Variable LH2 stoichiometry and core clustering in native membranes of Rhodospirillum photometricum

The individual components of the photosynthetic unit (PSU), the light-harvesting complexes (LH2 and LH1) and the reaction center (RC), are structurally and functionally known in great detail. An important current challenge is the study of their assembly within native membranes. Here, we present AFM topographs at 12 A resolution of native membranes containing all constituents of the PSU from Rhodospirillum photometricum. Besides the major technical advance represented by the acquisition of such highly resolved data of a complex membrane, the images give new insights into the organization of this energy generating apparatus in Rsp. photometricum: (i) there is a variable stoichiometry of LH2, (ii) the RC is completely encircled by a closed LH1 assembly, (iii) the LH1 assembly around the RC forms an ellipse, (iv) the PSU proteins cluster together segregating out of protein free lipid bilayers, (v) core complexes cluster although enough LH2 are present to prevent core-core contacts, and (vi) there is no cytochrome bc1 complex visible in close proximity to the RCs. The functional significance of all these findings is discussed.     

Molecular architecture of photosynthetic membranes in Rhodobacter sphaeroides: the role of PufX

The effects of the PufX polypeptide on membrane architecture were investigated by comparing the composition and structures of photosynthetic membranes from PufX+ and PufX- strains of Rhodobacter sphaeroides. We show that this single polypeptide profoundly affects membrane morphology, leading to highly elongated cells containing extended tubular membranes. Purified tubular membranes contain helical arrays composed solely of dimeric RC-LH1-PufX (RC, reaction centre; LH, light harvesting) complexes with apparently open LH1 rings. PufX- cells contain crystalline membranes with a pseudo-hexagonal packing of monomeric core complexes. Analysis of purified complexes by electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy shows that LH1 and PufX form a continuous ring of protein around each RC. A model of the tubular membrane is presented with PufX located adjacent to the stained region created by a vacant LH1beta. This arrangement, coupled with a flexible ring, would give the RC QB site transient access to the interstices in the lattice, which might be of functional importance. We discuss the implications of our data for the export of quinol from the RC, for eventual reduction of the cytochrome bc1 complex.     

Photosynthetic reaction centers: interfacing molecular genetics and optical spectroscopy

In the elucidation of the mechanism by which certain photosynthetic bacteria convert light into chemical energy, genetics has become intertwined with biophysical techniques. While X-ray crystallography has yielded an atomic resolution structure of the photosynthetic reaction center (RC), optical spectroscopy remains the most important technique for screening mutants. Newly developed imaging devices and genetic techniques should enable biophysicists to characterize rapidly the spectra of extremely large numbers of RC and light harvesting (LH) antennae mutants. The intrinsic pigments of the RC and LH antennae act as spectroscopic reporters for assembly and function of these integral membrane proteins. To optimize this genetics/spectroscopy interface, new algorithms that relate the structure of the genetic code to the physico-chemical properties of the amino acids are being developed to design libraries of mutants.     

Architecture of the native photosynthetic apparatus of Phaeospirillum molischianum

The ubiquity and importance of photosynthetic organisms in nature has made the molecular mechanisms of photosynthesis a widely studied subject at both structural and functional levels. A current challenge is to understand the supramolecular assembly of the proteins involved in photosynthesis in native membranes. We have used atomic force microscopy to study the architecture of the photosynthetic apparatus and analyze the structure of single molecules in chromatophores of Phaeospirillum molischianum. Core complexes are formed by the reaction center enclosed by an elliptical light harvesting complex 1. LH2 are octameric rings, assembled either with cores or in hexagonally packed LH2 antenna domains. The symmetry mismatch caused by octameric LH2 packing in a hexagonal lattice, that could be avoided in a square lattice, suggests lipophobic effects rather than specific inter-molecular interactions drive protein organization. The core and LH2 complexes are organized to form a supramolecular assembly reminiscent to that found in Rhodospirillum photometricum, and very different from that observed in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, Rb. blasticus, and Blastochloris viridis.     

