Switching sides—Reengineered primary charge separation in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center

We report 90% yield of electron transfer (ET) from the singlet excited state P* of the primary electron-donor P (a bacteriochlorophyll dimer) to the B-side bacteriopheophytin (HB) in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center (RC). Starting from a platform Rhodobacter sphaeroides RC bearing several amino acid changes, an Arg in place of the native Leu at L185—positioned over one face of HB and only ∼4 Å from the 4 central nitrogens of the HB macrocycle—is the key additional mutation providing 90% yield of P+HB−. This all but matches the near-unity yield of A-side P+HA− charge separation in the native RC. The 90% yield of ET to HB derives from (minimally) 3 P* populations with distinct means of P* decay. In an ∼40% population, P* decays in ∼4 ps via a 2-step process involving a short-lived P+BB− intermediate, analogous to initial charge separation on the A side of wild-type RCs. In an ∼50% population, P* → P+HB− conversion takes place in ∼20 ps by a superexchange mechanism mediated by BB. An ∼10% population of P* decays in ∼150 ps largely by internal conversion. These results address the long-standing dichotomy of A- versus B-side initial charge separation in native RCs and have implications for the mechanism(s) and timescale of initial ET that are required to achieve a near-quantitative yield of unidirectional charge separation.

Photosystem II core quenching in desiccated Leptolyngbya ohadii

Cyanobacteria living in the harsh environment of the desert have to protect themselves against high light intensity and prevent photodamage. These cyanobacteria are in a desiccated state during the largest part of the day when both temperature and light intensity are high. In the desiccated state, their photosynthetic activity is stopped, whereas upon rehydration the ability to perform photosynthesis is regained. Earlier reports indicate that light-induced excitations in Leptolyngbya ohadii are heavily quenched in the desiccated state, because of a loss of structural order of the light-harvesting phycobilisome structures (Bar Eyal et al. in Proc Natl Acad Sci 114:9481, 2017) and via the stably oxidized primary electron donor in photosystem I, namely P700+ (Bar Eyal et al. in Biochim Biophys Acta Bioenergy 1847:1267–1273, 2015). In this study, we use picosecond fluorescence experiments to demonstrate that a third protection mechanism exists, in which the core of photosystem II is quenched independently.

pH dependence of the charge recombination kinetics in bacterial RC reconstituted in liposomes

ABSTRACT:The photosynthetic Reaction Center from the carotenoidless mutant strain of the purple non sulphur bacterium Rhodobacter (R.) sphaeroides was reconstituted in artificial phospholipid vesicles (liposomes) to mimic the physiological membrane environment. The pH dependence in the interval 5 – 10 of the rate of the charge-recombination reactions from the final electron acceptors QA and QB to the primary electron donor (namely kAD and kBD) have been investigated. The liposomes were constituted of either the zwitterionic phosphatidylcholine (PC) or the negatively charged phosphatidylglycerol (PG), two of the main phospholipids found in the photosynthetic membrane of the bacterium. In both cases, the kAD has no pH dependence similarly to the detergent case. The kBD also has a pH dependence similar to the detergent case, having two distinct regions below pH 7 and above pH 9. Fitting of the titration curve to a function involving two protonation sites results in a marked shift of the pKAs between the different solubilizing environments. These differences are discussed in the frame of possible physiological implications.