyl group of phylloquinone, and (iii) the orientation of Q(-) in the A(1) site as derived from the spin polarization is that of native phylloquinone in the wild type. Electron spin echo modulation experiments on P700(+) Q(-) show that the dipolar coupling in the radical pair is the same as in native PS I, i.e. the distance between P700(+) and Q(-) (25.3 +/- 0.3 A) is the same as between P700(+) and A(1)(-) in the wild type. Pulsed electron-nuclear double resonance studies show two sets of resolved spectral features with nearly axially symmetric hyperfine couplings. They are tentatively assigned to the two methyl groups of the recruited plastoquinone-9, and their difference indicates a strong inequivalence among the two groups when in the A(1) site. These results show that Q (i) functions in accepting an electron from A(0)(-) and in passing the electron forward to the iron-sulfur clusters, (ii) occupies the A(1) site with an orientation similar to that of phylloquinone in the wild type, and (iii) has spectroscopic properties consistent with its identity as plastoquinone-9.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 04/2000; 275(12):8531-9. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Recruitment of a foreign quinone into the A(1) site of photosystem I. I. Genetic and physiological characterization of phylloquinone biosynthetic pathway mutants in Synechocystis sp. pcc 6803.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Genes encoding enzymes of the biosynthetic pathway leading to phylloquinone, the secondary electron acceptor of photosystem (PS) I, were identified in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 by comparison with genes encoding enzymes of the menaquinone biosynthetic pathway in Escherichia coli. Targeted inactivation of the menA and menB genes, which code for phytyl transferase and 1,4-dihydroxy-2-naphthoate synthase, respectively, prevented the synthesis of phylloquinone, thereby confirming the participation of these two gene products in the biosynthetic pathway. The menA and menB mutants grow photoautotrophically under low light conditions (20 microE m(-2) s(-1)), with doubling times twice that of the wild type, but they are unable to grow under high light conditions (120 microE m(-2) s(-1)). The menA and menB mutants grow photoheterotrophically on media supplemented with glucose under low light conditions, with doubling times similar to that of the wild type, but they are unable to grow under high light conditions unless atrazine is present to inhibit PS II activity. The level of active PS II per cell in the menA and menB mutant strains is identical to that of the wild type, but the level of active PS I is about 50-60% that of the wild type as assayed by low temperature fluorescence, P700 photoactivity, and electron transfer rates. PS I complexes isolated from the menA and menB mutant strains contain the full complement of polypeptides, show photoreduction of F(A) and F(B) at 15 K, and support 82-84% of the wild type rate of electron transfer from cytochrome c(6) to flavodoxin. HPLC analyses show high levels of plastoquinone-9 in PS I complexes from the menA and menB mutants but not from the wild type. We propose that in the absence of phylloquinone, PS I recruits plastoquinone-9 into the A(1) site, where it functions as an efficient cofactor in electron transfer from A(0) to the iron-sulfur clusters.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 04/2000; 275(12):8523-30. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Electrometrical study of electron transfer from the terminal FA/FB iron-sulfur clusters to external acceptors in photosystem I.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: An electrometrical technique was used to investigate electron transfer between the terminal iron-sulfur centers F(A)/F(B) and external electron acceptors in photosystem I (PS I) complexes from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301 and from spinach. The increase of the relative contribution of the slow components of the membrane potential decay kinetics in the presence of both native (ferredoxin, flavodoxin) and artificial (methyl viologen) electron acceptors indicate the effective interaction between the terminal 14Fe-4S] cluster and acceptors. The finding that FA fails to donate electrons to flavodoxin in F(B)-less (HgCl2-treated) PS I complexes suggests that F(B) is the direct electron donor to flavodoxin. The lack of additional electrogenicity under conditions of effective electron transfer from the F(B) redox center to soluble acceptors indicates that this reaction is electrically silent.
    FEBS Letters 01/2000; 462(3):421-4. · 3.54 Impact Factor
  • Source
    Article: A kinetic assessment of the sequence of electron transfer from F(X) to F(A) and further to F(B) in photosystem I: the value of the equilibrium constant between F(X) and F(A).
