Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Photosystem II oxygen-evolving complex photoassembly displays an inverse H/D solvent isotope effect under chloride-limiting conditions

Journal Article · · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Photosystem II (PSII) performs the solar-driven oxidation of water used to fuel oxygenic photosynthesis. The active site of water oxidation is the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC), a Mn 4 CaO 5 cluster. PSII requires degradation of key subunits and reassembly of the OEC as frequently as every 20 to 40 min. The metals for the OEC are assembled within the PSII protein environment via a series of binding events and photochemically induced oxidation events, but the full mechanism is unknown. A role of proton release in this mechanism is suggested here by the observation that the yield of in vitro OEC photoassembly is higher in deuterated water, D 2 O, compared with H 2 O when chloride is limiting. In kinetic studies, OEC photoassembly shows a significant lag phase in H 2 O at limiting chloride concentrations with an apparent H/D solvent isotope effect of 0.14 ± 0.05. The growth phase of OEC photoassembly shows an H/D solvent isotope effect of 1.5 ± 0.2. We analyzed the protonation states of the OEC protein environment using classical Multiconformer Continuum Electrostatics. Combining experiments and simulations leads to a model in which protons are lost from amino acid that will serve as OEC ligands as metals are bound. Chloride and D 2 O increase the proton affinities of key amino acid residues. These residues tune the binding affinity of Mn 2+/3+ and facilitate the deprotonation of water to form a proposed μ-hydroxo bridged Mn 2+ Mn 3+ intermediate.

Research Organization:
City Univ. of New York (CUNY), NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES) (SC-22). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0001423
OSTI ID:
1562343
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1610559
Journal Information:
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Journal Name: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America Journal Issue: 38 Vol. 116; ISSN 0027-8424
Publisher:
National Academy of SciencesCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (52)

