Single-crystal electron paramagnetic resonance studies of photolyzed oxy- and nitric oxide-cobalt myoglobins

Low-temperature photodissociation of oxygen from oxy-cobalt myoglobin was studied by single-crystal electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy at 5 K. The photolyzed oxy-cobalt myoglobin exhibited an EPR spectrum consisting of two nonequivalent sets (species I and II) of the principal values and eigenvectors of the g tensors: g1I = 3.55, g2I = 3.47, and g3I = 2.26 for species I, and g1II = 2.04, g2II = 1.93, and g3II = 1.86 for species II, which resembled neither the deoxy nor the oxy form. Possible models of the photodissociated state of oxy-cobalt myoglobin are proposed by comparison with cobalt porphyrin complexes. The photolyzed product of nitric oxide-cobalt myoglobin exhibited new EPR signals at g = 4.3 and a very broad signal at around g = 2. The principal g values have been determined from the single-crystal EPR measurements: g1 = 4.39, g2 = 4.27, and g3 = 4.00. Analysis of another EPR signal around g = 2 was difficult due to its broadness. Magnetic interactions were observed. An isotropic EPR signal at g = 4.3 suggested a weakly spin-coupled system between cobaltous spin (S = 1/2 or 3/2) and nitric oxide spin (S = 1/2).     

Single crystal EPR of myoglobin nitroxide. Freezing-induced reversible changes in the molecular orientation of the ligand

Single crystals of myoglobin nitroxide (MbNO) are examined by the electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy at ambient and cryogenic temperatures for both the 14NO and 15NO derivatives. The principal values and the eigenvectors of the g tensor and the hyperfine coupling tensor are determined: g xx = 2.050, g yy = 2.022, and g zz = 1.993; A xi xi = 15.6, A zeta zeta = 21.4, and A eta eta = 26.7 G for the nitrogen in 15NO at ambient temperature. The Fe--N--O bond angle is calculated to be 153 degrees. This result is in good agreement with the x-ray structural result on the six-liganded model compound with the bent Fe--N--O configuration. The principal values and the eigenvectors of the g tensor and the hyperfine coupling tensor are also determined at 77 K for Mb15NO; gxx = 2.076, gyy = 1.979, and gzz = 2.002; A xi xi = 21, A zeta zeta = 24, and A eta eta = 27 G. The Fe--N--O bond angle is calculated to be 109 degrees. The hyperfine splittings attributed to N epsilon atom of proximal histidine are observed in the direction of the gzz at both temperatures. The drastic shift of the EPR spectrum of MbNO single crystal is observed below the freezing point of this crystal. It clearly demonstrates that the conformation of the bonding NO is drastically altered upon freezing. The temperature dependence of the EPR spectra of MbNO below the freezing point cannot be explained only by appropriate combinations of the higher temperature type and the lower temperature type and suggests the contribution from an unpaired electron with the iron dz2 and dyz (or dxz) orbitals. The present EPR results demonstrated that the changes in the molecular orientations are induced by freezing of the biological molecules without disorder of the crystal lattice.     

Reactive complexes in myoglobin and nitric oxide synthase

In this overview some of our crystallographic and spectroscopic studies on reactive complexes in myoglobin and nitric oxide synthase are summarised. Myoglobin and nitric oxide synthase are both haemoproteins with some similar reaction intermediates. For myoglobin we have studied different intermediates generated in the reaction with hydrogen peroxide by X-ray diffraction, single-crystal microspectrophotometry, electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, Mössbauer spectroscopy, resonance Raman spectroscopy and quantum refinement. Several of these myoglobin states are quite susceptible to radiation-induced changes during crystallographic data collection, and we have observed a radiation-induced change of the ferric resting myoglobin to aqua ferrous myoglobin, of myoglobin compound II to a proposed intermediate H, and of myoglobin compound III to peroxy myoglobin. For the myoglobin compound II/ intermediate H we observe a single-bonded Fe^IV-O species, which is probably protonated. The long Fe-O bond seen in the crystal structure can be supported by the observation of a new ¹⁸O-sensitive resonance Raman mode at 687 cm⁻¹. For nitric oxide synthase we detected with cryobiochemical methods in electron paramagnetic resonance spectra the first biopterin radical serving as electron donor to the ferrous-oxy complex, and that biopterin serves as a proton donor as well, in addition we could observe formation of the Fe(NO) complex with a amino-pterin cofactor capable to form a reactive radical.     

