Mutational Analysis of Photosystem I Polypeptides (original) (raw)

Oxidizing Side of the Cyanobacterial Photosystem I. EVIDENCE FOR INTERACTION BETWEEN THE ELECTRON DONOR PROTEINS AND A LUMINAL SURFACE HELIX OF THE PsaB SUBUNIT

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1999

Photosystem I (PSI) interacts with plastocyanin or cytochrome c 6 on the luminal side. To identify sites of interaction between plastocyanin/cytochrome c 6 and the PSI core, site-directed mutations were generated in the luminal J loop of the PsaB protein from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The eight mutant strains differed in their photoautotrophic growth. Western blotting with subunit-specific antibodies indicated that the mutations affected the PSI level in the thylakoid membranes. PSI proteins could not be detected in the S600R/G601C/ N602I, N609K/S610C/T611I, and M614I/G615C/W616A mutant membranes. The other mutant strains contained different levels of PSI proteins. Among the mutant strains that contained PSI proteins, the H595C/L596I, Q627H/L628C/I629S, and N638C/N639S mutants showed similar levels of PSI-mediated electron transfer activity when either cytochrome c 6 or an artificial electron donor was used. In contrast, cytochrome c 6 could not function as an electron donor to the W622C/A623R mutant, even though the PSI activity mediated by an artificial electron donor was detected in this mutant. Thus, the W622C/A623R mutation affected the interaction of the PSI complex with cytochrome c 6 . Biotin-maleimide modification of the mutant PSI complexes indicated that His-595, Trp-622, Leu-628, Tyr-632, and Asn-638 in wildtype PsaB may be exposed on the surface of the PSI complex. The results presented here demonstrate the role of an extramembrane loop of a PSI core protein in the interaction with soluble electron donor proteins.

Oxidizing side of the cyanobacterial Photosystem I: Mutational analysis of the luminal H loop of the PsaB subunit

Photosynth Res, 1999

Photosystem I (PSI) interacts with plastocyanin or cytochrome c 6 on the luminal side. To identify sites of interaction between plastocyanin/cytochrome c 6 and the PSI core, site-directed mutations were generated in the luminal J loop of the PsaB protein from Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. The eight mutant strains differed in their photoautotrophic growth. Western blotting with subunit-specific antibodies indicated that the mutations affected the PSI level in the thylakoid membranes. PSI proteins could not be detected in the S600R/G601C/ N602I, N609K/S610C/T611I, and M614I/G615C/W616A mutant membranes. The other mutant strains contained different levels of PSI proteins. Among the mutant strains that contained PSI proteins, the H595C/L596I, Q627H/L628C/I629S, and N638C/N639S mutants showed similar levels of PSI-mediated electron transfer activity when either cytochrome c 6 or an artificial electron donor was used. In contrast, cytochrome c 6 could not function as an electron donor to the W622C/A623R mutant, even though the PSI activity mediated by an artificial electron donor was detected in this mutant. Thus, the W622C/A623R mutation affected the interaction of the PSI complex with cytochrome c 6 . Biotin-maleimide modification of the mutant PSI complexes indicated that His-595, Trp-622, Leu-628, Tyr-632, and Asn-638 in wildtype PsaB may be exposed on the surface of the PSI complex. The results presented here demonstrate the role of an extramembrane loop of a PSI core protein in the interaction with soluble electron donor proteins.

Importance of the Region Including Aspartates 57 and 60 of Ferredoxin on the Electron Transfer Complex with Photosystem I in the Cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803

Biochemical and Biophysical Research Communications, 2000

Ferredoxin reduction by photosystem I has been studied by flash-absorption spectroscopy. Aspartate residues 20, 57, and 60 of ferredoxin were changed to alanine, cystein, arginine, or lysine. On the one hand, electron transfer from photosystem I to all mutated ferredoxins still occurs on a microsecond time scale, with halftimes of ferredoxin reduction mostly conserved compared to wild-type ferredoxin. On the other hand, the total amplitude of the fast first-order reduction varies largely when residues 57 or 60 are modified, in apparent relation to the charge modification (neutralized or inverted). Substituting these two residues for lysine or arginine induce strong effects on ferredoxin binding (up to sixfold increase in K D ), whereas the same substitution on aspartate 20, a spacially related residue, results in moderate effects (maximum twofold increase in K D ). In addition, double mutations to arginine or lysine were performed on both aspartates 57 and 60. The mutated proteins have a 15-to 20-fold increased K D and show strong modifications in the amplitudes of the fast reduction kinetics. These results indicate that the acidic area of ferredoxin including aspartates 57 and 60, located opposite to the C-terminus, is crucial for high affinity interactions with photosystem I.

The PsaC subunit of photosystem I provides an essential lysine residue for fast electron transfer to ferredoxin

The EMBO Journal, 1998

PsaC is the stromal subunit of photosystem I (PSI) which binds the two terminal electron acceptors F A and F B. This subunit resembles 2[4Fe-4S] bacterial ferredoxins but contains two additional sequences: an internal loop and a C-terminal extension. To gain new insights into the function of the internal loop, we used an in vivo degenerate oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis approach for analysing this region in the green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Analysis of several psaC mutants affected in PSI function or assembly revealed that K 35 is a main interaction site between PsaC and ferredoxin (Fd) and that it plays a key role in the electrostatic interaction between Fd and PSI. This is based upon the observation that the mutations K 35 T, K 35 D and K 35 E drastically affect electron transfer from PSI to Fd, as measured by flash-absorption spectroscopy, whereas the K 35 R change has no effect on Fd reduction. Chemical cross-linking experiments show that Fd interacts not only with PsaD and PsaE, but also with the PsaC subunit of PSI. Replacement of K 35 by T, D, E or R abolishes Fd cross-linking to PsaC, and cross-linking to PsaD and PsaE is reduced in the K 35 T, K 35 D and K 35 E mutants. In contrast, replacement of any other lysine of PsaC does not alter the cross-linking pattern, thus indicating that K 35 is an interaction site between PsaC and its redox partner Fd.

