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Title: Manipulating the Energetics and Rates of Electron Transfer in Rhodobacter capsulatus Reaction Centers with Asymmetric Pigment Content

Journal Article · · Journal of Physical Chemistry. B, Condensed Matter, Materials, Surfaces, Interfaces and Biophysical Chemistry
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  1. Department of Chemistry, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri 63130, United States
  2. Biosciences Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, Illinois 60439, United States

Seemingly redundant parallel pathways for electron transfer (ET), composed of identical sets of cofactors, are a cornerstone feature of photosynthetic reaction centers (RCs) involved in light-energy conversion. In native bacterial RCs, both A and B branches house one bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) and one bacteriopheophytin (BPh), but the A branch is used exclusively. Described herein are the results-obtained for two Rhodobacter capsulatus RCs with an unnaturally high degree of cofactor asymmetry, two BPh on the RC's B side and two BChl on the A side. These pigment changes derive, respectively, from the His(M180)Leu mutation [a BPh ((Phi(B)) replaces the B-side BChl (BB)], and the Leu(M212)His mutation [a BChl (beta(A))) replaces the A-side BPh (H-A)]. Additionally, Tyr(M208)Phe was employed to disfavor ET to the A branch; in one mutant, Val(M131)Glu creates a hydrogen bond to H-B to enhance ET to H-B. In both Phi(B) mutants, the decay kinetics of the excited primary ET donor (P*) resolve three populations with lifetimes of similar to 9 ps (50-60%), similar to 40 ps (10-20%), and similar to 200 ps (20-30%), with P+Phi(-)(B) formed predominantly from the 9 ps fraction. The 50-60% yield of P+Phi(B)- is the highest yet observed for a Phi(B)-containing RC. The results provide insight into factors needed for efficient multistep ET.

Research Organization:
Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
DOE Contract Number:
AC02-06CH11357
OSTI ID:
1416978
Journal Information:
Journal of Physical Chemistry. B, Condensed Matter, Materials, Surfaces, Interfaces and Biophysical Chemistry, Vol. 121, Issue 29; ISSN 1520-6106
Publisher:
American Chemical Society
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Cited By (3)

Consequences of saturation mutagenesis of the protein ligand to the B-side monomeric bacteriochlorophyll in reaction centers from Rhodobacter capsulatus journal March 2019
Switching sides—Reengineered primary charge separation in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center journal December 2019
Primary processes in the bacterial reaction center probed by two-dimensional electronic spectroscopy journal March 2018

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