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The x-ray structure analysis of photosystem I (PS I) crystals at 4-A resolution (Schubert et al., 1997, J. Mol. Biol. 272:741-769) has revealed the distances between the three iron-sulfur clusters, labeled F(X), F(1), and F(2), which function on the acceptor side of PS I. There is a general consensus concerning the assignment of the F(X) cluster, which is bound to the PsaA and PsaB polypeptides that constitute the PS I core heterodimer. However, the correspondence between the acceptors labeled F(1) and F(2) on the electron density map and the F(A) and F(B) clusters defined by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy remains controversial. Two recent studies (Diaz-Quintana et al., 1998, Biochemistry. 37:3429-3439;, Vassiliev et al., 1998, Biophys. J. 74:2029-2035) provided evidence that F(A) is the cluster proximal to F(X), and F(B) is the cluster that donates electrons to ferredoxin. In this work, we provide a kinetic argument to support this assignment by estimating the rates of electron transfer between the iron-sulfur clusters F(X), F(A), and F(B). The experimentally determined kinetics of P700(+) dark relaxation in PS I complexes (both F(A) and F(B) are present), HgCl(2)-treated PS I complexes (devoid of F(B)), and P700-F(X) cores (devoid of both F(A) and F(B)) from Synechococcus sp. PCC 6301 are compared with the expected dependencies on the rate of electron transfer, based on the x-ray distances between the cofactors. The analysis, which takes into consideration the asymmetrical position of iron-sulfur clusters F(1) and F(2) relative to F(X), supports the F(X) --> F(A) --> F(B) --> Fd sequence of electron transfer on the acceptor side of PS I. Based on this sequence of electron transfer and on the observed kinetics of P700(+) reduction and F(X)(-) oxidation, we estimate the equilibrium constant of electron transfer between F(X) and F(A) at room temperature to be approximately 47. The value of this equilibrium constant is discussed in the context of the midpoint potentials of F(X) and F(A), as determined by low-temperature EPR spectroscopy.
    Biophysical Journal 01/2000; 78(1):363-72. · 3.65 Impact Factor
  • Article: Location of the iron-sulfur clusters FA and FB in photosystem I: an electron paramagnetic resonance study of spin relaxation enhancement of P700+.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Photosystem I (PS I) mediates electron-transfer from plastocyanin to ferredoxin via a photochemically active chlorophyll dimer (P700), a monomeric chlorophyll electron acceptor (A0), a phylloquinone (A1), and three [4Fe-4S] clusters (FX/A/B). The sequence of electron-transfer events between the iron-sulfur cluster, FX, and ferredoxin is presently unclear. Owing to the presence of a 2-fold symmetry in the PsaC protein to which the iron-sulfur clusters F(A) and F(B) are bound, the spatial arrangement of these cofactors with respect to the C2-axis of symmetry in PS I is uncertain as well. An unequivocal determination of the spatial arrangement of the iron-sulfur clusters FA and FB within the protein is necessary to unravel the complete electron-transport chain in PS I. In the present study, we generate EPR signals from charge-separated spin pairs (P700+-FredX/A/B) in PS I and characterize them by progressive microwave power saturation measurements to determine the arrangement of the iron-sulfur clusters FX/A/B relative to P700. The microwave power at half saturation (P1/2) of P700+ is greater when both FA and FB are reduced in untreated PS I than when only FA is reduced in mercury-treated PS I. The experimental P1/2 values are compared to values calculated by using P700-FA/B crystallographic distances and assuming that either FA or FB is closer to P700+. On the basis of this comparison of experimental and theoretical values of spin relaxation enhancement effects on P700+ in P700+ [4Fe-4S]- charge-separated pairs, we find that iron-sulfur cluster FA is in closer proximity to P700 than the FB cluster.
    Biochemistry 11/1999; 38(40):13210-5. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Role of D1-His190 in the proton-coupled oxidation of tyrosine YZ in manganese-depleted photosystem II.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: To further characterize the role of D1-His190 in the oxidation of tyrosine Y(Z) in photosystem II, the pH dependence of P(680)(*)()(+) reduction was measured in H190A and Mn-depleted wild-type PSII particles isolated from the cyanobacterium, Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Measurements were conducted in the presence and absence of imidazole and other small organic bases. In H190A PSII particles, rapid reduction of P(680)(*)()(+) attributed to electron transfer from Y(Z) increased dramatically above pH 9, with an apparent pK(A) of approximately 10.3. In the presence of ethanolamine and imidazole, this dramatic increase occurred at lower pH values, with the efficiency of Y(Z) oxidation correlating with the solution pK(A) value of the added base. We conclude that the pK(A) of Y(Z) is approximately 10.3 in D1-H190A PSII particles. In Mn-depleted wild-type PSII particles, P(680)(*)()(+) reduction was accelerated by all exogenous bases examined (substituted imidazoles, histidine, Tris, and 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane). We conclude that Y(Z) is solvent accessible in Mn-depleted wild-type PSII particles and that its pK(A) is near that of tyrosine in solution. In Mn-depleted wild-type PSII particles, over 80% of the kinetics of P(680)(*)()(+) reduction after a flash could be described by three kinetic components. The individual rate constants of these components varied slightly with pH, but their relative proportions varied dramatically with pH, showing apparent pK(A) values of 7.5 and 6.25 (6.9 and 5.8 in the presence of Ca(2+) and Mg(2+) ions). An additional pK(A) value (pK(A) < 4.5) may also be present. To describe these data, we propose (1) the pK(A) of His190 is 6.9-7.5, depending on buffer ions, (2) the deprotonation of Y(Z) is facilitated by the transient formation of a either a hydrogen bond or a hydrogen-bonded water bridge between Y(Z) and D1-His190, and (3) when protonated, D1-His190 interacts with nearby residues having pK(A) values near 6 and 4. Because Y(Z) and D1-His190 are located near the Mn cluster, these residues may interact with the Mn cluster in the intact system.