The effects of protein crowding in bacterial photosynthetic membranes on the flow of quinone redox species between the photochemical reaction center and the ubiquinol-cytochrome c2 oxidoreductase

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) of the native architecture of the intracytoplasmic membrane (ICM) of a variety of species of purple photosynthetic bacteria, obtained at submolecular resolution, shows a tightly packed arrangement of light harvesting (LH) and reaction center (RC) complexes. Since there are no unattributed structures or gaps with space sufficient for the cytochrome bc(1) or ATPase complexes, they are localized in membrane domains distinct from the flat regions imaged by AFM. This has generated a renewed interest in possible long-range pathways for lateral diffusion of UQ redox species that functionally link the RC and the bc(1) complexes. Recent proposals to account for UQ flow in the membrane bilayer are reviewed, along with new experimental evidence provided from an analysis of intrinsic near-IR fluorescence emission that has served to test these hypotheses. The results suggest that different mechanism of UQ flow exist between species such as Rhodobacter sphaeroides, with a highly organized arrangement of LH and RC complexes and fast RC electron transfer turnover, and Phaeospirillum molischianum with a more random organization and slower RC turnover. It is concluded that packing density of the peripheral LH2 antenna in the Rba. sphaeroides ICM imposes constraints that significantly slow the diffusion of UQ redox species between the RC and cytochrome bc(1) complex, while in Phs. molischianum, the crowding of the ICM with LH3 has little effect upon UQ diffusion. This supports the proposal that in this type of ICM, a network of RC-LH1 core complexes observed in AFM provides a pathway for long-range quinone diffusion that is unaffected by differences in LH complex composition or organization.     

Energy transfer in purple bacterial photosynthetic units from cells grown in various light intensities

Three photosynthetic membranes, called intra-cytoplasmic membranes (ICMs), from wild-type and the ?pucBA_abce mutant of the purple phototrophic bacterium Rps. palustris were investigated using optical spectroscopy. The ICMs contain identical light-harvesting complex 1–reaction centers (LH1–RC) but have various spectral forms of light-harvesting complex 2 (LH2). Spectroscopic studies involving steady-state absorption, fluorescence, and femtosecond time-resolved absorption at room temperature and at 77 K focused on inter-protein excitation energy transfer. The studies investigated how energy transfer is affected by altered spectral features of the LH2 complexes as those develop under growth at different light conditions. The study shows that LH1 → LH2 excitation energy transfer is strongly affected if the LH2 complex alters its spectroscopic signature. The LH1 → LH2 excitation energy transfer rate modeled with the Förster mechanism and kinetic simulations of transient absorption of the ICMs demonstrated that the transfer rate will be 2–3 times larger for ICMs accumulating LH2 complexes with the classical B800–850 spectral signature (grown in high light) compared to the ICMs from the same strain grown in low light. For the ICMs from the ?pucBA_abce mutant, in which the B850 band of the LH2 complex is blue-shifted and almost degenerate with the B800 band, the LH1 → LH2 excitation energy transfer was not observed nor predicted by calculations.     

Light harvesting in photosystem II

Water oxidation in photosynthesis takes place in photosystem II (PSII). This photosystem is built around a reaction center (RC) where sunlight-induced charge separation occurs. This RC consists of various polypeptides that bind only a few chromophores or pigments, next to several other cofactors. It can handle far more photons than the ones absorbed by its own pigments and therefore, additional excitations are provided by the surrounding light-harvesting complexes or antennae. The RC is located in the PSII core that also contains the inner light-harvesting complexes CP43 and CP47, harboring 13 and 16 chlorophyll pigments, respectively. The core is surrounded by outer light-harvesting complexes (Lhcs), together forming the so-called supercomplexes, at least in plants. These PSII supercomplexes are complemented by some “extra” Lhcs, but their exact location in the thylakoid membrane is unknown. The whole system consists of many subunits and appears to be modular, i.e., both its composition and organization depend on environmental conditions, especially on the quality and intensity of the light. In this review, we will provide a short overview of the relation between the structure and organization of pigment-protein complexes in PSII, ranging from individual complexes to entire membranes and experimental and theoretical results on excitation energy transfer and charge separation. It will become clear that time-resolved fluorescence data can provide invaluable information about the organization and functioning of thylakoid membranes. At the end, an overview will be given of unanswered questions that should be addressed in the near future.     