Laser-flash-activated electron paramagnetic resonance studies of primary photochemical reactions in chloroplasts.

Electron paramagnetic resonance studies of the primary reactants of Photosystems I and II have been conducted at cryogenic temperatures after laser-flash activation with monochromatic light.P-700 photooxidation occurs irreversibly in chloroplasts and in Photosystem I fragments after activation with a 730 nm laser flash at a temperature of 35 degrees K. Flash activation of chloroplasts or Photosystem II chloroplast fragments with 660 nm light results in the production of a free-radical signal (g = 2.002, linewidth approximately 8 gauss) which decays with a half-time of 5.0 ms at 35 degrees K. The half-time of decay is independent of temperature in the range of 10-77 degrees K. This reversible signal can be eliminated by preillumination of the sample at 35 degrees K with 660 nm light (but not by 730 nm light), by preillumination with 660 nm light at room temperature in the presence of 3-(3',4'-dichlorophenyl)-1,1'-dimethylurea (DCMU) plus hydroxylamine, or by adjustment of the oxidation-reduction potential of the chloroplasts to - 150 mV prior to freezing. In the presence of ferricyanide (20-50 mM), two free-radical signals are photoinduced during a 660 nm flash at 35 degrees K. One signal decays with a half-time of 5 ms, whereas the second signal is formed irreversibly. These results are discussed in terms of a current model for the Photosystem II primary reaction at low temperature which postulates a back-reaction between P-680+ and the primary electron acceptor.     

The stoichiometry and stability of the NADP complexes with manganese(II) ions as studied by electron paramagnetic resonance.

Magnetic resonance techniques have been applied to study the stability of the complexes formed between Mn(II) ions and NADP in aqueous solutions at a pH of 7.5 and 20 degrees C. The electron paramagnetic resonance (epr) data indicate that at low Mn(II) ion concentrations ([Mn(II)] less than 1 mM; [NADP] approximately 5 mM), a 1:1 complex is formed with an apparent stability constant K1 = 370 +/- 50 M-1 at an ionic strength of 0.22 in the presence of 0.20 M Cl-. At high Mn(II) ion concentrations, a Mn(II)2-NADP species, with an apparent stability constant K2 = 54 +/- 17 M-1, is present in significant amounts. When the epr data are corrected for the presence of the MnCl+ ion, the analysis of the new Scatchard plot yields stability constants for the two sites of K1 = 640 +/- 90 M-1 and K2 = 88 +/- 13 M-1, respectively. The presence of two metal ion binding sites on the NADP molecule has not been observed previously, and previous workers have always analyzed their data in terms of the 1:1 Mn(II)-NADP complex. An epr temperature study of K1 yields a value of delta H equal to 1.3 +/- 0.2 kcal/mol (1 cal = 4.187 J).     

Spectroscopic studies on the anticancer antibiotic Altromycin H and the interaction with copper(II) ions

The antitumor antibiotic Altromycin H was studied using electronic absorption (UV-Vis.) and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. The dissociation constants of the phenolic groups on C(5) and C(11) were estimated as pK(1)=6.7 and pK(2)=11.8 at 25 degrees C, respectively, and a complete assignment of the CD and UV-Vis. bands is proposed. The interaction of Cu(II) ions with the Altromycin H has been also investigated by UV-Vis., CD and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy. A pH depended stepwise complex formation was observed. At pH<4 no copper-Altromycin H interactions were detected. At the 4相似文献   

Mechanism of reductive activation of cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase: an electron paramagnetic resonance spectroelectrochemical study