    Biochemistry 10/1999; 38(37):11851-65. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: The cysteine-proximal aspartates in the Fx-binding niche of photosystem I. Effect of alanine and lysine replacements on photoautotrophic growth, electron transfer rates, single-turnover flash efficiency, and EPR spectral properties.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: The FX electron acceptor in Photosystem I (PS I) is a highly electronegative (Em = -705 mV) interpolypeptide [4Fe-4S] cluster ligated by cysteines 556 and 565 on PsaB and cysteines 574 and 583 on PsaA in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. An aspartic acid is adjacent to each of these cysteines on PsaB and adjacent to the proline-proximal cysteine on PsaA. We investigated the effect of D566PsaB and D557PsaB on electron transfer through FX by changing each aspartate to the neutral alanine or to the positively charged lysine either singly (D566APsaB, D557APsaB, D566KPsaB, and D557KPsaB) or in pairs (D557APsaB/D566APsaB and D557KPsaB/D566APsaB). All mutants except for D557KPsaB/D566APsaB grew photoautotrophically, but the growth of D557KPsaB and D557APsaB/D566APsaB was impaired under low light. The doubling time was increased, and the chlorophyll content per cell was lower in D557KPsaB and D557APsaB/D566APsaB relative to the wild type and the other mutants. Nevertheless, the rates of NADP+ photoreduction in PS I complexes from all mutants were no less than 75% of that of the wild type. The kinetics of back-reaction of the electron acceptors on a single-turnover flash showed efficient electron transfer to the terminal acceptors FA and FB in PS I complexes from all mutants. The EPR spectrum of FX was identical to that in the wild type in all but the single and double D566APsaB mutants, where the high-field resonance was shifted downfield. We conclude that the impaired growth of some of the mutants is related to a reduced accumulation of PS I rather than to photosynthetic efficiency. The chemical nature and the charge of the amino acids adjacent to the cysteine ligands on PsaB do not appear to be significant factors in the efficiency of electron transfer through FX.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 05/1999; 274(15):9993-10001. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Photosystem I is indispensable for photoautotrophic growth, CO2 fixation, and H2 photoproduction in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Certain Chlamydomonas reinhardtii mutants deficient in photosystem I due to defects in psaA mRNA maturation have been reported to be capable of CO2 fixation, H2 photoevolution, and photoautotrophic growth (Greenbaum, E., Lee, J. W., Tevault, C. V., Blankinship, S. L. , and Mets, L. J. (1995) Nature 376, 438-441 and Lee, J. W., Tevault, C. V., Owens, T. G.; Greenbaum, E. (1996) Science 273, 364-367). We have generated deletions of photosystem I core subunits in both wild type and these mutant strains and have analyzed their abilities to grow photoautotrophically, to fix CO2, and to photoevolve O2 or H2 (using mass spectrometry) as well as their photosystem I content (using immunological and spectroscopic analyses). We find no instance of a strain that can perform photosynthesis in the absence of photosystem I. The F8 strain harbored a small amount of photosystem I, and it could fix CO2 and grow slowly, but it lost these abilities after deletion of either psaA or psaC; these activities could be restored to the F8-psaADelta mutant by reintroduction of psaA. We observed limited O2 photoevolution in mutants lacking photosystem I; use of 18O2 indicated that this O2 evolution is coupled to O2 uptake (i.e. respiration) rather than CO2 fixation or H2 evolution. We conclude that the reported instances of CO2 fixation, H2 photoevolution, and photoautotrophic growth of photosystem I-deficient mutants result from the presence of unrecognized photosystem I.