ESEEM Spectroscopy Reveals Carbonate and an N-Donor Protein-Ligand Binding to Mn2+ in the Photoassembly Reaction of the Mn4Ca Cluster in Photosystem II journal October 2007
Cost and benefit of the repair of photodamaged photosystem II in spinach leaves: roles of acclimation to growth light journal July 2012
Relative stability of the S2 isomers of the oxygen evolving complex of photosystem II journal April 2019
Photoactivation of the manganese catalyst of O2 evolution. II. A two-quantum mechanism journal November 1971
Light-dependent degradation of the thylakoid 32 kDa QB protein in isolated chloroplast membranes of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii journal April 1986
Photoactivation of the water-oxidizing complex in Photosystem II membranes depleted of Mn and extrinsic proteins. I. Biochemical and kinetic characterization journal February 1987
Dissociation constants of Br∅nsted acids in D2O and H2O: studies on polyaza and polyoxa-polyaza macrocycles and a general correlation journal January 1991
Stepwise Transition of the Tetra-Manganese Complex of Photosystem II to a Binuclear Mn2(μ-O)2 Complex in Response to a Temperature Jump: A Time-Resolved Structural Investigation Employing X-Ray Absorption Spectroscopy journal February 2003
Photosystem II repair in plant chloroplasts — Regulation, assisting proteins and shared components with photosystem II biogenesis journal September 2015
Oxygen-evolving complex of Photosystem II: an analysis of second-shell residues and hydrogen-bonding networks journal April 2015
Photoassembly of the water-oxidizing complex in photosystem II journal February 2008
Initial Mn2+ binding site in photoassembly of the water-oxidizing Mn4CaO5 cluster in photosystem II as studied by quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics calculations journal April 2019
A formula for correlating p K a values determined in D 2 O and H 2 O journal January 2004
Assembling and maintaining the Photosystem II complex in chloroplasts and cyanobacteria journal June 2012
Location of the High-Affinity Mn 2+ Site in Photosystem II Detected by PELDOR journal July 2015
Amino Acid Residues That Influence the Binding of Manganese or Calcium to Photosystem II. 1. The Lumenal Interhelical Domains of the D1 Polypeptide journal May 1995
Calcium Modulates the Photo-assembly of Photosystem II (Mn)4-Clusters by Preventing Ligation of Nonfunctional High-Valency States of Manganese journal October 1995
Aspartate 170 of the photosystem II reaction center polypeptide D1 is involved in the assembly of the oxygen-evolving manganese cluster journal January 1992
Evidence from directed mutagenesis that aspartate 170 of the D1 polypeptide influences the assembly and/or stability of the manganese cluster in the photosynthetic water-splitting complex journal July 1992
Site-Directed Photosystem II Mutants with Perturbed Oxygen-Evolving Properties. 1. Instability or Inefficient Assembly of the Manganese Cluster In vivo journal May 1994
Enhancement by chloride ions of photoactivation of oxygen evolution in manganese-depleted photosystem II membranes journal June 1991
Structure of the manganese complex of photosystem II upon removal of the 33-kilodalton extrinsic protein: an x-ray absorption spectroscopy study journal September 1987
Manganese and calcium requirements for reconstitution of oxygen-evolution activity in manganese-depleted photosystem II membranes journal October 1989
Spectroscopic Evidence for Ca 2+ Involvement in the Assembly of the Mn 4 Ca Cluster in the Photosynthetic Water-Oxidizing Complex journal October 2006
Intermediates in Assembly by Photoactivation after Thermally Accelerated Disassembly of the Manganese Complex of Photosynthetic Water Oxidation journal December 2006
Chloride Regulation of Enzyme Turnover: Application to the Role of Chloride in Photosystem II journal April 2011
S 1 -State Model of the O 2 -Evolving Complex of Photosystem II journal July 2011
Structural–Functional Role of Chloride in Photosystem II journal July 2011
The D1-D61N Mutation in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Allows the Observation of pH-Sensitive Intermediates in the Formation and Release of O 2 from Photosystem II journal February 2012
Mutation of Lysine 317 in the D2 Subunit of Photosystem II Alters Chloride Binding and Proton Transport journal July 2013
S 0 -State Model of the Oxygen-Evolving Complex of Photosystem II journal October 2013
Evidence from FTIR Difference Spectroscopy That D1-Asp61 Influences the Water Reactions of the Oxygen-Evolving Mn 4 CaO 5 Cluster of Photosystem II journal April 2014
The Manganese-Stabilizing Protein of Photosystem II Modifies the in Vivo Deactivation and Photoactivation Kinetics of the H 2 O Oxidation Complex in Synechocystis sp. PCC6803 journal January 1996
Assembly of the Tetra-Mn Site of Photosynthetic Water Oxidation by Photoactivation:  Mn Stoichiometry and Detection of a New Intermediate journal January 1996
High-Resolution Kinetic Studies of the Reassembly of the Tetra-Manganese Cluster of Photosynthetic Water Oxidation:  Proton Equilibrium, Cations, and Electrostatics journal January 1996
Quantitative Kinetic Model for Photoassembly of the Photosynthetic Water Oxidase from Its Inorganic Constituents:  Requirements for Manganese and Calcium in the Kinetically Resolved Steps , journal July 1997
Photoassembly of the Photosystem II (Mn) 4 Cluster in Site-Directed Mutants Impaired in the Binding of the Manganese-Stabilizing Protein journal December 1997
Oxygenic Photosystem II:  The Mutation D1−D61N in Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 Retards S-State Transitions without Affecting Electron Transfer from Y Z to P 680 +   journal October 1998
Unique Binding Site for Mn 2+ Ion Responsible for Reducing an Oxidized Y Z Tyrosine in Manganese-Depleted Photosystem II Membranes journal July 1999
Metalloproteins Containing Cytochrome, Iron–Sulfur, or Copper Redox Centers journal March 2014
Crystal structure of oxygen-evolving photosystem II at a resolution of 1.9 Å journal April 2011
Theoretical study of deuterium isotope effects on acid–base equilibria under ambient and hydrothermal conditions journal January 2015
Metal oxidation states in biological water splitting journal January 2015
Radiolytic Mapping of Solvent-Contact Surfaces in Photosystem II of Higher Plants: EXPERIMENTAL IDENTIFICATION OF PUTATIVE WATER CHANNELS WITHIN THE PHOTOSYSTEM journal June 2013
Participation of the C-terminal Region of the D1-polypeptide in the First Steps in the Assembly of the Mn 4 Ca Cluster of Photosystem II journal January 2007
The Thylakoid FtsH Protease Plays a Role in the Light-Induced Turnover of the Photosystem II D1 Protein journal March 2000
AtCYP38 ensures early biogenesis, correct assembly and sustenance of photosystem II journal August 2008
COOPERATION OF CHARGES IN PHOTOSYNTHETIC O 2 EVOLUTION–I. A LINEAR FOUR STEP MECHANISM journal June 1970
Architecture of the Photosynthetic Oxygen-Evolving Center journal March 2004
Photosystem II: The Reaction Center of Oxygenic Photosynthesis journal June 2013
Photoactivation: The Light-Driven Assembly of the Water Oxidation Complex of Photosystem II journal May 2016
Structural insights into the light-driven auto-assembly process of the water-oxidizing Mn4CaO5-cluster in photosystem II journal July 2017