The mechanism of reductive methylation of cobalamin-dependent methionine synthase (5-methyltetrahydrofolate:homocysteine methyltransferase, EC 2.1.1.13) has been investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroelectrochemistry. The enzyme as isolated is inactive, and its UV/visible absorbance and EPR spectra are characteristic of cob(II)alamin. There is an absolute requirement for catalytic amounts of AdoMet and a reducing system for the formation and maintenance of active enzyme during in vitro turnover. The midpoint potentials of the enzyme-bound cob(II)alamin/cob(I)alamin and cob(III)alamin/cob(II)alamin couples have been determined to be -526 +/- 5 and +273 +/- 4 mV (versus the standard hydrogen electrode), respectively. The presence of either CH3-H4folate or AdoMet shifts the equilibrium distribution of cobalamin species observed during reduction by converting cob(I)alamin to methylcobalamin. The magnitude of these shifts is however vastly different, with AdoMet lowering the concentration of cob(II)alamin at equilibrium by a factor of at least 3 X 10(7), while CH3-H4folate lowers it by a factor of 19. These studies of coupled reduction/methylation reactions elucidate the absolute requirement for AdoMet in the in vitro assay system, in which the ambient potential is approximately -350 mV versus the standard hydrogen electrode. At this potential, the equilibrium distribution of cobalamin in the presence of CH3-H4folate would be greatly in favor of the cob(II)alamin species, whereas in the presence of AdoMet the equilibrium favors methylated enzyme. In these studies, a base-on form of cob(II)alamin in which the dimethylbenzimidazole substituent of the corrin ring is the lower axial ligand for the cobalt has been observed for the first time on methionine synthase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Electron paramagnetic resonance of Cu2+:Mb single crystal. Conformational changes.

Copper introduced into met-myoglobin crystals occupies various sites as indicated by electron paramagnetic resonance parameters. Cu2+ (A) is probably liganded to histidine A10, lysine A14, and asparagine GH4 (Banaszak et al., 1965) and shows superhyperfine interaction with a single (imidazole) nitrogen. Cu2+ (B) and Cu2+ (C) correspond to other anisotropic sites described in less detail. Cu2+ (A) exhibits a transition to an isotropic form with a transition temperature of 40.5 degrees C. This transition indicates a conformational change in myoglobin and could correspond to a motion of A helix away from the GH section. The transition temperature is 7 degrees C higher than the one previously reported (Atanasov, 1971) for myoglobin in solution.     

A guide to electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy of Photosystem II membranes.

This guide is intended to aid in the detection and identification of paramagnetic species in Photosystem II membranes, by electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. The spectral features and occurrence of each of the electron paramagnetic resonance signals from Photosystem II are discussed, in relation to the nature of the moiety giving rise to the signal and the role of that species in photosynthetic electron transport. Examples of most of the signals discussed are shown. The electron paramagnetic resonance signals produced by the cytochrome b6f and Photosystem I complexes, as well as the signals from other common contaminants, are also reviewed. Furthermore, references to seminal experiments on bacterial reaction centers are included. By reviewing both the spectroscopic and biochemical bases for the electron paramagnetic resonance signals of the cofactors that mediate photosynthetic electron transport, this paper provides an introduction to the use and interpretation of electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy in the study of Photosystem II.     

Crystallization and electron paramagnetic resonance characterization of the complex of photosystem I with its natural electron acceptor ferredoxin

The formation of a transient complex between photosystem I and ferredoxin is involved in the process of ferredoxin photoreduction in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms. Reduced ferredoxin is an essential redox intermediate involved in many assimilatory processes and is necessary for the reduction of NADP(+) to NADPH. Single crystals from a complex of photosystem I with ferredoxin were grown using PEG 400 and CaCl(2) as precipitation agents. The crystals diffract x-rays to a resolution of 7-8 A. The space group was determined to be orthorhombic with the unit cell dimensions a = 194 A, b = 208 A, and c = 354 A. The crystals contain photosystem I and ferredoxin in a 1:1 ratio. Electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements on these crystals are reported, where EPR signals of the three [4Fe-4S] clusters F(A), F(B), F(X), and the [2Fe-2S] cluster of ferredoxin were detected. From the EPR spectra observed at three particular orientations of the crystal in the magnetic field, the full orientation pattern of the F g-tensor was simulated. This simulation is consistent with the presence of 12 magnetically inequivalent F clusters per unit cell with the C(3) axis of the PSI trimers oriented at (23 degrees, 72 degrees, 77 degrees ) to the unit cell axes.     

