Triplet states of bacteriochlorophyll and carotenoids in chromatophores of photosynthetic bacteria

Chromatophores from photosynthetic bacteria were excited with flashes lasting approx. 15 ns. Transient optical absorbance changes not associated with the photochemical electron-transfer reactions were interpreted as reflecting the conversion of bacteriochlorophyll or carotenoids into triplet states. Triplet states of various carotenoids were detected in five strains of bacteria; triplet states of bacteriochlorophyll, in two strains that lack carotenoids. Triplet states of antenna pigments could be distinguished from those of pigments specifically associated with the photochemical reaction centers. Antenna pigments were converted into their triplet states if the photochemical apparatus was oversaturated with light, if the primary photochemical reaction was blocked by prior chemical oxidation of P-870 or reduction of the primary electron acceptor, or if the bacteria were genetically devoid of reaction centers. Only the reduction of the electron acceptor appeared to lead to the formation of triplet states in the reaction centers.In the antenna bacteriochlorophyll, triplet states probably arise from excited singlet states by intersystem crossing. The antenna carotenoid triplets probably are formed by energy transfer from triplet antenna bacteriochlorophyll. The energy transfer process has a half time of approx. 20 ns, and is about 1 × 10³ times more rapid than the reaction of the bacteriochlorophyll triplet states with O₂. This is consistent with a role of carotenoids in preventing the formation of singlet O₂ in vivo. In the absence of carotenoids and O₂, the decay half times of the triplet states are 70 μs for the antenna bacteriochlorophyll and 6–10 μs for the reaction center bacteriochlorophyll. The carotenoid triplets decay with half times of 2–8 μs.With weak flashes, the quantum yields of the antenna triplet states are in the order of 0.02. The quantum yields decline severely after approximately one triplet state is formed per photosynthetic unit, so that even extremely strong flashes convert only a very small fraction of the antenna pigments into triplet states. The yield of fluorescence from the antenna bacteriochlorophyll declines similarly. These observations can be explained by the proposal that singlet-triplet fusion causes rapid quenching of excited singlet states in the antenna bacteriochlorophyll.     

Fluorescence of bacteriochlorophyll as related to the photochemistry of chromatophores of photosynthetic bacteria

Time courses and the emission spectra of fluorescence and light-induced absorption changes of P890 in chromatophores of the photosynthetic bacteria Chromatium D, Rhodopseudomonas spheroides and Rhodospirillum rubrum were investigated.

The time course of fluorescence in chromatophores was separated into two phases, i.e. an initial rapid rise (ƒ_i) and a subsequent slow increase towards a steady level of emission (ƒ_v). The ƒ_i and the ƒ_v components showed different emission spectra having different peak position. The ƒ_v component was emitted from the longest wavelength-absorbing form of bulk bacteriochlorophyll (B890), the ƒ_i component from both B890 and B850.

The magnitude of the ƒ_v component depended on experimental conditions controlling the states of the cyclic electron transport in chromatophores, including changes in levels of redox potential of the medium, additions of electron donors and inhibitors. The magnitude of the ƒ_i component was not affected by these experimental conditions. It was, therefore, concluded that only the ƒ_v component is related to the cyclic electron transport, and that the magnitude of ƒ_v is controlled by the oxidation-reduction state of the primary electron acceptor for the photochemical reaction center in chromatophores.     

Separation of bacteriochlorophyll homologues from green photosynthetic sulfur bacteria by reversed-phase HPLC

A reversed-phase High Performance Liquid Cromatography (HPLC) method has been developed to accurately separate bacteriochlorophyllsc, d ande homologues in a reasonably short run time of 60 minutes. By using this method, two well-defined groups of bacteriochlorophyll homologue peaks can be discriminated. The first one consists of 4 peaks (min 24 to 30), which corresponds to the four main farnesyl homologues. The second peak subset is formed by a cluster of up to 10 minor peaks (min 33 to 40). These peaks can be related with series of several alcohol esters of the different chlorosome chlorophylls. The number of homologues was, however, quite variable depending on both, the bacteriochlorophyll and the bacterial species. The method hereby described, also provides a good separation of other photosynthetic pigments, either bacterial (Bacteriochlorophylla, chlorobactene, isorenieratene and okenone) or algal ones (Chlorophylla, Pheophytina and -carotene). A preliminary screening of the homologue composition of several green photosynthetic bacterial species and isolates, has revealed different relative quantitative patterns. These differences seem to be related to physiological aspects rather than to taxonomic ones. The application of the method to the study of natural populations avoids the typical drawbacks on the pigment identification of overlapping eukaryotic and prokaryotic phototrophic microorganisms, giving further information about their physiological status.     

