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Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University, Atlanta, Georgia 30303
Correspondence: Address reprint requests to Gary Hastings, Fax: 404-651-1427; E-mail: ghastings{at}gsu.edu.
| ABSTRACT |
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| INTRODUCTION |
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714 nm that is due to Chl d (Miyashita et al., 1997
180 Chl d molecules and <1 Chl a per complex (Hu et al., 1998
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Upon comparison of the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS with the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained from cyanobacterial PS I particles, we show that P740 has many of the same molecular properties as P700; however, we also show some distinct differences. In particular, deuterium exchange impacts at least one of the ester carbonyl modes of P740 while no such effect is observed on the ester carbonyl modes of P700. This indicates that the P740 binding site is more accessible than the P700 binding site.
| MATERIALS AND METHODS |
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Cells of A. marina were grown in K+ESM medium as described previously (Hu et al., 1998
). PS I particles from A. marina were prepared as follows. Cells were harvested by centrifugation and disrupted in a bead beater using 0.1-mm beads. Cell debris was removed by centrifugation at 6000 x g. The thylakoid-containing supernatant was suspended at
1 mg/mL Chl d (using a Chl d extinction coefficient of 77 x 103 M-1cm-1 at 697 nm) in buffer containing 50 mM Tris, pH 7, 10 mM CaCl2, 10 mM NaCl, 2 mM EDTA, 20% glycerol w/v, and 2 mM phenazine methosulfate. 0.8% ß- dodecyl maltoside was added and the medium was stirred in the dark, on ice, for 1 h. The detergent-incubated mix was then centrifuged at 197,568 x g in 1032% sucrose gradient for 12 h. The lower green band was enriched in trimeric PS I (Hu et al., 1998
). Sucrose was removed and PS I particles were resuspended in the above buffer and frozen.
For FTIR experiments, PS I particles from S. 6803 or A. marina were pelleted and placed between a pair of rectangular CaF2 windows. For some samples a mixture of ferricyanide and ferrocyanide (in D2O) were added to the pellet. Otherwise, no redox mediators were added. No effects of mediator addition were observed in the difference spectra, indicating that no spectral signatures associated with reduced iron sulfur clusters or ferricyanide/ferrocyanide are observed in the spectral regions considered here. All experiments described here were performed at room temperature and samples were lightly dried until the amide I absorption band at 1656 cm-1 had an optical density <0.7 cm-1 (see Fig. 2). Under these conditions the absorbance between 2800 and 2700 cm-1 is below 0.3 (see Fig. 6 A).
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Light minus dark and dark minus dark (P700+-P700) FTIR difference spectra were recorded as described previously (Hastings et al., 2001
; Hastings and Sivakumar, 2001
). Spectral resolution was set at 4 or 2 cm-1. FTIR spectra were recorded using a Bruker IFS/66 FTIR spectrometer (Bruker Optik GmbH, Ettlingen, Germany). Sixty-four spectra were collected before, during, and after light excitation from a 5 mW helium-neon laser emitting at 633 nm. The spectra collected before illumination were ratioed directly against the spectra collected during or after illumination. The dark-light-dark cycle was repeated
200 times and all spectra were averaged (the presented spectra therefore represent the coaddition of
12,800 interferograms). Such procedures were repeated several times on different samples.
PS I samples were exchanged into D2O as follows. PS I samples in H2O buffer were pelleted and resuspended in otherwise identical D2O buffer. These samples were then concentrated using Centricon centrifugal filters (Millipore, Billerica, MA), or by ultracentrifugation, and resuspended again in D2O buffer. The mixture was then refrigerated at 4°C for 12 days in the dark. Finally, the mixture was pelleted and used immediately. By considering the ratio of the area of the amide II absorbance band (Rath et al., 1998
) we were able to estimate the extent of proton exchange upon incubation of the PS I particles in D2O (see below).