The ferredoxin docking site of photosystem I

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics, 2002

The reaction center of photosystem I (PSI) reduces soluble ferredoxin on the stromal side of the photosynthetic membranes of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts. The X-ray structure of PSI from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus has been recently established at a 2.5 Å resolution [Nature 411 ]. The kinetics of ferredoxin photoreduction has been studied in recent years in many mutants of the stromal subunits PsaC, PsaD and PsaE of PSI. We discuss the ferredoxin docking site of PSI using the X-ray structure and the effects brought by the PSI mutations to the ferredoxin affinity. D

Kinetic Evidence for the PsaE-Dependent Transient Ternary Complex Photosystem I/Ferredoxin/Ferredoxin:NADP + Reductase in a Cyanobacterium †

Biochemistry, 1999

A mutant of Synechocystis PCC 6803, deficient in psaE, assembles photosystem I reaction centers without the PsaE subunit. Under conditions of acceptor-side rate-limited photoreduction assays in vitro (with 15 µM plastocyanin included), using 100 nM ferredoxin:NADP + reductase (FNR) and either Synechocystis flavodoxin or spinach ferredoxin, lower rates of NADP + photoreduction were measured when PsaE-deficient membranes were used, as compared to the wild type. This effect of the psaE mutation proved to be due to a decrease of the apparent affinity of the photoreduction assay system for the reductase. In the psaE mutant, the relative petH (encoding FNR) expression level was found to be significantly increased, providing a possible explanation for the lack of a phenotype (i.e., a decrease in growth rate) that was expected from the lower rate of linear electron transport in the mutant. A kinetic model was constructed in order to simulate the electron transfer from reduced plastocyanin to NADP + , and test for possible causes for the observed change in affinity for FNR. The numerical simulations predict that the altered reduction kinetics of ferredoxin, determined for the psaE mutant Biochemistry 37, 16233-16241], do not significantly influence the rate of linear electron transport to NADP + . Rather, a change in the dissociation constant of ferredoxin for FNR does affect the saturation profile for FNR. We therefore propose that the PsaE-dependent transient ternary complex PSI/ferredoxin/ FNR is formed during linear electron transport. Using the yeast two-hybrid system, however, no direct interaction could be demonstrated in vivo between FNR and PsaE fusion proteins.

Structural Organization of the Major Subunits in Cyanobacterial Photosystem 1. LOCALIZATION OF SUBUNITS PsaC, -D, -E, -F, AND -J

Journal of Biological Chemistry, 1997

Based on an improved isolation procedure using perfusion chromatography, trimeric Photosystem 1 (PS1) complexes have been isolated from various deletion mutants of the mesophilic cyanobacterium Synechocystis PCC 6803. These mutants are only deficient in the deleted subunits, which was carefully checked by high resolution gel electrophoresis in combination with immunoblotting. These highly purified and well characterized PS1 particles were then examined by electron microscopy, followed by computer-aided image processing with single particle averaging techniques as described earlier (Kruip, J., Boekema, E. J., Bald, D., Boonstra, A. F., and Rö gner, M. (1993) J. Biol. Chem. 268, 23353-23360). This precise methodological approach allowed a confident localization of the PS1 subunits PsaC, -D, -E, -F, and -J; it also shows shape and size of these subunits once integrated in the PS1 complex. Subunits PsaC, -D, and -E form a ridge on the stromal site, with PsaE toward the edge of each monomer within the trimer and PsaD extending toward the trimeric center, leaving PsaC in between. PsaF (near PsaE) and PsaJ are close together on the outer edge of each monomer; their proximity is also supported by chemical cross-linking, using the zero-length cross-linker EDC. This localization of PsaF contradicts the position suggested by the published low resolution x-ray analysis and shows for the first time the existence of at least one transmembrane ␣-helix for PsaF. A topographic three-dimensional map has been drawn from this set of results showing the location of the major PS1 subunits (besides PsaA and PsaB). These data also led to the assignment of electron density in the recent medium resolution x-ray structure for PS1 (Krauss, N., gel electrophoresis; PCC, Pasteur Culture Collection; Psa, photosystem 1 protein (PS 1 nomenclature); WT, wild type; MES, 4-morpholineethanesulfonic acid; HPLC, high performance liquid chromatography.

Cyanobacterial Photosystem I lacks specificity in its interaction with cytochrome c6 electron donors

Photosynthesis Research, 2005

In cyanobacteria, plastocyanin and cytochrome c 6 , the alternate donor proteins to Photosystem I, can be acidic, neutral or basic; the role of electrostatics in their interaction with photosystem I varies accordingly. In order to elucidate whether these changes in the electron donors' properties correlate with complementary changes in the docking site of the corresponding photosystem, we have investigated the kinetics of reactions between three cytochrome c 6 with isoelectric points of 5.6, 7.0 and 9.0, with Photosystem I particles from the same three genera of cyanobacteria which provided the cytochromes. The model systems compared here thus sample the full range of charge properties observed in cytochromes c 6 : acidic, basic and neutral. The rate constants and dependence on ionic strength for photosystem I reduction were distinctive for each cytochrome c 6 , but independent of Photosystem I. We conclude that the specific structural features of each cytochrome c 6 dictate their different kinetic behaviours, whereas the three photosystems are relatively indiscriminate in docking with the electron donors.