Importance of the cyanobacterial Gun4 protein for chlorophyll metabolism and assembly of photosynthetic complexes

Gun4 is a porphyrin-binding protein that activates magnesium chelatase, a multimeric enzyme catalyzing the first committed step in chlorophyll biosynthesis. In plants, GUN4 has been implicated in plastid-to-nucleus retrograde signaling processes that coordinate both photosystem II and photosystem I nuclear gene expression with chloroplast function. In this work we present the functional analysis of Gun4 from the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Affinity co-purification of the FLAG-tagged Gun4 with the ChlH subunit of the magnesium chelatase confirmed the association of Gun4 with the enzyme in cyanobacteria. Inactivation of the gun4 gene abolished photoautotrophic growth of the resulting gun4 mutant strain that exhibited a decreased activity of magnesium chelatase. Consequently, the cellular content of chlorophyll-binding proteins was highly inadequate, especially that of proteins of photosystem II. Immunoblot analyses, blue native polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, and radiolabeling of the membrane protein complexes suggested that the availability of the photosystem II antenna protein CP47 is a limiting factor for the photosystem II assembly in the gun4 mutant.     

Thylakoid centers: Structures associated with the cyanobacterial photosynthetic membrane system

An ultrastructural study of four cyanobacteria (Anabaena cylindrica, Dermocarpa violaceae, Gleocapsa alpicola, Pleurocapsa minor) indicates the presence of previously undescribed thylakoid centers from which photosynthetic membranes (thylakoids) radiate. These peripherally located thylakoid centers are cylinders 30 nm wide by 320 nm long, consisting of globular subunits oriented in nonparallel stacked arrays. Thylakoids are attached to the outer surface of the cylinder along its longitudinal axis. Thylakoid centers appear to be functionally significant due to their structure, location and thylakoid association.     

Analysis of photosynthetic complexes from a cyanobacterial ycf37 mutant

The Ycf37 protein has been suggested to be involved in the biogenesis and/or stability of the cyanobacterial photosystem I (PSI). With Ycf37 specific antibodies, we analyzed the localization of Ycf37 within the thylakoid membranes of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Inspection of a sucrose gradient profile indicated that small amounts of Ycf37 co-fractionated with monomeric photosynthetic complexes, but not with trimeric PSI. Isolating 3xFLAG epitope-tagged Ycf37 by affinity-tag purification rendered several PSI subunits that specifically co-precipitated with this protein. Blue-native PAGE newly revealed two monomeric PSI complexes (PSI and PSI*) in wild-type thylakoids. The lower amount of PsaK present in PSI* may explain its higher electrophoretic mobility. PSI* was more prominent in high-light grown cells and interestingly proved absent in the Deltaycf37 mutant. PSI* appeared again when the mutant was complemented in trans with the wild-type ycf37 gene. In the Deltaycf37 mutant the amount of trimeric PSI complexes was reduced to about 70% of the wild-type level with no significant changes in photochemical activity and subunit composition of the remaining photosystems. Our results indicate that Ycf37 plays a specific role in the preservation of PSI* and the biogenesis of PSI trimers.     

Pigment protein complexes and the concept of the photosynthetic unit: Chlorophyll complexes and phycobilisomes