Dynamic 13C NMR investigations of substrate interaction and catalysis by cobalt(II) human carbonic anhydrase I

Using 13C NMR spectroscopy, we have further investigated the binding of HCO3- in the active site of an artificial form of human carbonic anhydrase I in which the native zinc is replaced by Co(II). The Co(II) enzyme, unlike all other metal-substituted derivatives, has functional properties closely similar to those of the native zinc enzyme. By measuring the spin-lattice relaxation rate and the line width for both the CO2 and HCO3- at two field strengths, we have determined both the paramagnetic effects that reflect substrate binding and the exchange effects due to catalysis at chemical equilibrium. The following are the results at 14 degrees C and pH 6.3 (1) HCO3- is bound in the active site of the catalytically competent enzyme with the 13C of the HCO3- located 3.22 +/- 0.02 A from the Co(II); (2) the apparent equilibrium dissociation constant for the bound HCO3- is 7.6 +/- 1.5 mM, determined by using the paramagnetic effects on the line widths, and 10 +/- 2 mM, determined by using the exchange effects; (3) the lifetime of HCO3- bound to the metal is (4.4 +/- 0.4) X 10(-5) s; (4) the overall catalyzed CO2 in equilibrium HCO3- exchange rate constant of the Co(II) enzyme is (9.6 +/- 0.4) X 10(3) s-1; (5) the electron spin relaxation time of the Co(II), determined by using paramagnetic effects on the bound HCO3-, is (1.1 +/- 0.1) X 10(-11) s. The data did not provide any direct information on the binding of CO2.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Effect of cold acclimation on antioxidant status in cold acclimated skaters

We investigated whether cold acclimation leads to increased activity of the antioxidant defense enzymes and muscle injury. Comparisons were between short track skaters (n=6) and inline skaters (n=6) during rest and at submaximal cycling (65% VO2max) in cold (ambient temperature: 5+/-1 degrees C, relative humidity: 41+/-8%) and warm conditions (ambient temperature: 21+/-1 degrees C, relative humidity: 35+/-5%), during 60 min, respectively, and during the recovery phase. Erythrocyte superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSHpx), reduced glutathione (GSH), thiobarbituric substance acid (TBARS), serum creatine kinase (CK), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), plasma myoglobin (Mb) and cortisol were determined. Activities of CAT and GSHpx and the level of GSH and TBARS in erythrocyte and the level of LDH in serum were elevated in cold acclimated subjects. We suggested that the compensatory increase in antioxidative defense enzymes resulting from long-term cold exposure may reflect the elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and muscle injury at this environment acclimation.     

Analysis of powder and single crystal electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of deoxy myoglobins containing cobalt (II) proto-and mesoporphyrins IX at various microwave frequencies

Artificial myoglobins (Mbs) substituted for protoheme with Co(II) proto-and mesoporphyrins IX (proto-and meso-CoMbs, respectively) were prepared. The principal values and eigenvectors of g tensors and the hyperfine coupling tensors of the paramagnetic Co(II) centers of their deoxy forms have been determined by single crystal EPR spectroscopy at 77 K in order to elucidate orientation and electronic structure of the prosthetic group in myoglobin. The orientation of the porphyrin plane of deoxy meso-CoMb were found to be identical to that of deoxy proto-CoMb. However, the in-plane hyperfine coupling constants of deoxy meso-CoMb were more anisotropic and larger than those of deoxy proto-CoMb, suggesting an increase in the electron spin density on the Co(II) ion upon the exchange of protoporphyrin IX with mesoprophyrin IX. Powder EPR spectra of these CoMbs, which were measured at S- and L-band microwave frequencies, exhibited well resolved 59Co hyperfine splittings and can be clearly interpreted by the use of the EPR parameters obtained from single crystal EPR measurements.     

Structural features and light-dependent changes in the sequence 59-75 connecting helices I and II in rhodopsin: a site-directed spin-labeling study.

