Native structure of photosystem II at 1.95 Å resolution viewed by femtosecond X-ray pulses

Photosynthesis converts light energy into biologically useful chemical energy vital to life on Earth. The initial reaction of photosynthesis takes place in photosystem II (PSII), a 700-kilodalton homodimeric membrane protein complex which catalyses photo-oxidation of water into dioxygen through an S-state cycle of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). The structure of PSII has been solved by X-ray diffraction (XRD) at 1.9-ångström (Å) resolution, which revealed that the OEC is a Mn4CaO5-cluster coordinated by a well-defined protein environment1. However, extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) studies showed that the manganese cations in the OEC are easily reduced by X-ray irradiation2, and slight differences were found in the Mn–Mn distances between the results of XRD1, EXAFS3–7 and theoretical studies8–14. Here we report a ‘radiation-damage-free’ structure of PSII from Thermosynechococcus vulcanus in the S1 state at a resolution of 1.95 Å using femtosecond X-ray pulses of the SPring-8 ångström compact free-electron laser (SACLA) and a huge number of large, highly isomorphous PSII crystals. Compared with the structure from XRD, the OEC in the X-ray free electron laser structure has Mn–Mn distances that are shorter by 0.1–0.2 Å. The valences of each manganese atom were tentatively assigned as Mn1D(III), Mn2C(IV), Mn3B(IV) and Mn4A(III), based on the average Mn–ligand distances and analysis of the Jahn–Teller axis on Mn(III). One of the oxo-bridged oxygens, O5, has significantly longer Mn–O distances in contrast to the other oxo-oxygen atoms, suggesting that it is a hydroxide ion instead of a normal oxygen dianion and therefore may serve as one of the substrate oxygen atoms. These findings provide a structural basis for the mechanism of oxygen evolution, and we expect that this structure will provide a blueprint for design of artificial catalysts for water oxidation

Light-induced structural changes and the site of O=O bond formation in PSII caught by XFEL

Photosystem II (PSII) is a huge membrane-protein complex consisting of 20 different subunits with a total molecular mass of 350 kDa for a monomer. It catalyses light-driven water oxidation at its catalytic centre, the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC). The structure of PSII has been analysed at 1.9 Å resolution by synchrotron radiation X-rays, which revealed that the OEC is a Mn4CaO5 cluster organized in an asymmetric, 'distorted-chair' form. This structure was further analysed with femtosecond X-ray free electron lasers (XFEL), providing the 'radiation damage-free' structure. The mechanism of O=O bond formation, however, remains obscure owing to the lack of intermediate-state structures. Here we describe the structural changes in PSII induced by two-flash illumination at room temperature at a resolution of 2.35 Å using time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography with an XFEL provided by the SPring-8 ångström compact free-electron laser. An isomorphous difference Fourier map between the two-flash and dark-adapted states revealed two areas of apparent changes: around the QB/non-haem iron and the Mn4CaO5 cluster. The changes around the QB/non-haem iron region reflected the electron and proton transfers induced by the two-flash illumination. In the region around the OEC, a water molecule located 3.5 Å from the Mn4CaO5 cluster disappeared from the map upon two-flash illumination. This reduced the distance between another water molecule and the oxygen atom O4, suggesting that proton transfer also occurred. Importantly, the two-flash-minus-dark isomorphous difference Fourier map showed an apparent positive peak around O5, a unique μ4-oxo-bridge located in the quasi-centre of Mn1 and Mn4 (refs 4,5). This suggests the insertion of a new oxygen atom (O6) close to O5, providing an O=O distance of 1.5 Å between these two oxygen atoms. This provides a mechanism for the O=O bond formation consistent with that proposed previousl

Electronic Structure of a Weakly Antiferromagnetically Coupled Mn^IIMn^III Model Relevant to Manganese Proteins: A Combined EPR, ⁵⁵Mn-ENDOR, and DFT Study

An analysis of the electronic structure of the [MnIIMnIII(μ-OH)-(μ-piv)2(Me3tacn)2](ClO4)2 (PivOH) complex is reported. It displays features that include: (i) a ground 1/2 spin state; (ii) a small exchange (J) coupling between the two Mn ions; (iii) a mono-μ-hydroxo bridge, bis-μ-carboxylato motif; and (iv) a strongly coupled, terminally bound N ligand to the MnIII. All of these features are observed in structural models of the oxygen evolving complex (OEC). Multifrequency electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and electron nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) measurements were performed on this complex, and the resultant spectra simulated using the Spin Hamiltonian formalism. The strong field dependence of the 55Mn-ENDOR constrains the 55Mn hyperfine tensors such that a unique solution for the electronic structure can be deduced. Large hyperfine anisotropy is required to reproduce the EPR/ENDOR spectra for both the MnII and MnIII ions. The large effective hyperfine tensor anisotropy of the MnII, a d5 ion which usually exhibits small anisotropy, is interpreted within a formalism in which the fine structure tensor of the MnIII ion strongly perturbs the zero-field energy levels of the MnIIMnIII complex. An estimate of the fine structure parameter (d) for the MnIII of −4 cm–1 was made, by assuming the intrinsic anisotropy of the MnII ion is small. The magnitude of the fine structure and intrinsic (onsite) hyperfine tensor of the MnIII is consistent with the known coordination environment of the MnIII ion as seen from its crystal structure. Broken symmetry density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed on the crystal structure geometry. DFT values for both the isotropic and the anisotropic components of the onsite (intrinsic) hyperfine tensors match those inferred from the EPR/ENDOR simulations described above, to within 5%. This study demonstrates that DFT calculations provide reliable estimates for spectroscopic observables of mixed valence Mn complexes, even in the limit where the description of a well isolated S = 1/2 ground state begins to break down