The photosynthetic unit includes the reaction centers (RC 1 and RC 2) and the light-harvesting complexes which contribute to evolution of one O₂ molecule. The light-harvesting complexes, that greatly expand the absorptance capacity of the reactions, have evolved along three principal lines. First, in green plants distinct chlorophyll (Chl) a/b-binding intrinsic membrane complexes are associated with RC 1 and RC 2. The Chl a/b-binding complexes may add about 200 additional chromophores to RC 2. Second, cyanobacteria and red algae have a significant type of antenna (with RC 2) in the form of phycobilisomes. A phycobilisome, depending on the size and phycobiliprotein composition adds from 700 to 2300 light-absorbing chromophores. Red algae also have a sizable Chl a-binding complex associated with RC 1, contributing an additional 70 chromophores. Third, in chromophytes a variety of carotenoid-Chl-complexes are found. Some are found associated with RC 1 where they may greatly enhance the absorptance capacity. Association of complexes with RC 2 has been more difficult to ascertain, but is also expected in chromophytes. The apoprotein framework of the complexes provides specific chromophore attachment sites, which assures a directional energy transfer whithin complexes and between complexes and reaction centers. The major Chl-binding antenna proteins generally have a size of 16–28 kDa, whether of chlorophytes, chromophytes, or rhodophytes. High sequence homology observed in two of three transmembrane regions, and in putative chlorophyll-binding residues, suggests that the complexes are related and probably did not evolve from widely divergent polyphyletic lines.Abbreviations APC allophycocyanin - B phycoerythrin-large bangiophycean phycoerythrin - Chl chlorophyll - L_CM linker polypeptide in phycobilisome to thylakoid - FCP fucoxanthin Chl a/c complex - LHC(s) Chl-binding light harvesting complex(s) - LHC I Chl-binding complex of Photosystem I - LHC II Chl-binding complex of Photosystem II - PC phycocyanin - PCP peridinin Chl-binding complex - P700 photochemically active Chl a of Photosystem I - PS I Photosystem I - PS II Photosystem II - RC 1 reaction center core of PS I - RC 2 reaction center core of PS II - R phycoerythrin-large rhodophycean phycoerythrin - sPCP soluble peridinin Chl-binding complex     

应用合成生物学策略优化光合蓝细菌底盘

光合蓝细菌具有一系列良好的特质,包括利用太阳能固定CO2、营养需求低、生长迅速以及遗传背景简单等.近年来,光合蓝细菌作为生产可再生燃料和精细化学制品的“自养型人工细胞工厂”引起了社会的广泛关注,促进了相关研究的升温.目前在应用合成生物学的技术和研究策略来优化光合蓝细菌作为底盘生物等方面已取得了一些令人鼓舞的进展.文中综述了近年来在光合蓝细菌底盘优化的方法、光合效率的提高以及各种耐受性蓝细菌底盘的构建方面的进展,并对光合蓝细菌底盘构建的工业应用价值进行了讨论.     

Analysis of photosynthetic complexes from a cyanobacterial ycf37 mutant

The Ycf37 protein has been suggested to be involved in the biogenesis and/or stability of the cyanobacterial photosystem I (PSI) [A. Wilde, K. Lünser, F. Ossenbühl, J. Nickelsen, T. Börner, Characterization of the cyanobacterial ycf37: mutation decreases the photosystem I content, Biochem. J. 357 (2001) 211-216]. With Ycf37 specific antibodies, we analyzed the localization of Ycf37 within the thylakoid membranes of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803. Inspection of a sucrose gradient profile indicated that small amounts of Ycf37 co-fractionated with monomeric photosynthetic complexes, but not with trimeric PSI. Isolating 3xFLAG epitope-tagged Ycf37 by affinity-tag purification rendered several PSI subunits that specifically co-precipitated with this protein. Blue-native PAGE newly revealed two monomeric PSI complexes (PSI and PSI*) in wild-type thylakoids. The lower amount of PsaK present in PSI* may explain its higher electrophoretic mobility. PSI* was more prominent in high-light grown cells and interestingly proved absent in the Δycf37 mutant. PSI* appeared again when the mutant was complemented in trans with the wild-type ycf37 gene. In the Δycf37 mutant the amount of trimeric PSI complexes was reduced to about 70% of the wild-type level with no significant changes in photochemical activity and subunit composition of the remaining photosystems. Our results indicate that Ycf37 plays a specific role in the preservation of PSI* and the biogenesis of PSI trimers.     

Dynamics in the solid-state: perspectives for the investigation of amyloid aggregates,membrane proteins and soluble protein complexes

Aggregates formed by amyloidogenic peptides and proteins and reconstituted membrane protein preparations differ significantly in terms of the spectral quality that they display in solid-state NMR experiments. Structural heterogeneity and dynamics can both in principle account for that observation. This perspectives article aims to point out challenges and limitations, but also potential opportunities in the investigation of these systems.     