Twenty-one single-cysteine substitution mutants were prepared in the sequence 56-75 between transmembrane helices I and II at the cytoplasmic surface of bovine rhodopsin. Each mutant was reacted with a sulfhydryl-specific reagent to produce a nitroxide side chain. The electron paramagnetic resonance of the labeled proteins in dodecyl maltoside solution was analyzed to provide the relative mobility and accessibility of the nitroxide side chain to both polar and nonpolar paramagnetic reagents. The results indicate that the hydrophobic-water interface of the micelle intersects helices I and II near residues 64 and 71, respectively. Thus, the sequence 64-71 is in the aqueous phase, while 56-63 and 72-75 lie in the transmembrane helices I and II, respectively. The lipid-facing surfaces on transmembrane helices I and II near the cytoplasmic surface correspond to approximately 180 degrees and 90 degrees of arc on the helical surfaces, respectively. Photoactivation of rhodopsin produced changes in structure in the region investigated, primarily around helix II. However, these changes are much smaller than those noted by spin labels in helix VI (Altenbach, C., Yang, K., Farrens, D., Farahbakhsh, Z., Khorana, H. G., and Hubbell, W. L. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 12470).     

Studies on cobalt myoglobins and hemoglobins. Interaction of sperm whale myoglobin and Glycera hemoglobin with molecular oxygen.

The pH dependence of the electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectrum and oxygen affinity of cobaltous porphyrin-containing myoglobin (CoMb) have been examined. The hyperfine structures of the EPR spectrum of oxy-CoMb undergo small, reversible pH-dependent changes with pK values of 5.33, 5.55, and 5.25 +/- 0.05 for proto-, meso-, and deutero-CoMb's, respectively, whereas deoxy-CoMb does not exhibit any pH dependence of its EPR spectrum. The partial pressure of oxygen at half-saturation of proto-CoMb decreases from 26 to 42 Torr on lowering the pH from 7.0 to 4.8. For comparison, we have prepared cobaltous porphyrin-containing monomeric Glycera hemoglobin (CoHb (Glycera)), in which the distal histidyl group of myoglobin is replaced by a leucyl residue, and examined the equilibria and kinetics of its oxygenation and EPR spectrum. CoHb (Glycera) has exhibited a very low oxygen affinity (p50 = 7 X 10(2) Torr at 5 degrees) and a large dissociation rate constant (more than 8 X 10(4) S-1 at 5 degrees). The EPR spectrum of oxy-CoHb (Glycera) was affected by neither pH nor replacement of H2O with D2O. Low temperature photodissociation studies by EPR and spectrophotometry have shown that the photolyzed form of the ligated hemoglobin (Glycera) is similar to its deoxy form, in contrast to myoglobin which gives a new intermediate states as the photolyzed form. These differences between CoMb and CoHb (Glycera) are interpreted with relation to the possible role of the distal histidyl residue in CoMb.     

Cobalt-bleomycin-deoxyribonucleic acid system. Evidence of deoxyribonucleic acid bound superoxo and mu-peroxo cobalt-bleomycin complexes

Co(II) interacts with bleomycin in aqueous solution, in the presence of air, to give a short-lived mononuclear superoxo Co(III) complex (I). Then, two molecules of complex I react together, with the loss of oxygen, to yield the dinuclear mu-peroxo Co(III) complex (II); the dimerization follows a second-order rate law with k2 = 200 +/- 50 M-1 s-1 at 25 degrees C. The rate of dimerization is lowered by a factor of 2000 when DNA is present at a molar ratio of [nucleotide]/[Co] higher than 16. These results and studies of circular dichroism and electron paramagnetic resonance spectra of complexes strongly suggest the binding of the superoxo complex to DNA (I') as well as that of the mu-peroxo complex (II'); the binding of 1 molecule of complex II for every 2.9 base pairs in DNA has been determined with an apparent equilibrium constant of 8.4 x 10(4) M-1.     

The position of cytochrome b(559) relative to Q(A) in photosystem II studied by electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR)

The electron-electron double resonance (ELDOR) method was applied to measure the dipole interaction between cytochrome (Cyt) b(+)(559) and the primary acceptor quinone (Q(-)(A)), observed at g=2.0045 with the peak to peak width of about 9 G, in Photosystem II (PS II) in which the non-heme Fe(2+) was substituted by Zn(2+). The paramagnetic centers of Cyt b(+)(559)Y(D)Q(-)(A) were trapped by illumination at 273 K for 8 min, followed by dark adaptation for 3 min and freezing into 77 K. The distance between the pair Cyt b(+)(559)-Q(-)(A) was estimated from the dipole interaction constant fitted to the observed ELDOR time profile to be 40+/-1 A. In the membrane oriented PS II particles the angle between the vector from Q(A) to Cyt b(559) and the membrane normal was determined to be 80+/-5 degrees. The position of Cyt b(559) relative to Q(A) suggests that the heme plane is located on the stromal side of the thylakoid membrane. ELDOR was not observed for Cyt b(+)(559) Y(D) spin pair, suggesting the distance between them is more than 50 A.     