PucC and LhaA direct efficient assembly of the light‐harvesting complexes in Rhodobacter sphaeroides

The mature architecture of the photosynthetic membrane of the purple phototroph Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been characterised to a level where an atomic‐level membrane model is available, but the roles of the putative assembly proteins LhaA and PucC in establishing this architecture are unknown. Here we investigate the assembly of light‐harvesting LH2 and reaction centre‐light‐harvesting1‐PufX (RC‐LH1‐PufX) photosystem complexes using spectroscopy, pull‐downs, native gel electrophoresis, quantitative mass spectrometry and fluorescence lifetime microscopy to characterise a series of lhaA and pucC mutants. LhaA and PucC are important for specific assembly of LH1 or LH2 complexes, respectively, but they are not essential; the few LH1 subunits found in ΔlhaA mutants assemble to form normal RC‐LH1‐PufX core complexes showing that, once initiated, LH1 assembly round the RC is cooperative and proceeds to completion. LhaA and PucC form oligomers at sites of initiation of membrane invagination; LhaA associates with RCs, bacteriochlorophyll synthase (BchG), the protein translocase subunit YajC and the YidC membrane protein insertase. These associations within membrane nanodomains likely maximise interactions between pigments newly arriving from BchG and nascent proteins within the SecYEG‐SecDF‐YajC‐YidC assembly machinery, thereby co‐ordinating pigment delivery, the co‐translational insertion of LH polypeptides and their folding and assembly to form photosynthetic complexes.     

Comparative study of B890 pigment-lipoprotein complexes from sulfur (Chromatium minutissimum) and non-sulfur (Rhodopseudomonas palustris) purple photosynthesizing bacteria]

Pigment-lipoprotein B890 complexes containing reaction center and "light-focusing" bacteriochlorophyll a were isolated from photosynthetic membranes of sulfur (Chromatium minutissimum) and non-sulfur (Rhodopseudomonas palustris) purple bacteria after the treatment with Triton X-100. The molecular weights of complexes were evaluated using several methods (200 000-300 000). By means of electron microscopy the sizes of complexes were found to be about 80 A. On the air-water interface hexagonal packing of complexes was observed. The chemical compositions of complexes are very similar except bacteriochlorophyll a whose specific content is somewhat higher in Chromatium minutissimum. The protein composition of complexes was studied and the molecular weights of proteins were estimated by SDS-gel electrophoresis. The results obtained show significant similarities in molecular organization of B890 complexes isolated from sulfur (Chromatium minutissimum) and non-sulfur (Rhodopseudomonas palustris) purple bacteria.     

The early formation of the photosynthetic apparatus in Rhodospirillum rubrum

The time dependent assembly of the photosynthetic apparatus was studied in Rhodospirillum rubrum after transfer of cells growing aerobically in the dark to low aeration. While bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl) cellular levels increase continuously levels of soluble cytochrome c ₂do not change significantly. Absorption spectra of membranes isolated at different times after transfer reveal that incorporation of carotenoids lags behind incorporation of Bchl. However, a carotenoid fraction exhibiting spectral properties of spirilloxanthin isomers was isolated apart from membranes. This carotenoid fraction even was present in homogenates from Bchl-free, aerobically grown cells. Incorporation of U-¹⁴C-proteinhydrolyzate into membrane proteins showed that proteins are mainly formed which are specific for photosynthetic membranes. Although the proportion of reaction center (RC) Bchl per light harvesting (LH) Bchl does not change the proportions of membrane proteins present in RC and LH preparations change initially. But later on the proportions of the different proteins also reach constant values. Concerning proteins characteristic for cytoplasmic membranes a differential incorporation of label can be observed. The data indicate that the photosynthetic apparatus in Rhodospirillum rubrum is assembled through a sequential mechanism.Abbreviations Bchl bacteriochlorophyll - LH light harvesting - RC reaction center - R. Rhodospirillum - R. Rhodopseudomonas     