| RESULTS |
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2132 cm-1 (Fig. 2, insets). The spectrum labeled H2O (spectrum 2) was obtained by subtracting infrared absorption spectra of two PS I samples that had been dried for different amounts of time. Spectrum 2 is typical of pure water (Breton and Nabedryk, 1998
By comparison of the intensity of the amide II absorption bands of PS I samples incubated in H2O and D2O, it is possible to estimate the extent of 2H incorporation into the PS I particles. However, first the infrared absorption spectra of the two samples (in H2O and D2O) must be normalized. For dehydrated samples it is usually sufficient to normalize spectra based on the intensity of the amide I absorption band (Kim et al., 2001
; Rath et al., 1998
). In our measurements, however, we use only hydrated samples. Under these conditions, an absorption band at
1646 cm-1 that is due to water overlaps the amide I band. This water absorption band makes normalization of infrared absorption spectra difficult. However, if the absorption spectrum of water (Fig. 2, A and C, dotted line) and the PS I sample (in H2O) are normalized to the water absorption band at
2132 cm-1 (see insets in Fig. 2) then it is straightforward to subtract water contributions from the PS I sample infrared absorption spectrum. Fig. 2, B and D (solid lines), then show the infrared (IR) absorption spectra, corrected for water absorption, for PS I samples from S. 6803 and A. marina, respectively.
In Fig. 2, B and D, the amide II absorption band is considerably more intense in the 1H spectra, compared to the 2H spectra. In Fig. 2, B and D, the ratio of the integrated area (2H/1H) between 15721522 and 15631522 cm-1 for S. 6803/A. marina is 0.502/0.679, respectively. This indicates 49.8/32.1% incorporation of deuterium into PS I from S. 6803/A. marina, respectively. The level of incorporation of 2H into PS I from S. 6803 is considerably higher than that reported previously (Kim et al., 2001
).
Fig. 3 shows the (P740+-P740)/(P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained using PS I particles isolated from A. marina/S. 6803 in H2O, in the 42001200 cm-1 spectral region. For PS I from S. 6803/A. marina, a broad, positive difference band is observed and is centered near 33003000 cm-1. The A. marina spectrum also displays a distinct shoulder near 2250 cm-1. In the 36003160 cm-1 region, sample absorbance considerably exceeds 1.5, due mainly to strong water absorption. Since very little light in this spectral region reaches the detector the noise level is high. Therefore, the difference spectra in this region will not be discussed.
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1700 cm-1. This is in spite of the fact that deuterium is incorporated into PS I from S. 6803 at a much higher level than that from A. marina.
Fig. 4 B shows an expanded view of the spectra in Fig. 4 A, in the 17601728 cm-1 region. In Fig. 4 B, the 1H and 2H FTIR DS for S. 6803 (spectra 2 and 3) are virtually identical, and no changes are observed in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS (spectrum 1, top). For the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS collected at 4 cm-1 resolution (spectra 4 and 5), however, it is obvious that incubation in D2O strongly impacts the bands in the spectra. In the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS collected at 4 cm-1 resolution, there appear to be two partially overlapping difference bands in the 17601725 cm-1 region. In an attempt to clearly resolve these features, FTIR DS were collected for A. marina PS I particles incubated in H2O and D2O at 2 cm-1 resolution. These spectra are also shown in Fig. 4 B (spectra 7 and 8, respectively), along with the difference between the two spectra [(1H-2H) FTIR DDS] (spectrum 9). The clearest observation in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS collected at 2 cm-1 resolution is that a positive band at 1748.8 cm-1 undergoes a 2H-induced downshift of
0.7 cm-1.
Fig. 5, A and B, show the (P740+-P740) and (P700+-P700) FTIR DS in the 15001250 and 11601080 cm-1 spectral regions, respectively. Again, the overall band structure of the (P740+-P740) and (P700+-P700) FTIR DS are very similar. In the 15001250 cm-1 region both the (P740+-P740) and (P700+-P700) FTIR DS are virtually identical for PS I samples incubated in H2O and D2O. Of particular interest is the observation of a difference band at 1109(-)/1102(+) cm-1 in both the (P740+-P740) and (P700+-P700) FTIR DS (Fig. 5 B). For PS I from S. 6803, it has recently been suggested that this difference band is due to both axial ligand histidines of P700 (Breton et al., 2002
).
