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Redox properties of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides transcriptional regulatory proteins PpsR and AppA.

Redox properties of the photosynthetic gene repressor PpsR and the blue-light photoreceptor/antirepressor AppA from Rhodobacter sphaeroides have been characterized. Redox titrations of PpsR reveal the presence of a two-electron couple, with an E (m) value of -320 mV at pH 7.0, which is likely to arise from the reversible conversion of two cysteine thiols to a disulfide. This E (m) value is very much more negative than the E (m) = -180 mV value measured previously at pH 7.0 for the disulfide/dithiol couple in CrtJ, the homolog for PpsR in the closely related bacterium Rhodobacter capsulatus. AppA, a flavin-containing blue-light receptor that is also involved in the regulation of gene expression in R. sphaeroides, contains multiple cysteines in its C-terminal region, two of which function as a redox-active dithiol/disulfide couple with an E (m) value of -325 mV at pH 7.0 in the dark. Titrations of this dithiol/disulfide couple in illuminated samples of AppA indicate that the E (m) value of this disulfide/dithiol couple is -315 mV at pH 7.0, identical to the value obtained for AppA in the dark within the combined experimental uncertainties of the two measurements. The E (m) values of AppA and PpsR demonstrate that these proteins are thermodynamically capable of electron transfer for their activity as an anti-repressor/repressor in R. sphaeroides.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Regulation of a cytochrome c2 isoform in wild-type and cytochrome c2 mutant strains of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

In Rhodobacter sphaeroides, mutations that suppress the photosynthetic deficiency (spd mutations) of strains lacking cytochrome c2 (cyt c2) cause accumulation of a periplasmic cyt c2 isoform that has been designated isocytochrome c2 (isocyt c2). In this study, a new method for purification of both cyt c2 and isocyt c2 is described that uses periplasmic fluid as a starting material. In addition, antiserum to isocyt c2 has been used to demonstrate that all suppressor mutants contain an isocyt c2 of approximately 15 kDa. Western blot analysis indicates that isocyt c2 was present at lower levels in both wild-type and cyt c2 mutants than in spd-containing mutants. Although isocyt c2 is detectable under all growth conditions in wild-type cells, the highest level of isocyt c2 is present under aerobic conditions. Our results demonstrate that spd mutations increase the steady state level of isocyt c2 under photosynthetic conditions. Although the physiological function of isocyt c2 in wild-type cells is not known, we show that a nitrate-regulated protein in Rhodobacter sphaeroides f. sp. denitrificans also reacts with the isocyt c2 antiserum.

Cytochrome c Group↗

The amino acid sequence of Rhodobacter sphaeroides dimethyl sulfoxide reductase.

The complete amino acid sequence of the soluble, monomeric molybdenum-containing enzyme dimethyl sulfoxide reductase from Rhodobacter sphaeroides f sp. denitrificans has been determined using a combination of gas-phase Edman sequencing of isolated peptides and direct sequencing of PCR products generated from R. sphaeroides genomic DNA. The protein comprises 777 residues corresponding to an apoenzyme molecular weight of 84,748 Da. The amino acid sequence was rich in Ala and Gly residues which represented 21% of the protein's composition. The DNA sequence was 67% rich in G and C nucleotides. The amino acid sequence contained 10 cysteine residues which were relatively evenly distributed throughout the sequence and featured regions of sequence corresponding to the prokaryotic molybdopterin-binding signatures 2 and 3. While exhibiting limited sequence similarity to the corresponding membrane-bound molybdenum-containing subunit (DmsA) of Escherichia coli dimethyl sulfoxide reductase, the Rhodobacter sequence showed extensive sequence similarity to that of the E. coli molybdoprotein, trimethylamine N-oxide reductase (torA). Comparison with other related prokaryotic molybdenum-containing enzymes indicated the presence of two highly conserved cysteine residues (Cys-268 and Cys-616) which may function in molybdenum coordination.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Formation of functional inter-species hybrid photosynthetic complexes in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

A Rhodobacter capsulatus mutant strain deficient in all pigment-binding peptides and hence incapable of photosynthetic growth was genetically complemented with a plasmid-borne copy of the Rhodobacter sphaeroides puf operon. Hybrid reaction centers composed of R. sphaeroides L and M and R. capsulatus H subunits assembled in vivo, and host cells were photosynthetically competent. Light-harvesting complex B875, also encoded by the R. sphaeroides puf operon, was present along with the hybrid reaction center. These cells emitted fluorescence, however, indicating an impairment in energy transduction.