Variation in supramolecular organisation of the photosynthetic membrane of Rhodobacter sphaeroides induced by alteration of PufX

In purple bacteria of the genus Rhodobacter (Rba.), an LH1 antenna complex surrounds the photochemical reaction centre (RC) with a PufX protein preventing the LH1 complex from completely encircling the RC. In membranes of Rba. sphaeroides, RC–LH1 complexes associate as dimers which in turn assemble into longer range ordered arrays. The present work uses linear dichroism (LD) and dark-minus-light difference LD (ΔLD) to probe the organisation of genetically altered RC–LH1 complexes in intact membranes. The data support previous proposals that Rba. capsulatus, and Rba. sphaeroides heterologously expressing the PufX protein from Rba. capsulatus, produce monomeric core complexes in membranes that lack long-range order. Similarly, Rba. sphaeroides with a point mutation in the Gly 51 residue of PufX, which is located on the membrane-periplasm interface, assembles mainly non-ordered RC–LH1 complexes that are most likely monomeric. All the Rba. sphaeroides membranes in their ΔLD spectra exhibited a spectral fingerprint of small degree of organisation implying the possibility of ordering influence of LH1, and leading to an important conclusion that PufX itself has no influence on ordering RC–LH1 complexes, as long-range order appears to be induced only through its role of configuring RC–LH1 complexes into dimers.     

Functional consequences of the organization of the photosynthetic apparatus in Rhodobacter sphaeroides. I. Quinone domains and excitation transfer in chromatophores and reaction center.antenna complexes

The purpose of this study was to gain information on the functional consequences of the supramolecular organization of the photosynthetic apparatus in the bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. Isolated complexes of the reaction center (RC) with its core antenna ring (light-harvesting complex 1 (LH1)) were studied in their dimeric (native) form or as monomers with respect to excitation transfer and distribution of the quinone pool. Similar issues were examined in chromatophore membranes. The relationship between the fluorescence yield and the amount of closed centers is indicative of a very efficient excitation transfer between the two monomers in isolated dimeric complexes. A similar dependence was observed in chromatophores, suggesting that excitation transfer in vivo from a closed RC.LH1 unit is also essentially directed to its partner in the dimer. The isolated complexes were found to retain 25-30% of the endogenous quinone acceptor pool, and the distribution of this pool among the complexes suggests a cooperative character for the association of quinones with the protein complexes. In chromatophores, the decrease in the amount of photoreducible quinones when inhibiting a fraction of the centers implies a confinement of the quinone pool over small domains, including one to six reaction centers. We suggest that the crowding of membrane proteins may not be the sole reason for quinone confinement and that a quinone-rich region is formed around the RC.LH1 complexes.     

Pigment-protein complexes from Rhodopseudomonas palustris: isolation, characterization, and reconstitution into liposomes.

We have employed detergent solubilization and sucrose density gradient centrifugation to obtain pigment-protein complexes from Rhodopseudomonas palustris. Two types of detergent buffers were used, containing either octyl-beta-glucopyranoside (OG) plus sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) or OG alone. The fractions thus obtained were analyzed spectrophotometrically and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine their pigment and protein composition. OG-SDS solubilization yields four fractions. The least dense of these fractions (OG-SDS a and b) are nonspecific mixtures of peptides and pigments. The next fraction, OG-SDS c, is an accessory light-harvesting complex, LHII, called B800-850. The largest particle, OG-SDS d, is a combination of reaction center (RC) and primary light-harvesting complex (LHI), B880. Solubilization using OG alone yields one fraction, a single large complex consisting of RC, LHI, and LHII. We have inserted the two large OG-SDS complexes and the OG complex into phospholipid liposomes to determine the size of such complexes in freeze-fractured membranes. On the basis of morphological, biochemical, and available biophysical data, we propose the following models for pigment-protein complexes in R. palustris membranes: 5-nm particles as free RC or LHI tetramers, 7.5-nm particles as LHI or LHII octamers (or both); 10-nm particles as RC-LHI core complexes (1 RC plus 12 LHI) or large LHII oligomers (or both), and large particles of 12.5 and 15 nm and LHII associated with the RC-LHI core complex.     