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Interestingly, in Fig. 6 A, the methylene absorption bands are more intense than the methyl absorption bands. However, in the difference spectra for S. 6803, the methyl difference bands appear more intense than the methylene difference bands. In the 27502700 cm-1 region (Fig. 6 B), the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS is featureless, displaying only very broad nonspecific changes. In contrast, in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS a clear difference band is observed at 2727(-)/2735(+) cm-1. Lower intensity bands are also observed at 2715(-), 2719(+), and 2738(-) cm-1.
| DISCUSSION |
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(P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained using PS I from S. 6803
(P700+-P700) FTIR DS for PS I particles from S.6803 have been obtained by several authors (Breton, 2001
; Breton et al., 2002
; Hastings et al., 2001
; Kim et al., 2001
), and it has been indicated that (P700+-P700) FTIR DS are identical for PS I particles extensively washed and incubated in either D2O or H2O (Breton, 2001
; Breton et al., 1999
). These indications are in line with our observations that show only very small changes in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, even after 49% proton exchange. Our observation is similar to that of Kim et al. (2001)
, who also observed only very small changes in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS with
30% deuteration of PS I. Given the amplitude of the changes in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS for S. 6803 in Fig. 4, A and B, we estimate that any 2H-induced band shifts are at most 0.10.2 cm-1. Thus the changes are unlikely to be associated with exchangeable protons that directly interact with the pigments of P700. From the PS I crystal structure at 2.5 Å resolution (Fromme et al., 2001
; Jordan et al., 2001
), water molecule 19 is thought to provide a hydrogen bond to the 133 ester oxygen of the A-side Chl a' of P700 (PA). Exchange of H2O-19 would strongly impact (P700+-P700) FTIR DS and it is therefore unlikely that this water molecule is exchanged, even after
49% proton exchange. It is possible that water molecules distant from P700 are exchanged, however, and it is these distantly located water molecules (for example H2O-93) that are responsible for the 2H-induced changes in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, as discussed by Kim et al. (2001)
. However, we note that the band pattern in our (1H-2H) FTIR DDS for S. 6803 is entirely different from that reported by Kim et al. (2001)
. This is not surprising because the 1H and 2H (P700+-P700) FTIR DS reported here are also very different from those reported by Kim et al. (2001)
, but are similar to those in previous reports (Breton et al., 1999
). In particular, the intense 1639(-)/1655(+) difference band (Fig. 4 A, spectra 2 and 3) is considerably diminished in intensity in the spectra reported by Kim et al. (2001)
., as is the broad band centered near 3200 cm-1 (Fig. 3).
In all experiments reported here we have used only hydrated samples. In contrast, Kim et al. (2001)
used PS I samples that were much more dehydrated. We use only hydrated samples because it is well known that the intensity of the light-induced FTIR difference bands can be seriously impacted in dehydrated samples (Morita et al., 1993
). For example, in FTIR DS obtained using reaction centers from Rb. sphaeroides and Rhodopseudomonas viridis, no light-induced signals are observed in dehydrated samples (Morita et al., 1993
).
The small 2H-induced band shifts in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS suggest that the effects of deuteration are not a result of direct interactions of protons with the pigments of P700. This indicates that the 2H-induced band shifts are almost impossible to interpret. Given this, the bands in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS for S. 6803 are of little interest, and will not be discussed further.
Methyl and methylene modes of P700 and P740
Fig. 6 A shows typical IR absorption spectra for A. marina and S. 6803 PS I particles. Four bands are observed at 2957, 29262920, 2873, and 28552851 cm-1. As outlined in Fig. 6 A, these bands are due to methyl asymmetric, methylene asymmetric, methyl symmetric, and methylene symmetric stretching modes, respectively (Katz et al., 1966
, 1978
; Smith, 1999
), of all of the chlorophylls (including the phytyl chain) and amino acids in the PS I particles. Generally, CH3 and CH2 asymmetric modes are more intense than the symmetric modes, while the CH3 (both asymmetric and symmetric) modes are more intense than the corresponding CH2 modes (Katz et al., 1966
; Smith, 1999
). The above observations indicate that more methylene modes (of amino acids and chlorophyll) than methyl modes contribute to the absorbance spectra in Fig. 6 A. However, comparing the difference spectra to the absorption spectra in Fig. 6 A, the methyl modes appear more pronounced in the difference spectra. From IR absorbance spectra of chlorophylls in vitro, it is found that methylene modes of the phytyl chain dominate the spectra in the 30002800 cm-1 region (Katz et al., 1966
). The fact that the methyl modes predominate in the difference spectra in Fig. 6 A could then indicate that the difference bands are due to methyl and methylene modes of the chlorophyll macrocycle. We cannot rule out, however, that nearby amino acids also contribute to the difference spectra in Fig. 6 A.