Oligomers of bacteriochlorophyll and bacteriopheophytin with spectroscopic properties resembling those found in photosynthetic bacteria

Oligomers of bacteriopheophytin (BPh) and bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) were formed in mixed aqueous-organic solvent systems, and in aqueous micelles of the detergent lauryldimethylamine oxide (LDAO). Conditions were found that gave relatively homogeneous samples of oligomers and that allowed quantitative comparisons of the spectroscopic properties of the monomeric and oligomeric pigments. The formation of certain types of oligomers is accompanied by a large bathochromic shift of the long-wavelength (Q_y) absorption band of the BChl or BPh, and by a substantial increase in its dipole strength (hyperchromism). The hyperchromism of the Q_y band occurs at the expense of the Soret band, which loses dipole strength. The Q_x band shifts slightly to shorter wavelengths and also loses dipole strength. The CD spectrum in the near-infra-red (Q_y) region becomes markedly nonconservative. (The net rotational strength in the Q_y region is positive.) This also occurs at the expense of the bands at shorter wavelengths, which gain a net negative rotational strength. The spectroscopic properties of the oligomers resemble those of some of the BChl-protein complexes found in photosynthetic bacteria. The oligomerization of BPh in LDAO micelles is linked to the formation of large, cylindrical micelles that contain on the order of 10⁵ LDAO molecules. However, the spectral changes probably occur on the formation of small oligomers of BPh; they begin to be seen when the micelles contain about 10 molecules of BPh. The BPh oligomers formed in LDAO micelles fluoresce at 865 nm, but the fluorescence yield is decreased about 40-fold, relative to that of monomeric BPh. The fluorescence yield is insensitive to the BPh/LDAO molar ratio, suggesting that the oligomers formed under these conditions are predominantly dimers. When the oligomers are excited with a short flash of light, they are converted with a low quantum yield into a metastable form. This transformation probably involves alterations in the geometry of the oligomer, but not full dissociation.     

Some effects of o-phenanthroline on electron transport in chromatophores from photosynthetic bacteria

The midpoint potentials of the primary electron acceptors in chromatophores from Rhodopseudomonas spheroides and Chromatium have been studied by titrating the laser-induced P605 and cytochrome c oxidations, respectively. Both midpoint potentials are pH dependent (60 mV/pH unit).o-Phenanthroline shifts the midpoint potentials of the primary acceptors, by +40 mV in Rps spheroides and +135 mV in Chromatium. A similar though less extensive change in midpoint potential was observed in the presence of batho-phenanthroline, but not with 8-hydroxyquinoline. The shifted midpoints retain the same dependence on pH.Some of the effects of o-phenanthroline can be explained by assuming that it chelates the reduced form of the primary electron acceptor. This suggests the presence in the primary electron acceptor of a metal chelated by o- and batho-phenanthroline.In Rps spheroides chromatophores o-phenanthroline inhibits the laser- and flash-induced carotenoid shift at all redox potentials, stimulates the laser-induced P605 oxidation at redox potentials between +350 and +420 mV and slows the decay of the laser-induced cytochrome c oxidation below +180 mV. These effects show that o-phenanthroline may have more than one site of action.     

Antenna organization in green photosynthetic bacteria. 1. Oligomeric bacteriochlorophyll c as a model for the 740 nm absorbing bacteriochlorophyll c in Chloroflexus aurantiacus chlorosomes

Bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) c was extracted from Chloroflexus aurantiacus and purified by reverse-phase high-pressure liquid chromatography. This pigment consists of a complex mixture of homologues, the major component of which is 4-ethyl-5-methylbacteriochlorophyll c stearyl ester. Unlike previously characterized BChls c, the pigment from C. aurantiacus is a racemic mixture of diastereoisomers with different configurations at the 2a chiral center. Diluting a concentrated methylene chloride solution of BChl c with hexane produces an oligomer with absorption maxima at 740-742 and at 460-462 nm. Both the absorption spectrum and the fluorescence emission spectrum (maximum at 750 nm) of this oligomer closely match those of BChl c in chlorosomes. Further support for this model comes from the ability of alcohols, which disrupt BChl c oligomers by ligating the central Mg atom, to convert BChl c in chlorosomes to a monomeric form when added in low concentrations. The lifetime of fluorescence from the 740 nm absorbing BChl c oligomer is about 80 ps. Although exciton quenching might be unusually fast in the in vitro BChl c oligomer because of its large size and/or the presence of minor impurities, this result suggests that energy transfer from the BChl c antenna in chlorosomes must be very fast if it is to be efficient.     

The bacteriochlorophyll absorption band shifts linked with the energy state of photosynthetic bacteria membranes

The uncoupler of photophosphorylation FCCP inhibits the light-induced changes in absorbancy forRhodospirillum rubrum, Ectothiorhodospira shaposhnikovii andChromatium minutissimum cells in anaerobic conditions. These changes are associated with the shifts of bacteriochlorophyll absorption bands. The superposition of these spectral shifts and the photobleaching of reaction centers P890 is observed in aerobic conditions.The light-induced shifts of bacteriochlorophyll absorption bands are suggested to be due to the electrochemical transmembrane potential and local electric field arising as a result of the primary separation of opposite charges.Abbreviations FCCP carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxy phenyl-hydrazone - TMPD tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine     

Linear dichroism of electric field oriented bacteriochlorophyll a-protein from green photosynthetic bacteria

Bacteriochlorophyll a-protein from Prosthecochloris aestuarii strain 2K was oriented in a pulsed electric field. The room temperature linear dichroism spectrum of the oriented protein in the Q_y region of the bacteriochlorophyll a absorption exhibits a single asymmetrical peak at 813 nm with a shoulder extending to the blue. The ≈12 nm fullwidth of the linear dichroism peak is only about half that of the 300 K absorption spectrum. The linear dichroism at 813 nm was not saturated at field strengths of up to 15 kV/cm. The time dependence of the linear dichroism suggests that the orienting particles are aggregates of at least some tens of bacteriochlorophyll a-protein trimers. The linear dichroism peak coincides in wavelength with the 813-nm peak of the 300 K, 4th derivative absorption spectrum of the protein and is therefore attributed to the bacteriochlorophyll a Q_y exciton transition observed in absorption at the same wavelength.     

Intrinsic curvature properties of photosynthetic proteins in chromatophores

In purple bacteria, photosynthesis is carried out on large indentations of the bacterial plasma membrane termed chromatophores. Acting as primitive organelles, chromatophores are densely packed with the membrane proteins necessary for photosynthesis, including light harvesting complexes LH1 and LH2, reaction center (RC), and cytochrome bc₁. The shape of chromatophores is primarily dependent on species, and is typically spherical or flat. How these shapes arise from the protein-protein and protein-membrane interactions is still unknown. Now, using molecular dynamics simulations, we have observed the dynamic curvature of membranes caused by proteins in the chromatophore. A membrane-embedded array of LH2s was found to relax to a curved state, both for LH2 from Rps. acidophila and a homology-modeled LH2 from Rb. sphaeroides. A modeled LH1-RC-PufX dimer was found to develop a bend at the dimerizing interface resulting in a curved shape as well. In contrast, the bc₁ complex, which has not been imaged yet in native chromatophores, did not induce a preferred membrane curvature in simulation. Based on these results, a model for how the different photosynthetic proteins influence chromatophore shape is presented.     