Bacteria↗

Structure of spheroidene in the photosynthetic reaction center from Y Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

The structure of the reaction center of Y Rhodobacter sphaeroides has been solved at 3 A resolution, using the atomic coordinates of the reaction center from the carotenoidless mutant R26 Rhodobacter sphaeroides. The structure has been refined by a stimulated annealing with the computer program X-PLOR, leading to a crystallographic R factor of 0.22 using reflections between 8 and 3 A. The spheroidene molecule which is bound to the Y reaction center has been fitted in the electron density map as a 15-cis isomer with a highly asymmetric structure. The cis-bond is located at proximity from ring 1 of the accessory bacteriochlorophyll on the inactive M side. The nature of the cis-bond was confirmed by resonance Raman spectra obtained from Y reaction center crystals. The structure of spheroidene in Y reaction center is compared to that proposed for 1,2-dihydroneurosporene in Rhodopseudomonas viridis reaction center crystals.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Characterisation of the porin of Rhodobacter capsulatus 37b4 in planar lipid bilayers.

The outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria contains aqueous channels, porins, which aid the diffusion of small hydrophilic molecules across it. Escherichia coli, as enteric bacteria, are able to survive a hostile environment of proteases, surfactants, and drastic changes of osmotic pressure. Rhodobacter capsulatus is not an enteric bacterium and as such has not evolved to resist the same challenges. Porins, which have molecular weight of approximately 35 kDa, form trimeric channels with a solute exclusion limit of about 600 Da. Most of them open and close in a controlled manner as a function of p.d. This function is little understood at present. The functional properties of single trimers of the major porin of Rhodobacter capsulatus 37b4 have been investigated in planar artificial bilayers. On application of a suitable p.d. the observed trimer closes in approximately three equal steps. The behaviour is completely symmetrical as regards closure in response to p.d.'s of opposite polarity and is strongly cation selective.

Electric Conductivity↗

Prediction of the general structure of OmpF and PhoE from the sequence and structure of porin from Rhodobacter capsulatus. Orientation of porin in the membrane.

By comparing the hydrophilicity profiles and sequences of porin from Rhodobacter capsulatus with those of OmpF and PhoE from Escherichia coli, a set of insertions and deletions for alignment of the sequences has been deduced. With this alignment a similar folding of OmpF and PhoE has been predicted as found by X-ray structure analysis of porin from Rhodobacter capsulates. Furthermore, the orientation of the porin trimer in the outer membrane was inferred from topological data on PhoE. According to this result a single channel of approx. 30 A diameter starts at the outer surface. Near the middle of the outer membrane bilayer this channel branches out into three separate channels, each running within a single porin monomer to the periplasmic surface.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Isolation of Rhodobacter capsulatus transketolase: cloning and sequencing of its structural tktA gene.

Rhodobacter capsulatus transketolase (Tkt) protein has been isolated from strain B10 by heparin affinity chromatography. Oligodeoxyribonucleotides (oligo) constructed as based on the amino-acid sequences were used for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification on total genomic DNA. Southern hybridization with the PCR product as a probe allowed the isolation of a 5-kb PstI DNA fragment containing the structural Tkt-encoding gene (tktA) which was cloned and sequenced. The deduced tktA product of 671 aa (72815 Da) shares 59% identity with Rhodobacter sphaeroides Tkt.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