The observation of only symmetrically distributed positive/negative difference features in Fig. 6 A is not consistent with previous observations, where difference bands in the 30002800 cm-1 region for PS I from S. 6803 (Kim et al., 2001
) or C. reinhardtii (Hastings et al., 2001
) appear to be dominated by methylene groups, and are about an order of magnitude more intense than the difference bands in Fig. 6 A. The previous observation of intense negative difference bands in the 30002800 cm-1 region appears to be related to the experimental conditions, and is not well understood. However, under the conditions used in Fig. 6 (see Materials and Methods section), we observe highly reproducible, symmetrically distributed positive/negative difference features.
The intensity of the difference bands in the 30002800 cm-1 region in Fig. 6 A is consistent with only a few methyl or methylene groups being impacted by cation formation. The 2955(-) cm-1 difference band for S. 6803 has an amplitude of
5 x 10-5 while the 2957 cm-1 absorbance band has an intensity of
0.15. Therefore,
1 methyl group in 3000 contributes to the difference spectrum. A typical PS I complex contains
2300 amino acids, 100 Chl a,
10 ß-carotenes, and 2 lipids (Golbeck and Bryant, 1991
). From this we estimate that a PS I complex will contain
2135 methyl groups (assuming 9 methyl groups per 20 amino acids, 10 methyl groups per Chl a, and 10 methyl groups per ß-carotene). Therefore, each derivative feature in Fig. 6 A is likely associated with 12 methyl or methylene groups. Similar conclusions can also be drawn for P740.
Does P740 consist of Chl d molecules?
IR absorption spectra for Chl a and Chl b, in the 30002700 cm-1 spectral region, have been obtained (Katz et al., 1966
, 1978
). Generally, four distinct bands are observed in the 30002850 cm-1 region. These bands are due mainly to modes associated with the phytyl chain, as they are considerably diminished in chlorophyllides and pheophorbides that lack a phytyl chain (Katz et al., 1966
). In IR absorption spectra of methyl pheophorbides, several bands are still observed in the 30002850 cm-1 region but these are due to methyl and methylene modes of the Chl macrocycle (Katz et al., 1966
). For Chl b, but not Chl a, a clear infrared absorbance band is observed at
2727 cm-1 (Katz et al., 1978
). Chl b contains a formyl group at the 71 position of ring II (see Fig. 1 for numbering), and the 2727 cm-1 band of Chl b was assigned to the CH stretch of this formyl group (Katz et al., 1966
, 1978
). This assignment is based on the well-known fact that aldehydic CH modes generally occur in the 27002800 cm-1 region, at frequencies considerably lower than that of methyl and methylene modes (Smith, 1999
). By considering IR absorption spectra of methyl pheophorbide-b in the 30002700 cm-1 region, it is clear that the absorption band intensity of the CH stretch of the 71 formyl group is similar to that of bands associated with the methyl and methylene groups of the macrocycle (Katz et al., 1966
). Therefore, given that the bands in the 30002850 cm-1 region in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS in Fig. 5 A are due to macrocyclic methyl and methylene groups of the Chls of P740, if P740 consists of Chl d molecules, then it is likely that we should observe a difference band associated with a CH mode of the 31 formyl group of Chl d in the 27002800 cm-1 region. In addition, no such bands should be observed in this region in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, since P700 consists of Chl a molecules that lack a formyl group.
For the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS, the clearest feature is a negative band at 2727 cm-1 that appears to upshift to 2735 cm-1 upon P740+ formation (Fig. 6 B). Importantly, no sharp features are observed in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS. These observations then suggest that the 2727(-)/2735(+) cm-1 difference band can be assigned to an aldehydic CH stretch of at least one Chl d molecule of P740. A further lower intensity difference band is observed at 2715(-)/2719 cm-1, which could suggest the presence of another Chl d aldehydic CH stretch. Thus, comparison of the (P740+-P740) and (P700+-P700) FTIR DS supports the idea that P740 consists of two Chl d molecules.