Isothermal annealing kinetics of X-irradiated pyrene by electron paramagnetic resonance

The annealing behavior of X-irradiated stable free radicals found in pyrene (C16H10) single crystals was studied by electron paramagnetic resonance. Two processes of thermal decay kinetics were found, both with the same activation energy: 1.9 +/- 0.1 eV.     

Magnetic interactions in milk xanthine oxidase

The relaxation behavior of the EPR signals of MoV, FAD semiquinone, and the reduced Fe/S I center was measured in the presence and absence of other paramagnetic centers in milk xanthine oxidase. Specific pairs of prosthetic groups were rendered paramagnetic by poising the native enzyme or its desulfo glycol inhibited derivative at appropriate potentials and pH values. Magnetic interactions were found between the following species: Mo--Fe/S I (100-fold increase in microwave power required to saturate the MoV EPR signal at 103 K when Fe/S I is reduced as opposed to oxidized), FAD--Fe/S I and FAD--Fe/S II (70-fold increase in power required to saturate the FADH.EPR signal at 173 K when either Fe/S center is reduced), and Fe/S I--Fe/S II (2.5-fold increase in power to saturate the reduced Fe/S I EPR signal at 20 K when Fe/S II is reduced). The Mo--Fe/S I interaction was also detected as a reduced Fe/S I induced splitting of the MoV EPR spectrum at 30 K. No splittings of the FADH. or Fe/S center spectra were detected. No magnetic interactions were found between FAD and Mo or between Mo and Fe/S II. These results, together with those of Coffman & Buettner [Coffman, R. E., & Buettner, G. R. (1979) J. Phys. Chem. 83, 2392-2400], were used to estimate the following approximate distances between the electron carrying prosthetic groups of milk xamthine oxidase: Mo--Fe/S I, 11 +/- 3 A; Fe/S I-Fe/S II, 15 +/- 4 A; FAD-Fe/S I, 16 +/- 4 A; FAD-Fe/S II, 16 +/- 4 A. A model for the arrangement of these groups within the xanthine oxidase molecule is suggested.     

Steps on the Way to Building Blocks,Topologies, Crystals and X-ray Structural Analysis of Photosystems I and II of Water-oxidizing Photosynthesis

Basic structural elements of the two photosystems and their component electron donors, acceptors, and carriers were revealed by newly developed spectroscopic methods in the 1960s and subsequent years. The spatial organization of these constituents within the functional membrane was elucidated by electrochromic band shift analysis, whereby the membrane-spanning chlorophyll-quinone couple of Photosystem (PS) II emerged as reaction center and as a model relevant also to other photosystems. A further step ahead for improved structural information was realized with the use of thermophilic cyanobacteria instead of plants which led to isolation of supramolecular complexes of the photosystems and their identification as PS I trimers and PS II dimers. The preparation of crystals of the PS I trimer, started in the late 1980s. Genes encoding the 11 subunits of PS I from Synechococcus elongatus were isolated and the predicted sequences of amino acid residues formed a basis for the interpretation of X-ray structure analysis of the PS I crystals. The crystallization of PS I was optimized by introduction of the 'reverse of salting in' crystallization with water as precipitating agent. On this basis the PS I structure was successively established from 6 A resolution in the early 1990s up to a model at 2.5 A resolution in 2001. The first crystals of the PS II dimer, capable of water oxidation, were prepared in the late 1990s; a PS II model at 3.8-3.6 A resolution was presented in 2001. Implications of the PS II structure for the mechanism of transmembrane charge separation are discussed. With the availability of PS I and PS II crystals, new directional structural results became possible also by application of different magnetic resonance techniques through measurements on single crystals in different orientations.