Detection of the Water-Binding Sites of the Oxygen-Evolving Complex of Photosystem II Using W-Band ¹⁷O Electron–Electron Double Resonance-Detected NMR Spectroscopy

Water binding to the Mn4O5Ca cluster of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) of Photosystem II (PSII) poised in the S2 state was studied via H217O- and 2H2O-labeling and high-field electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. Hyperfine couplings of coordinating 17O (I = 5/2) nuclei were detected using W-band (94 GHz) electron–electron double resonance (ELDOR) detected NMR and Davies/Mims electron–nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) techniques. Universal 15N (I = 1/2) labeling was employed to clearly discriminate the 17O hyperfine couplings that overlap with 14N (I = 1) signals from the D1-His332 ligand of the OEC (Stich Biochemistry 2011, 50 (34), 7390−7404). Three classes of 17O nuclei were identified: (i) one μ-oxo bridge; (ii) a terminal Mn–OH/OH2 ligand; and (iii) Mn/Ca–H2O ligand(s). These assignments are based on 17O model complex data, on comparison to the recent 1.9 Å resolution PSII crystal structure (Umena Nature 2011, 473, 55−60), on NH3 perturbation of the 17O signal envelope and density functional theory calculations. The relative orientation of the putative 17O μ-oxo bridge hyperfine tensor to the 14N(15N) hyperfine tensor of the D1-His332 ligand suggests that the exchangeable μ-oxo bridge links the outer Mn to the Mn3O3Ca open-cuboidal unit (O4 and O5 in the Umena et al. structure). Comparison to literature data favors the Ca-linked O5 oxygen over the alternative assignment to O4. All 17O signals were seen even after very short (≤15 s) incubations in H217O suggesting that all exchange sites identified could represent bound substrate in the S1 state including the μ-oxo bridge. 1H/2H (I = 1/2, 1) ENDOR data performed at Q- (34 GHz) and W-bands complement the above findings. The relatively small 1H/2H couplings observed require that all the μ-oxo bridges of the Mn4O5Ca cluster are deprotonated in the S2 state. Together, these results further limit the possible substrate water-binding sites and modes within the OEC. This information restricts the number of possible reaction pathways for O–O bond formation, supporting an oxo/oxyl coupling mechanism in S4

Ammonia binding to the oxygen-evolving complex of photosystem II identifies the solvent-exchangeable oxygen bridge (μ-oxo) of the manganese tetramer

The assignment of the two substrate water sites of the tetra-manganese penta-oxygen calcium (Mn4O5Ca) cluster of photosystem II is essential for the elucidation of the mechanism of biological O-O bond formation and the subsequent design of bio-inspired water-splitting catalysts. We recently demonstrated using pulsed EPR spectroscopy that one of the five oxygen bridges (μ-oxo) exchanges unusually rapidly with bulk water and is thus a likely candidate for one of the substrates. Ammonia, a water analog, was previously shown to bind to the Mn4O5Ca cluster, potentially displacing a water/substrate ligand [Britt RD, et al. (1989) J Am Chem Soc 111(10):3522–3532]. Here we show by a combination of EPR and time-resolved membrane inlet mass spectrometry that the binding of ammonia perturbs the exchangeable μ-oxo bridge without drastically altering the binding/exchange kinetics of the two substrates. In combination with broken-symmetry density functional theory, our results show that (i) the exchangable μ-oxo bridge is O5 {using the labeling of the current crystal structure [Umena Y, et al. (2011) Nature 473(7345):55–60]}; (ii) ammonia displaces a water ligand to the outer manganese (MnA4-W1); and (iii) as W1 is trans to O5, ammonia binding elongates the MnA4-O5 bond, leading to the perturbation of the μ-oxo bridge resonance and to a small change in the water exchange rates. These experimental results support O-O bond formation between O5 and possibly an oxyl radical as proposed by Siegbahn and exclude W1 as the second substrate water

The electronic structures of the S-2 states of the oxygen-evolving complexes of photosystem II in plants and cyanobacteria in the presence and absence of methanol

The electronic properties of the Mn4OxCa cluster in the S-2 state of the oxygen-evolving complex (OEC) were studied using X- and Q-band EPR and Q-band Mn-55-ENDOR using photosystem II preparations isolated from the thermophilic cyanobacterium T. elongatus and higher plants (spinach). The data presented here show that there is very little difference between the two species. Specifically it is shown that: (i) only small changes are seen in the fitted isotropic hyperfine values, suggesting that there is no significant difference in the overall spin distribution (electronic coupling scheme) between the two species; (ii) the inferred fine-structure tensor of the only Mn-III ion in the cluster is of the same magnitude and geometry for both species types, suggesting that the Mn-III ion has the same coordination sphere in both sample preparations; and (iii) the data from both species are consistent with only one structural model available in the literature, namely the Siegbahn structure [ Siegbahn, P. E. M. Accounts Chem. Res. 2009, 42, 1871-1880, Pantazis, D. A. et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys. 2009, 11, 6788-6798]. These measurements were made in the presence of methanol because it confers favorable magnetic relaxation properties to the cluster that facilitate pulse-EPR techniques. In the absence of methanol the separation of the ground state and the first excited state of the spin system is smaller. For cyanobacteria this effect is minor but in plant PS II it leads to a break-down of the S-T=1/2 spin model of the 52 state. This suggests that the methanol-OEC interaction is species dependent. It is proposed that the effect of small organic solvents on the electronic structure of the cluster is to change the coupling between the outer Mn (Mn-A) and the other three Mn ions that form the trimeric part of the cluster (Mn-B, Mn-c, Mn-D), by perturbing the linking bis-mu-oxo bridge. The flexibility of this bridging unit is discussed with regard to the mechanism of O-O bond formation