Broad electronic transitions between 2000 and 4000 cm-1
Previously, Breton et al. (1999)
observed a broad, positive IR difference band centered near 3300 cm-1, using PS I particles from S. 6803 at 90 K. They also observed a similar band, centered at slightly lower frequency, using spinach PS I particles at 280 K. Fig. 1 indicates that such a broad, positive IR difference band is clearly present at room temperature for PS I from S. 6803. A broad IR difference band is also observed in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained using PS I particles from C. reinhardtii (Hastings et al., 2001
). Broad FTIR difference bands above 2000 cm-1 have also been observed upon donor photo-oxidation in photosynthetic particles from purple bacteria (Breton et al., 1992
; Nabedryk, 1996
; Nabedryk et al., 1996
), heliobacteria (Nabedryk et al., 1996
; Noguchi et al., 1997
), and green sulfur bacteria (Nabedryk et al., 1996
; Noguchi et al., 1996
). These difference bands are due to low-frequency electronic transitions associated with the dimeric nature of the primary electron donor (Binstead and Hush, 1993
; Breton et al., 1992
). The observation of broad, positive absorption bands in the 40002000 cm-1 spectral region is therefore usually taken as an indication that the species under consideration consists of at least two chlorophyll molecules. Consistent with this is the observation of broad, low-frequency transitions in cation porphyrin dimers, but not in monomers (Binstead and Hush, 1993
). The above discussion therefore indicates that P700 and P740 are not single chlorophyll species, and that the cation radical is, to some degree, delocalized over at least two chlorophylls.
The fact that the broad, positive absorption band(s) observed for S. 6803 and A. marina have different structures could indicate that the delocalized charge distribution in P740 is different from that of P700. It should be pointed out, however, that the underlying structure of the broad, positive absorption band for A. marina is similar to that observed in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS obtained using PS I particles from C. reinhardtii, especially concerning the presence of a distinct shoulder near 2200 cm-1 (Hastings et al., 2001
) The distinct shoulder near 2200 cm-1 is observed in cation minus neutral FTIR DS for most species. This suggests that it is the S. 6803 FTIR DS that is quite unusual in that it lacks a band near 2200 cm-1. The differences between the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS for PS I from S. 6803 and C. reinhardtii suggest differences in the structural and/or electronic organization of P700 and/or P700+ from the two species. This could be an important point, especially since the PS I crystal structure (obtained from a cyanobacterial strain) is used as input for calculations aimed at modeling spectroscopic data that were obtained using PS I particles from C. reinhardtii.
Dimer "marker modes"
In FTIR DS associated with donor oxidation in Rb. sphaeroides, positive FTIR difference bands with high intensity are observed at
1550, 1480, and 1295 cm-1 (Breton et al., 1992
). These bands have been related to the dimeric nature of the primary donor in Rb. sphaeroides and, thus, are "marker" bands for multimeric pigment species. It has also been suggested that similar, high-intensity IR bands are due to the dimeric nature of the donors in heliobacteria (1535 and 1300 cm-1) (Nabedryk et al., 1996
; Noguchi et al., 1997
) and green sulfur bacteria (1465 and 1280 cm-1) (Nabedryk et al., 1996
; Noguchi et al., 1996
). In A. marina and S. 6803 PS I particles, no such high-intensity transitions are observed. In PS I particles from S. 6803 and A. marina, all of the bands between 15001300 cm-1 in Fig. 5 A have an intensity that is
8 and 4 times less than the keto C=O band at 1698 and 1702 cm-1, respectively. Therefore, enhanced intensity bands in the 15501300 cm-1 region do not appear to be a universal characteristic of dimeric pigment species.
Do histidine residues provide ligands to the Chl d molecules of P740?