Native architecture and acclimation of photosynthetic membranes in a fast-growing cyanobacterium

Efficient solar energy conversion is ensured by the organization, physical association, and physiological coordination of various protein complexes in photosynthetic membranes. Here, we visualize the native architecture and interactions of photosynthetic complexes within the thylakoid membranes from a fast-growing cyanobacterium Synechococcus elongatus UTEX 2973 (Syn2973) using high-resolution atomic force microscopy. In the Syn2973 thylakoid membranes, both photosystem I (PSI)-enriched domains and crystalline photosystem II (PSII) dimer arrays were observed, providing favorable membrane environments for photosynthetic electron transport. The high light (HL)-adapted thylakoid membranes accommodated a large amount of PSI complexes, without the incorporation of iron-stress-induced protein A (IsiA) assemblies and formation of IsiA–PSI supercomplexes. In the iron deficiency (Fe⁻)-treated thylakoid membranes, in contrast, IsiA proteins densely associated with PSI, forming the IsiA–PSI supercomplexes with varying assembly structures. Moreover, type-I NADH dehydrogenase-like complexes (NDH-1) were upregulated under the HL and Fe⁻ conditions and established close association with PSI complexes to facilitate cyclic electron transport. Our study provides insight into the structural heterogeneity and plasticity of the photosynthetic apparatus in the context of their native membranes in Syn2973 under environmental stress. Advanced understanding of the photosynthetic membrane organization and adaptation will provide a framework for uncovering the molecular mechanisms of efficient light harvesting and energy conversion.     

Unfolding pathway and intermolecular interactions of the cytochrome subunit in the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center

Precise folding of photosynthetic proteins and organization of multicomponent assemblies to form functional entities are fundamental to efficient photosynthetic electron transfer. The bacteriochlorophyll b-producing purple bacterium Blastochloris viridis possesses a simplified photosynthetic apparatus. The light-harvesting (LH) antenna complex surrounds the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) to form the RC-LH1 complex. A non-membranous tetraheme cytochrome (4Hcyt) subunit is anchored at the periplasmic surface of the RC, functioning as the electron donor to transfer electrons from mobile electron carriers to the RC. Here, we use atomic force microscopy (AFM) and single-molecule force spectroscopy (SMFS) to probe the long-range organization of the photosynthetic apparatus from Blc. viridis and the unfolding pathway of the 4Hcyt subunit in its native supramolecular assembly with its functional partners. AFM images reveal that the RC-LH1 complexes are densely organized in the photosynthetic membranes, with restricted lateral protein diffusion. Unfolding of the 4Hcyt subunit represents a multi-step process and the unfolding forces of the 4Hcyt α-helices are approximately 121 picoNewtons. Pulling of 4Hcyt could also result in the unfolding of the RC L subunit that binds with the N-terminus of 4Hcyt, suggesting strong interactions between RC subunits. This study provides new insights into the protein folding and interactions of photosynthetic multicomponent complexes, which are essential for their structural and functional integrity to conduct photosynthetic electron flow.     