Effect of dehydration on electron transport from membrane-bound cytochromes c to bacteriochlorophyll of the photosynthetic reaction center in chromatophores of purple thiobacteria

A method is proposed for spectroscopic probing photo-induced reversible oxidation-reduction changes of high-potential cytochrome in chromatophore films of various humidity. On these preparations of Ect. shaposhnikovii and Chr. minutissium it was found that the characteristic time of cytochrome oxidation, tau, in samples with a high degree of humidity (P/Ps = 0.75) is 2-3 mus, which is close to that seen under physiological conditions (a suspension of intact cells or chromatophores). It was found that under continuous or pulsed illumination the lowering of the relative humidity from 0.75 to 0.15 P/Ps results in a reversible decrease in the amount of cytochrome molecules that can undergo photooxidation. The fraction of cytochrome pool that retains its activity shows a rate of oxidation which remains almost without change. The observed hydration effect and its involvement in the control of the photo-induced oxidation of cytochromes must be taken into account when a model of the molecular mechanism of this process is constructed on the basis of the electron tunneling theory. It is also shown that the dark-reduction kinetics of high-potential cytochrome consist of two components: a fast component with t1/2 = 1-3s which is independent of the sample humidity and a slow component with t1/2 = 5-20 s whose lifetime increases by a factor of 3-5 on reducing the humidity. At a high degree of humidity (P/Ps = 0.75-0.5), the kinetics of cytochrome dark-reduction exhibits only the slow component. The fast component is probably associated with the return of an electron from the primary ferroquinone acceptor and the slow component seems likely to be due to the direct transfer of an electron from exogenous electron donor to the cytochrome.     

Hexacoordination of bacteriochlorophyll in photosynthetic antenna LH1

The ability of chlorophylls to coordinate ligands is of fundamental structural importance for photosynthetic pigment-protein complexes, where in virtually all cases the pigment is thought to be in a pentacoordinated state. In this study, the correlation of the Q(X) transition energy with the coordination state of the central metal in bacteriochlorophyll is applied in investigating the pigment coordination state in bacterial photosynthetic antenna LH1. To facilitate a detailed spectral analysis in the Q(X) region, carotenoid-depleted forms of LH1 are prepared and model LH1 are constructed with non-native carotenoids having blue-shifted absorption. The deconvolution of the Q(X) envelope in LH1 reveals that the band is the sum of two transitions, which peak near 590 and 607 nm, showing that a significant fraction (up to 25%) of hexacoordinated bacteriochlorophyll is present in the complex. The hexacoordination can be seen also in LH1 antennae from other species of purple photosynthetic bacteria. It seems correlated with the LH1 aggregation state and probably is a consequence of the structural flexibility of the assembled complex. The sixth ligand probably originates from the apoprotein and seems not to affect the chromophore core size. These findings show that in light-harvesting complexes a hexacoordinated state of bacteriochlorophyll is not uncommon. Its presence may be relevant to a correct assembly of the antenna and have functional consequences, as it results in a splitting of the pigment S2 excited state (Q(X)), i.e., the carotenoid excitation acceptor state, what might affect intracomplex carotenoid-to-bacteriochlorophyll energy transfer.     

X-ray diffraction studies on chromatophore membrane from photosynthetic bacteria. III. Basic structure of the photosynthetic unit and its relation to other bacteriochlorophyll forms

We have performed X-ray diffraction studies on photosynthetic units of Rhodospirillum rubrum and solubilized *B800 + B890 complex from chromatophores of Chromatium vinosum, to investigate the homology of their molecular structures. The native chromatophores of Chromatium vinosum, which contain other bacteriochlorophyll forms, were examined by an X-ray diffraction technique, in order to assess the interactions between the complexes as well as the molecular structures of the bacteriochlorophyll forms. The subchromatophore particles, solubilized by Triton X-100 from cells of Chromatium vinosum, exhibit a major absorption maximum at 881 nm and a minor one at 804 nm, consisting of bacteriochlorophyll form *B800 + B890. The near-IR absorption spectrum of the particle is very similar to that of chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum although the major absorption maximum is shifted slightly. The X-ray diffraction pattern of the subchromatophore particles is very similar to that of chromatophores of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Thus, the subchromatophore particles are considered to be the "photoreaction unit" of Rhodospirillum rubrum. Since the bacteriochlorophyll form, *B800 + B890, is common in the purple bacteria, it is strongly suggested that the photoreaction unit is the basic and common structure existing in the photosynthetic units of purple bacteria. Chromatium vinosum cells exhibit different near-IR absorption spectra, depending on the culture media and also on the intensity of the illumination during culture. The chromatophores from these cells give different equatorial X-ray diffraction patterns. These patterns are much broader than that of solubilized subchromatophore particles, though they have common features. Thus, the molecular structures in the photosynthetic units are different, depending on their constituent bacteriochlorophyll forms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)