It is thought that the negative band at 1608 cm-1 in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS (Fig. 4 A) is indicative of pentacoordinated Chl a (Breton et al., 2002
; Fujiwara and Tasumi, 1986
). A similar band is observed at 1605 cm-1 in (P740+-P740) FTIR DS, and it is likely that this band has the same origin as the 1608 cm-1 band in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS. Therefore, given the interpretation of the 1608 cm-1 band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, it is likely that the Chl d molecules of P740 are pentacoordinated. In addition, we have suggested that the coordinating histidine ligands for P700 give rise to the 1639(-)/1655 cm-1 difference band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS (Fig. 4 A). A difference band is also observed at 1639(-)/1665 cm-1 in (P740+-P740) FTIR DS. This band is weaker and more asymmetric than the 1639(-)/1655 cm-1 difference band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS. Notwithstanding these differences, it is likely that the same interpretation is valid for these difference bands in both spectra, but other species probably also contribute to the 1639(-)/1665 cm-1 in (P740+-P740) FTIR DS.
Finally, a clear difference band at 1109(-)/1102(+) cm-1 is observed in both the (P700+-P700) and (P740+-P740) FTIR DS. For PS I from S. 6803, it has recently been established that the 1109(-)/1102(+) cm-1 difference band is due to side-chain imidazole modes of both axial ligand histidines of P700 (Breton et al., 2002
). Since a band is observed at identical frequency in (P740+-P740) FTIR DS, the suggestion is that the Chl d molecules of P740 could also be ligated to histidine residues. More extensive studies using 15N-labeled PS I from A. marina will be required for definitive conclusions.
The 133 ester carbonyls
In the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS in Fig. 4 B, the 1748(-)/1754(+) and 1735(-)/1742 cm-1 difference bands have been assigned to the 133 ester C=O of the two Chls of P700 (PA and PB) (Breton, 2001
; Kim et al., 2001
; Nabedryk et al., 1990
). The fact that the 133 ester C=O absorb at different frequencies indicates different environmental perturbations on each of the 133 ester C=O of the Chls of P700. In view of the recent high-resolution crystal structure of PS I (Fromme et al., 2001
; Jordan et al., 2001
) the 1748(-)/1754(+) cm-1 difference band can be assigned to the 133 ester C=O of PB that is free from H-bonding. The 1735(-)/1741(+) cm-1 difference band is then assigned to the 133 ester C=O of PA. The downshift of the 133 ester C=O of PA is due to the fact that the ester oxygen is H-bonded to a water molecule (H2O-19) (Fromme et al., 2001
; Jordan et al., 2001
). Given this prediction from the crystallographic data, our deuterium exchange experiments indicate that the water molecule, H2O-19, is not exchangeable, at least in PS I from S. 6803. This then suggests that the P700 binding site is quite inaccessible.
In the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS, two positive bands are observed at 1742 and 1749 cm-1. Given the assignments outlined above for (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, we assign the positive 1742 and 1749 cm-1 bands to the 133 ester C=O of two different Chl d molecules of P740+. The 133 ester C=O of the Chl d molecules of P740 probably absorb at 1745 and 1736 cm-1 (Fig. 4 B). In analogy to P700, the higher frequency band at 1742 cm-1 could be associated with an ester C=O mode that is free from H-bonding. However, we show below that this hypothesis is unlikely.
The (1H-2H) FTIR DDS for S. 6803 in Fig. 4 B indicate that no protons in the vicinity of the ester C=O of P700 are exchanged, even with
49% proton exchange. In contrast, the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS for A. marina show that at least one ester C=O of P740 is significantly modified with only
32% proton exchange. In the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS for A. marina (Fig. 4 B), a second derivative feature at 1749(+)/1744(-)/1737(+) cm-1 is consistent with the downshift of a complete difference band at
1749(+)/1745(-) cm-1 by <1 cm-1. The 2H-induced shift of the 1749(+)/1745(-) cm-1 difference band suggests either 1, that it is associated with an ester C=O mode that is H-bonded to an amino acid with an exchangeable proton; or 2, that it is associated with an ester mode that is coupled to a second mode that is H-bonded to a species with an exchangeable proton.