    Journal of Biological Chemistry 05/1999; 274(15):10466-73. · 4.77 Impact Factor
  • Article: Role of D1-His190 in proton-coupled electron transfer reactions in photosystem II: a chemical complementation study.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: Recent models for water oxidation in photosystem II propose that His190 of the D1 polypeptide facilitates electron transfer from tyrosine YZ to P680+ by accepting the hydroxyl proton from YZ. To test these models, and to further define the role of D1-His190 in the proton-coupled electron transfer reactions of PSII, the rates of P680+ reduction, YZ oxidation, QA- oxidation, and YZ* reduction were measured in PSII particles isolated from several D1-His190 mutants constructed in the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. These measurements were conducted in the absence and presence of imidazole and other small organic bases. In all mutants examined, the rates of P680+ reduction, YZ oxidation, and YZ* reduction after a single flash were slowed dramatically and the rate of QA- oxidation was accelerated to values consistent with the reduction of P680+ by QA- rather than by YZ. There appeared to be little correlation between these rates and the nature of the residue substituted for D1-His190. However, in nearly all mutants examined, the rates of P680+ reduction, YZ oxidation, and YZ* reduction were accelerated dramatically in the presence of imidazole and other small organic bases (e.g., methyl-substituted imidazoles, histidine, methylamine, ethanolamine, and TRIS). In addition, the rate of QA- oxidation was decelerated substantially. For example, in the presence of 100 mM imidazole, the rate of electron transfer from YZ to P680+ in most D1-His190 mutants increased 26-87-fold. Furthermore, in the presence of 5 mM imidazole, the rate of YZ* reduction in the D1-His190 mutants increased to values comparable to that of Mn-depleted wild-type PSII particles in the absence of imidazole. On the basis of these results, we conclude that D1-His190 is the immediate proton acceptor for YZ and that the hydroxyl proton of YZ remains bound to D1-His190 during the lifetime of YZ*, thereby facilitating the reduction of YZ*.
    Biochemistry 09/1998; 37(32):11352-65. · 3.42 Impact Factor
  • Article: Structure and properties in solution of PsaD, an extrinsic polypeptide of photosystem I.
    [show abstract] [hide abstract]
    ABSTRACT: PsaD is a small, extrinsic polypeptide located on the stromal side (cytoplasmic side in cyanobacteria) of the photosystem I reaction centre complex. The gene from the cyanobacterium Nostoc sp. PCC 8009 was expressed in Escherichia coli and the structure of the recovered protein in solution investigated. Size-exclusion chromatography, dynamic light scattering and measurement of 15N transverse relaxation times showed that the protein is a stable dimer in solution, whereas in the reaction centre complex it is a monomer. NMR experiments showed that the dimer is symmetrical and that there are at least two domains, one structured and the remainder unstructured. The structured domain contains a small amount of beta-sheet. Three-dimensional heteronuclear NMR spectra of [13C, 15N]PsaD showed that the structured domain is associated with the central part of the sequence while the N- and C-terminal regions are mobile. Evidence was obtained for a shift in equilibrium between two slightly different conformational states at about pH 6, and the protein was shown to bind to PsaE preferentially at neutral pH. Addition of trifluoroethanol was shown to induce the formation of a small amount of alpha-helix, and the form present in 30% trifluoroethanol appears to be more closely related to the in situ structure, which has been reported to contain one short helix in crystals [Schubert, W.-D., Klukas, O., Krauss, N., Saenger, W., Fromme, P. & Witt, H. T. (1997) J. Mol. Biol. 272, 741-769]. The significance of these findings for the assembly of the complex is discussed.
    European Journal of Biochemistry 08/1998; 255(1):309-16. · 3.58 Impact Factor

Institutions

  • 2012
    • Freie Universität Berlin
      • Institute of Experimental Physics
      Berlin, Land Berlin, Germany
  • 1991–2012
    • Pennsylvania State University
      • • Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
      • • Department of Cellular and Molecular Physiology
      State College, PA, USA
  • 2000–2001
    • Iowa State University
      Ames, IA, USA
    • University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
      • Department of Plant Biology
      Urbana, IL, USA
    • Moscow State Textile University
      Moscow, Moscow, Russia
  • 1991–1997
    • University of Nebraska at Lincoln
      • Department of Biochemistry
      Lincoln, NE, USA
  • 1993–1996
    • Kansas State University
      • Division of Biology
      Manhattan, KS, USA
  • 1995
    • Addis Ababa University
      • Department of Chemistry
      Addis Ababa, Adis Abeba Astedader, Ethiopia
  • 1987–1990
    • Portland State University
      • Department of Chemistry
      Portland, OR, USA
  • 1989
    • University of California, Berkeley
      • Department of Chemistry
      Berkeley, MO, USA