A functional hybrid between the cytochrome bc1 complex and its physiological membrane-anchored electron acceptor cytochrome cy in Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The membrane integral ubihydroquinone (QH2): cytochrome (cyt) c oxidoreductase (or the cyt bc1 complex) and its physiological electron acceptor, the membrane-anchored cytochrome cy (cyt cy), are discrete components of photosynthetic and respiratory electron transport chains of purple non-sulfur, facultative phototrophic bacteria of Rhodobacter species. In Rhodobacter capsulatus, it has been observed previously that, depending on the growth condition, absence of the cyt bc1 complex is often correlated with a similar lack of cyt cy (Jenney, F. E., et al. (1994) Biochemistry 33, 2496-2502), as if these two membrane integral components form a non-transient larger structure. To probe whether such a structural super complex can exist in photosynthetic or respiratory membranes, we attempted to genetically fuse cyt cy to the cyt bc1 complex. Here, we report successful production, and initial characterization, of a functional cyt bc1-cy fusion complex that supports photosynthetic growth of an appropriate R. capsulatus mutant strain. The three-subunit cyt bc1-cy fusion complex has an unprecedented bis-heme cyt c1-cy subunit instead of the native mono-heme cyt c1, is efficiently matured and assembled, and can sustain cyclic electron transfer in situ. The remarkable ability of R. capsulatus cells to produce a cyt bc1-cy fusion complex supports the notion that structural super complexes between photosynthetic or respiratory components occur to ensure efficient cellular energy production.

Cell Membrane↗

Rhodobacter massiliensis sp. nov., a new amoebae-resistant species isolated from the nose of a patient.

From the nose of a patient with aspiration pneumonia, we isolated a new bacterium by amoebal co-culture using Acanthamoeba polyphaga. Based on phenotypic, 16S rRNA and phylogenetic analysis, we show that this isolate represents a new species within the genus Rhodobacter and and we have named it Rhodobacter massiliensis. The type strain has been deposited in the Collection de l'Institut Pasteur, Paris, France (CIP 107725), and in the Culture Collection of the University of Göteborg, Sweden (CCUG 47968), as strain Framboise.

Acanthamoeba↗

Absence of a bicarbonate-depletion effect in electron transfer between quinones in chromatophores and reaction centers of Rhodobacter sphaeroides.

Higher plants, algae, and cyanobacteria are known to require bicarbonate ions for electron flow from the first stable electron acceptor quinone QA to the second electron acceptor quinone QB, and to the intersystem quinone pool. It has been suggested that in Photosystem II of oxygenic photosynthesis, bicarbonate ion functions to maintain the reaction center in a proper conformation and, perhaps, to provide the protons needed to stabilize the semiquinone (QB-). In this paper, we show that bicarbonate ions do not influence the electron flow, from the quinone QA to QB and beyond, in the photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides. No measurable effect of bicarbonate depletion, obtained by competition with formate, was observed on cytochrome b-561 reduction in chromatophores; on the flash-dependent oscillation of semiquinone formation in reaction centers; on electron transfer from QA- to QB; or on either the fast or slow recovery of the oxidized primary donor (P+) which reflects the P+QA- ----PQA or the P+QB- ----PQB reaction. The lack of an observed effect in Rhodobacter sphaeroides in contrast to the effect seen in Photosystem II is suggested to be due to the amino-acid sequence differences between the reaction centers of the two systems.