Considering the first case, in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS, the highest frequency difference band in Fig. 4 B is
5 cm-1 lower than the corresponding difference band in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS. This could indicate that the 1749(+)/1745(-) cm-1 difference band in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS is due to an H-bonded 133 ester C=O mode of P740, unlike PB of P700. If the 1749(+)/1745(-) cm-1 difference band in the A. marina FTIR DS is due to an H-bonded 133 ester C=O mode of one of the pigments of P740, then a shift greater than 0.7 cm-1 would be expected upon exchange of the proton involved in the H-bond. This then indicates that the mode giving rise to the 1749(+)/1745(-) cm-1 difference band is only very weakly H-bonded, or it is coupled to another mode that is H-bonded. The most likely candidate for a mode that could couple to the ester C=O mode is the 131 keto C=O mode of the same chlorophyll. If this is the case then this H-bonded keto C=O mode would be strongly perturbed upon 2H exchange. We find no evidence for this (see below). We thus favor the idea that the 1749(+)/1745(-) cm-1 difference band is due to a weakly H-bonded 133 ester C=O mode of P740. The 1741(+)/1736(-) cm-1 difference band could also be due to a (more-strongly) H-bonded 133 ester C=O mode of P740. However, in this case, the H-bond proton is not exchangeable in our experiments.
The 131 keto C=O modes
In the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS in Fig. 4 A, the negative band at 1698 cm-1 is due to the 131 keto C=O of one (Breton et al., 2002
; Witt et al., 2002
) or both (Hastings et al., 2001
) of the Chls of P700. Part (Hastings et al., 2001
) or all (Breton et al., 2002
; Witt et al., 2002
) of the 1698 cm-1 band upshifts to 1718 cm-1 upon P700+ formation. In the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS a difference band is observed at 1702(-)/1717(+) cm-1 (Fig. 4 A). Following the interpretation of the 1698(-)/1718(+) cm-1 difference band in (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, we could assign at least part of the 1702(-)/1717(+) cm-1 difference band in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS to a 131 keto C=O mode of one of the Chl ds of P740.
Although controversial, it has been suggested that the 1639(-)/1655(+) cm-1 difference band in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS in Fig. 4 A is due to a strongly H-bonded 131 keto C=O mode of PA (Breton et al., 1999
). As discussed above, a similar but less intense difference band is observed at 1639(-)/1665(+) cm-1 in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS in Fig. 4 A, and probably has the same origin as the 1639(-)/1655(+) cm-1 difference band in the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS. Regardless of the precise interpretation of (P700+-P700) FTIR DS, the similarity in the FTIR DS in the 17201600 cm-1 region for the two species suggests similar environments for the 131 keto C=O of the Chls of P700 and P740, in both the ground and cation radical state.
On the one hand, the overall similarity of the (P740+-P740) and (P700+-P700) FTIR DS in the 17101200 cm-1 region indicates that the P740 and P700 binding sites are very similar. It suggests that the Chls of P700 and P740 are oriented similarly. It also suggests that the 131 keto C=O are in a similar environment and display similar types of bonding interactions. This would indicate that the protein structure in the vicinity of the P700 and P740 binding sites is similar. On the other hand, however, the fact that there are larger 2H-induced changes in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS compared to the (P700+-P700) FTIR DS indicates that the P740 binding site is more accessible than the P700 binding site.
2H exchange leads to further alterations in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS in the 17301630 cm-1 region, as evidenced in the A. marina (1H-2H) FTIR DDS (Fig. 4 A). Importantly, the amplitude of all the double difference bands in the 17251630 cm-1 region are small, relative to the amplitude of the bands in the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS. This suggests that the 2H-induced band shifts are very small (<0.20.8 cm-1). This in turn indicates that the changes in the 17251630 cm-1 region are not associated with directly H-bonded 131 keto C=O modes with exchangeable protons, as larger amplitude changes would be expected in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS. The 2H-induced band shifts in the 17251630 cm-1 region are therefore more likely associated with secondary effects on the keto C=O modes of the Chls of P740, due to coupling with other modes that do have exchangeable protons. It is also possible that some of the features in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS in the 17251630 cm-1 region are associated with modification of C=O modes of amino acids (such as Asn or Gln) or due to small changes in the protein backbone near P740. More extensive isotope labeling studies, using PS I particles obtained from A. marina cells grown in D2O, will be required to distinguish definitively between the different possibilities.
