The activity of the light-oxygen-voltage/helix-turn-helix (LOV-HTH) photoreceptor EL222 is regulated through protein-protein and protein-DNA interactions, both triggered by photo-excitation of its flavin mononucleotide (FMN) cofactor. To gain molecular-level insight into the photocycle of EL222, we applied complementary methods: macromolecular X-ray crystallography (MX), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, optical spectroscopies (infrared and UV-visible), molecular dynamics/metadynamics (MD/metaD) simulations, and protein engineering using noncanonical amino acids. Kinetic experiments provided evidence for two distinct EL222 conformations (lit1 and lit2) that become sequentially populated under illumination. These two lit states were assigned to covalently bound N5 protonated, and noncovalently bound hydroquinone forms of FMN, respectively. Only subtle structural differences were observed between the monomeric forms of all three EL222 species (dark, lit1, and lit2). While the dark state is largely monomeric, both lit states undergo monomer-dimer exchange. Furthermore, molecular modeling revealed differential dynamics and interdomain separation times arising from the three FMN states (oxidized, adduct, and reduced). Unexpectedly, all three EL222 species can associate with DNA, but only upon blue-light irradiation, a high population of stable complexes is obtained. Overall, we propose a model of EL222 activation where photoinduced changes in the FMN moiety shift the population equilibrium toward an open conformation that favors self-association and DNA-binding.
- MeSH
- bakteriální proteiny chemie metabolismus MeSH
- DNA vazebné proteiny chemie metabolismus MeSH
- DNA * chemie metabolismus MeSH
- flavinmononukleotid * chemie metabolismus MeSH
- flaviny chemie metabolismus MeSH
- kinetika MeSH
- konformace proteinů MeSH
- krystalografie rentgenová MeSH
- oxidace-redukce * MeSH
- simulace molekulární dynamiky MeSH
- světlo * MeSH
- Thermosynechococcus metabolismus MeSH
- transkripční faktory metabolismus chemie MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Photosystem II (PSII) is an intrinsic membrane protein complex that functions as a light-driven water:plastoquinone oxidoreductase in oxygenic photosynthesis. Electron transport in PSII is associated with formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) responsible for oxidative modifications of PSII proteins. In this study, oxidative modifications of the D1 and D2 proteins by the superoxide anion (O2•-) and the hydroxyl (HO•) radicals were studied in WT and a tocopherol cyclase (vte1) mutant, which is deficient in the lipid-soluble antioxidant α-tocopherol. In the absence of this antioxidant, high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry was used to identify oxidation of D1:130E to hydroxyglutamic acid by O2•- at the PheoD1 site. Additionally, D1:246Y was modified to either tyrosine hydroperoxide or dihydroxyphenylalanine by O2•- and HO•, respectively, in the vicinity of the nonheme iron. We propose that α-tocopherol is localized near PheoD1 and the nonheme iron, with its chromanol head exposed to the lipid-water interface. This helps to prevent oxidative modification of the amino acid's hydrogen that is bonded to PheoD1 and the nonheme iron (via bicarbonate), and thus protects electron transport in PSII from ROS damage.
- MeSH
- alfa-tokoferol chemie metabolismus MeSH
- aminokyseliny chemie metabolismus MeSH
- Arabidopsis enzymologie genetika účinky záření MeSH
- fotosyntéza fyziologie účinky záření MeSH
- fotosystém II (proteinový komplex) chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- hydroxylový radikál chemie metabolismus MeSH
- interakční proteinové domény a motivy MeSH
- intramolekulární transferasy chemie genetika metabolismus MeSH
- konformace proteinů, alfa-helix MeSH
- konformace proteinů, beta-řetězec MeSH
- kyslík chemie metabolismus MeSH
- molekulární modely MeSH
- mutace MeSH
- oxidace-redukce MeSH
- superoxidy chemie metabolismus MeSH
- světlo MeSH
- termodynamika MeSH
- Thermosynechococcus enzymologie genetika účinky záření MeSH
- tylakoidy enzymologie genetika účinky záření MeSH
- vazba proteinů MeSH
- vazebná místa MeSH
- železo chemie metabolismus MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S. MeSH
Photosystem II (PSII) is a multi-subunit pigment-protein complex and is one of several protein assemblies that function cooperatively in photosynthesis in plants and cyanobacteria. As more structural data on PSII become available, new questions arise concerning the nature of the charge separation in PSII reaction center (RC). The crystal structure of PSII RC from cyanobacteria Thermosynechococcus vulcanus was selected for the computational study of conformational changes in photosystem II associated to the charge separation process. The parameterization of cofactors and lipids for classical MD simulation with Amber force field was performed. The parametrized complex of PSII was embedded in the lipid membrane for MD simulation with Amber in Gromacs. The conformational behavior of protein and the cofactors directly involved in the charge separation were studied by MD simulations and QM/MM calculations. This study identified the most likely mechanism of the proton-coupled reduction of plastoquinone QB. After the charge separation and the first electron transfer to QB, the system undergoes conformational change allowing the first proton transfer to QB- mediated via Ser264. After the second electron transfer to QBH, the system again adopts conformation allowing the second proton transfer to QBH-. The reduced QBH2 would then leave the binding pocket.