Stoichiometry of protein complexes in plant photosynthetic membranes

Hetero-oligomeric membrane protein complexes form the electron transport chain (ETC) of oxygenic photosynthesis. The ETC complexes undertake the light-driven vectorial electron and proton transport reactions, which generate energy-rich ATP and electron-rich NADPH molecules for carbon fixation. The rate of photosynthetic electron transport depends on the availability of photons and the relative abundance of electron transport complexes. The relative abundance of the two photosystems, critical for the quantum efficiency of photosynthesis in changing light quality conditions, has been determined successfully by optical methods. Due to the lack of spectroscopic signatures, however, relatively little is known about the stoichiometry of other non-photosystem complexes in plant photosynthetic membrane. Here we determine the ratios of all major thylakoid-bound ETC complexes in Arabidopsis by a label-free quantitative mass spectrometry technique. The calculated stoichiometries are consistent with known subunit composition of complexes and current estimates of photosystem and cytochrome b₆f concentrations. The implications of these stoichiometries for photosynthetic light harvesting and the partitioning of electrons between the linear and cyclic electron transport pathways of photosynthesis are discussed.     

Thylakoid membrane protein phosphorylation in correlation with photosynthetic membrane activation

The phosphorylation of five $\text{E.}\text{gracilis}$ thylakoid membrane polypeptides was studied, in isolated chloroplasts. Using [³²P] labelling, in the light, we found that phosphorylation was inhibited by ethanol and DCMU. Inhibition curves were characteristic of photosynthetic inhibition. [γ-³²P] ATP labelling was used to distinguish between two groups of phosphoproteins: the first one, includes protein I, II, V which require only ATP for phosphorylation while the second one includes protein III and IV whose phosphorylation is light-requiring. Phosphorylation of protein III and IV was inhibited by CCCP, NH₄Cl and DCMU, and was reversible in the dark.     

Disruption of a gene encoding a novel thioredoxin-like protein alters the cyanobacterial photosynthetic apparatus.

A gene that may encode a novel protein disulfide oxidoreductase, designated txlA (thioredoxin-like), was isolated from the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain PCC7942. Interruption of txlA near the putative thioredoxin-like active site yielded cells that grew too poorly to be analyzed. In contrast, a disruption of txlA near the C terminus that left the thioredoxin-like domain intact yielded two different mutant phenotypes. One type, designated txlXb, exhibited a slightly reduced growth rate and an increased cellular content of apparently normal phycobilisomes. The cellular content of phycobilisomes also increased in in the other mutant strain, designated txlXg. However, txlXg also exhibited a proportionate increase in chlorophyll and other components of the photosynthetic apparatus and grew as fast as wild-type cells. Both the txlXb and txlXg phenotypes were stable. The differences between the two strains may result from a genetic polymorphism extant in the original cell population. Further investigation of txlA may provide new insights into mechanisms that regulate the structure and function of the cyanobacterial photosynthetic apparatus.     

Multiparticle computer simulation of protein interactions in the photosynthetic membrane

The basic principles of the design of direct multiparticle models and the results of multiparticle computer simulation of electron transfer by mobile protein carriers in the photosynthetic membrane of a chloroplast thylakoid are presented. The reactions of complex formation of the plastocyanin with cytochrome f and the pigment-protein complex of photosystem I, as well as of ferredoxin with FNR and photosystem I are considered. The regulatory role of diffusion and electrostatic interactions as well as the effect of the shape of the reaction volume and ionic strength on the rate of electron transport are discussed.     

Electroporation of the photosynthetic membrane: structural changes in protein and lipid-protein domains.