Formyl C=O modes of Chl d
The negative band at 2727 cm-1 in Fig. 4 B is at a frequency that is typical for a CH mode of a chlorophyll formyl group (Katz et al., 1966
). In particular, we assign the 2727 cm-1 band in Fig. 6 B to a CH mode of the 31 formyl group of Chl d. Given this assignment we could expect to observe a difference band associated with the C=O mode of the 31 formyl group of Chl d. From IR absorption spectroscopy of Chl b and its derivatives (Chl b contains a formyl group at the 71 position) the 71 formyl C=O was found to absorb at 16521669 cm-1 (Katz et al., 1966
, 1978
). For BChl a and its derivatives (BChl a has an acetyl group at the 31 position of ring I) the 31 acetyl C=O absorbs at 16561675 cm-1 (Katz et al., 1966
, 1978
). From FTIR DS of the primary donor in Rb. sphaeroides the BChl a 31 acetyl C=O is H-bonded and absorbs near 1620 cm-1 (Mäntele et al., 1988
; Nabedryk 1996
). Very recently, from Raman spectroscopic studies of solid films of Chl d at 77 K, it has been suggested that a medium-intensity Raman band at 1659 cm-1 is due to the 31 formyl C=O of Chl d (Cai et al., 2002
).
Given the frequencies outlined above for Chl d, Chl b, BChl a and the H bonded acetyl C=O of BChl a in Rb. sphaeroides, the 31 formyl C=O of Chl d is likely to contribute to the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS in the 16651620 cm-1 region. In the (P740+-P740) FTIR DS large amplitude difference bands are observed in the 16651620 cm-1 region. The origin of these difference bands have been discussed above. If a Chl d formyl C=O partially contributes to the 1639(-)/1665(+) cm-1 difference band then only small amplitude changes may be expected in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS, if indeed the Chl d formyl C=O is affected by deuteration. If the formyl C=O is free from H-bonding then it will be very difficult to observe 2H-induced band shifts associated with this mode in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS. On the other hand, if the Chl d formyl C=O is H-bonded then larger 2H-induced downshifts could be expected. The only spectral feature in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS in Fig. 4 A, below 1670 cm-1, that could be associated with a downshifting difference band, is the
1640(+)/1634(-)/1620(-)/1613(+) feature. If this feature is due to formyl C=O modes of P740 then this would indicate a formyl C=O band of P740 at
1635 cm-1, that upshifts 5 cm-1, to 1640 cm-1, upon P740+ formation. It would also indicate that this
1634(-)/1640(+) cm-1 difference band downshifts
21 cm-1 to 1613(-)/1620(+) cm-1 upon 2H exchange. The free 71 formyl C=O of Chl b absorbs at
1663 cm-1, so a frequency of 1635 cm-1 for the 31 formyl C=O of Chl d could indicate that it is strongly H-bonded. A 2H-induced downshift of 21 cm-1 seems extraordinarily large, but it may also indicate that the formyl C=O must be strongly H-bonded to a species with an exchangeable proton.
It could also be possible that the feature at 1667(-)/1654(+) cm-1, and part of the positive band at 1677 cm-1, are due to a downshifting 31 formyl C=O group of Chl d. In this case the 31 formyl C=O upshifts from
1667 cm-1 to near 1677 cm-1 upon P740+ formation. The mode also downshifts
13 cm-1 upon deuteration. A frequency of 1667 cm-1 for the 31 formyl C=O of Chl d could indicate that it is free from H-bonding. A 2H-induced downshift of 13 cm-1, however, would suggest a strongly H-bonded formyl C=O. This latter hypothesis is therefore unlikely.
It could also be the case that the features in the 17001620 cm-1 region in the (1H-2H) FTIR DDS are associated with protein modes, and that the formyl C=O of Chl d is little affected by 2H exchange. Again, more extensive labeling studies of PS I from A. marina will be required for more definitive conclusions to be drawn.
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| ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS |
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This work was supported by start-up funds, a quality improvement grant, and a research initiation grant to G.H. from Georgia State University. G.H. also acknowledges support from United States Department of Agriculture (grant 35318-10894). Whole cells of S. 6803 were a gift from Prof. Wim Vermass at Arizona State University. Whole cells of A. marina were a gift from Prof. Robert Blankenship at Arizona State University.
| FOOTNOTES |
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Submitted on January 7, 2003; accepted for publication July 23, 2003.
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