Dynamics and diffusion in photosynthetic membranes from rhodospirillum photometricum

Photosynthetic organisms drive their metabolism by converting light energy into an electrochemical gradient with high efficiency. This conversion depends on the diffusion of quinones within the membrane. In purple photosynthetic bacteria, quinones reduced by the reaction center (RC) diffuse to the cytochrome bc(1) complex and then return once reoxidized to the RC. In Rhodospirillum photometricum the RC-containing core complexes are found in a disordered molecular environment, with fixed light-harvesting complex/core complex ratio but without a fixed architecture, whereas additional light-harvesting complexes synthesized under low-light conditions pack into large paracrystalline antenna domains. Here, we have analyzed, using time-lapse atomic force microscopy, the dynamics of the protein complexes in the different membrane domains and find that the disordered regions are dynamic whereas ordered antennae domains are static. Based on our observations we propose, and analyze using Monte Carlo simulations, a model for quinone diffusion in photosynthetic membranes. We show that the formation of large static antennae domains may represent a strategy for increasing electron transfer rates between distant complexes within the membrane and thus be important for photosynthetic efficiency.     

Pleiotropic effects of localized Rhodobacter capsulatus puf operon deletions on production of light-absorbing pigment-protein complexes.

The polycistronic puf operon of Rhodobacter capsulatus encodes protein components for the photosynthetic reaction center and one of the two antenna complexes involved in the capture of light energy. We report here that deletions within specific puf genes alter the synthesis and/or assembly in the photosynthetic membranes of pigment-protein complexes not affected genetically by the deletion. The pufX gene is required for normal ratios of antenna complexes, and its deletion results in an increase of membrane-bound light-harvesting I (LHI) complex-specific proteins. Expression of pufQ in strains deleted for the genes encoding the LHI and the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) yields a novel A868 peak that has not been associated with any of the pigment-protein complexes described previously. While deletions in the RC-coding region resulted in decreased LHI absorbance, no quantitative alteration in membrane-bound LHI protein was observed, suggesting that an intact RC complex is required for correct assembly of LHI in the membrane.     

Composition and localization of bacteriochlorophyll a intermediates in the purple photosynthetic bacterium Rhodopseudomonas sp. Rits

Rhodopseudomonas sp. Rits is a recently isolated new species of photosynthetic bacteria and found to accumulate a significantly high amount of bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) a intermediates possessing non-, di- and tetra-hydrogenated geranylgeranyl groups at the 17-propionate as well as normal phytylated BChl a (Mizoguchi T et al. (2006) FEBS Lett 580:137-143). A phylogenetic analysis showed that this bacterium was closely related to Rhodopseudomonas palustris. The strain Rits synthesizes light-harvesting complexes 2 and 4 (LH2/4), as peripheral antennas, as well as the reaction center and light-harvesting 1 core complex (RC-LH1 core). The amounts of these complexes were dependent upon the incident light intensities, which was also a typical behavior of Rhodopseudomonas palustris. HPLC analyses of extracted pigments indicated that all four BChls a were associated with the purified photosynthetic pigment-protein, as complexes described above. The results suggested that this bacterium could use these pigments as functional molecules within the LH2/4 and RC-LH1 core. Pigment compositional analyses in several purple photosynthetic bacteria showed that such BChl a intermediates were always detected and were more widely distributed than expected. Long chains in the propionate moiety of BChl a would be one of the important factors for assembly of LH systems in purple photosynthetic bacteria.     

Structure of the dimeric PufX-containing core complex of Rhodobacter blasticus by in situ atomic force microscopy

We have studied photosynthetic membranes of wild type Rhodobacter blasticus, a closely related strain to the well studied Rhodobacter sphaeroides, using atomic force microscopy. High-resolution atomic force microscopy topographs of both cytoplasmic and periplasmic surfaces of LH2 and RC-LH1-PufX (RC, reaction center) complexes were acquired in situ. The LH2 is a nonameric ring inserted into the membrane with the 9-fold axis perpendicular to the plane. The core complex is an S-shaped dimer composed of two RCs, each encircled by 13 LH1 alpha/beta-heterodimers, and two PufXs. The LH1 assembly is an open ellipse with a topography-free gap of approximately 25 A. The two PufXs, one of each core, are located at the dimer center. Based on our data, we propose a model of the core complex, which provides explanation for the PufX-induced dimerization of the Rhodobacter core complex. The QB site is located facing a approximately 25-A wide gap within LH1, explaining the PufX-favored quinone passage in and out of the core complex.