Effects of cavities in the bacterial reaction center
A site-specific double mutant of Rhodobacter capsulatus, in which the large aromatic residues M208Tyr and L181Phe in the interior of the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) complex were replaced by smaller theonine residues, showed a dramatic reduction in the number of assembled complexes and was incapable of photosynthetic growth. The cavity created by the smaller side chains interferes mostly with the assembly of the complex. Phenotypic revertants were recovered in which a spontaneous second-site mutation restored photocompetence in the presence of the original site-specific mutations. In these strains, an Ala to Pro substitution in neighboring transmembrane helix (at M271) resulted in an increased yield of RC complexes. To test the hypothesis that the original phenotype was due to a cavity, other mutants were constructed where L180Phe and M207Leu were replaced with alanines that created similar-sized voids at other positions in the membrane-spanning interior. The L180Ala-M207A mutant had the same phenotype. Coupling of the above proline substitution to these new cavity mutants also resulted in photocompetant strains that carry increased levels of RC complexes. Therefore, the proline substitution at M271 serves as a global suppressor of the phenotype caused by these internal cavities.
- Research Organization:
- Argonne National Lab. (ANL), Argonne, IL (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-31109-ENG-38
- OSTI ID:
- 205927
- Report Number(s):
- ANL/CMB/SUMM-86336; CONF-9508202-8; ON: DE96005235
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 10. international photosynthesis congress, Montpellier (France), 20-25 Aug 1995; Other Information: PBD: [1995]
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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