A biological membrane undergoes a reversible permeability increase through structural changes in the lipid domain when exposed to high external electric fields. The present study shows the occurrence of electric field-induced changes in the conductance of the proton channel of the H(+)-ATPase as well as electric field-induced structural changes in the lipid-protein domain of photosystem (PS) II in the photosynthetic membrane. The study was carried out by analyzing the electric field-stimulated delayed luminescence (EPL), which originates from charge recombination in the protein complexes of PS I and II of photosynthetic vesicles. We established that a small fraction of the total electric field-induced conductance change was abolished by N,N'-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide (DCCD), an inhibitor of the H(+)-ATPase. This reversible electric field-induced conductance change has characteristics of a small channel and possesses a lifetime < or = 1 ms. To detect electric field-induced changes in the lipid-protein domains of PS II, we examined the effects of phospholipase A2 (PLA2) on EPL. Higher values of EPL were observed from vesicles that were exposed in the presence of PLA2 to an electroporating electric field than to a nonelectroporating electric field. The effect of the electroporating field was a long-lived one, lasting for a period > or = 2 min. This effect was attributed to long-lived electric field-induced structural changes in the lipid-protein domains of PS II.     

Dynamics in electron transfer protein complexes

Electron transfer proteins transport electrons safely between large redox enzymes. The complexes formed by these proteins are among the most transient. The biological function requires, on the one hand, sufficient specificity of the interaction to allow for rapid and selective electron transfer, and, on the other hand, a fast turnover of the complex. Recent progress in the characterization of the nature of these complexes has demonstrated that the encounter state plays an important role. This state of initial binding is dominated by electrostatic interactions, and consists of an ensemble of orientations. Paramagnetic relaxation enhancement NMR and chemical shift perturbation analysis provide ways for the experimental characterisation of the encounter state. Several studies that have used these techniques have shown that the surface area sample in the encounter state can be limited to the immediate environment of the final, specific complex. The encounter complex can represent a large fraction and, in some small complexes, no specific binding is detected at all. It can be concluded that, in electron transfer protein complexes, a fine balance is sought between the low-specificity encounter state and the high-specificity productive complex to meet the opposing requirements of rapid electron transfer and a high turnover rate.     

Multi-component protein complexes and Golgi membrane trafficking

Several large cytosolic protein complexes with multiple components have been proposed to play key roles in mediating or controlling membrane trafficking. Among these complexes, TRAPP, COG and GARP/VFT have been implicated in multiple steps of Golgi membrane trafficking. The importance of these complexes for Golgi function has been established using in vitro biochemical assays and yeast and mammalian somatic cell genetics. Furthermore, mutations in the genes encoding subunits of either TRAPP or the COG complex have been shown to be responsible for human genetic disorders. We here review recent studies exploring the structures and functions of these three oligomeric complexes.     

Kinetics of photosynthetic membrane protein assembly in Rhodopseudomonas spheroides

Glycogen phosphorylase in cell-free extracts of Neurospora crassa is activated 10- to 15-fold by incubation with MgATP^2?. When the MgATP^2? is removed, the active form (a form) reverts to the inactive form (b form). The inactivation requires Mg²⁺ and is inhibited by NaF. The results confirm that Neurospora crassa glycogen phosphorylase exists in two interconvertible forms and strongly suggests that the interconversion is catalyzed by a kinase and phosphatase. The a form was partially purified. The enzyme has a molecular weight of 320,000. Uridine diphosphate glucose is a linear competitive inhibitor with respect to glucose-1-phosphate and a linear non-competitive inhibitor with respect to glycogen. Glucose-6-phosphate is a hyperbolic (partial) noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to all substrates in both directions. The b form of the enzyme in crude cell-free extracts is stimulated 2- to 3-fold by 5′-AMP. As the b form is purified, the 5′-AMP activation is diminished. The molecular weight of the partially purified “b” form was also 320,000.     

基于糖原代谢调控的蓝细菌光合细胞工厂优化研究进展

蓝细菌是重要的光合自养微生物,也是最具潜力的光合微生物底盘之一,被广泛应用于光驱固碳细胞工厂的开发.糖原是蓝细菌最重要的天然碳汇物质,糖原代谢对蓝细菌光合碳流的分配和调控具有重要意义.为了优化蓝细菌光合细胞工厂的合成效能,驱动更多的光合碳流重定向至目标代谢产物的合成,已经有多种策略和方法被成功开发用于调控蓝细菌的糖原代...