Bacterial Chromatophores↗

Fourier transform infrared evidence of proton uptake by glutamate L212 upon reduction of the secondary quinone QB in the photosynthetic reaction center from Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The photoreduction of the secondary quinone Q(B) in native reaction centers (RCs) of Rhodobacter capsulatus and in RCs from the GluL212 --> Gln and GluL212 --> Ala mutants has been investigated at pH 7 in (1)H(2)O and (2)H(2)O by light-induced Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) difference spectroscopy. The Q(B)(-)/Q(B) FTIR difference spectra reflect changes of quinone-protein interactions and of protonation state of carboxylic acid groups as well as reorganization of the protein upon electron transfer. Comparison of Q(B)(-)/Q(B) spectra of native and mutant RCs indicates that the interactions between Q(B) or Q(B)(-) and the protein are similar in all RCs. A differential signal at approximately 1650/1640 cm(-1), which is common to all the spectra, is associated with a movement of a peptide carbonyl or a side chain following Q(B) reduction. On the other hand, Q(B)(-)/Q(B) spectra of native and mutant RCs display several differences, notably between 1700 and 1650 cm(-1) (amide I and side chains), between 1570 and 1530 cm(-1) (amide II), and at 1728-1730 cm(-1) (protonated carboxylic acid groups). In particular, the latter region in native RCs is characterized by a main positive band at 1728 cm(-1) and a negative signal at 1739 cm(-1). In the L212 mutants, the amplitude of the positive band is strongly decreased leading to a differential signal at 1739/1730 cm(-1) that is insensitive to (1)H/(2)H isotopic exchange. In native RCs, only the 1728 cm(-1) band is affected in (2)H(2)O while the 1739 cm(-1) signal is not. The effects of the mutations and of (1)H/(2)H exchange on the Q(B)(-)/Q(B) spectra concur in the attribution of the 1728 cm(-1) band in native RCs to (partial) proton uptake by GluL212 upon the first electron transfer to Q(B), as previously observed in Rhodobacter sphaeroides RCs [Nabedryk, E., Breton, J., Hienerwadel, R., Fogel, C., Mäntele, W., Paddock, M. L., and Okamura, M. Y. (1995) Biochemistry 34, 14722-14732]. More generally, strong homologies of the Q(B) to Q(B)(-) transition in the RCs from Rb. sphaeroides and Rb. capsulatus are detected by differential FTIR spectroscopy. The FTIR data are discussed in relation with the results from global proton uptake measurements and electrogenic events concomitant with the reduction of Q(B) and with a model of the Q(B) turnover in Rb. sphaeroides RCs [Mulkidjanian, A. Y. (1999) FEBS Lett. 463, 199-204].

Alanine↗

Polypeptides and bacteriochlorophyll organization in the light-harvesting complex B850 of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R-26.1.

The light-harvesting complex (LHC) B850 from Rhodobacter sphaeroides was dissociated into several fragments by treatment with sodium dodecyl sulfate. The molecular weight of each fragment was determined by using transverse polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis under nondenaturing conditions and gel filtration techniques. Four B850 LHCs were observed, having molecular weights of 60,000, 72,000-75,000, 105,000, and 125,000-145,000, and two small bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl)-polypeptide complexes having molecular weights of 6000-8000 and 12,000-14,000. Each of the B850 complexes contains ca. one Bchl a for each 6.5-kDa protein. The optical absorption and circular dichroism of the B850 LHCs recorded directly from the gels are similar to those measured previously for a 22-24-kDa B850 LHCs by Sauer and Austin [(1978) Biochemistry 17, 2011-2019]. These data, combined with studies of other groups, indicate that the smallest LHC in LH1 and LH2 is a Bchl-polypeptide tetramer. Each tetramer contains two Bchl dimers that probably have the structure of P-860, the primary electron donor in Rhodobacter sphaeroides, and two alpha-beta-polypeptide pairs. Interactions among the paired Bchls shift their individual Qy transitions from 780-800 to 850-860 nm, and interactions among two such pairs induce the circular dichroism signal of the LHCs. Three Bchl-polypeptide tetramers probably form a dodecamer having C3 symmetry, and six such dodecamers organize into a large hexagon that can accommodate one or two reaction center complexes.

Bacteriochlorophylls↗

Resonance Raman studies of genetically modified reaction centers from Rhodobacter capsulatus.

Resonance Raman (RR) spectra are reported for the photosynthetic reaction center (RC) proteins from Rhodobacter capsulatus wild type and the genetically modified systems GluL104----Leu and HisM200----Leu. The spectra were obtained with a variety of excitation wavelengths, spanning the UV, violet, and yellow-green regions of the absorption spectrum, and at temperatures of 30 and 200 K. The RR data indicate that the structures of the bacteriochlorin pigments in RCs from Rb. capsulatus wild type are similar to those in RCs from Rhodobacter sphaeroides wild type. The data also show that the amino acid modifications near the primary electron acceptor (GluL104----Leu) and special pair (HisM200----Leu) perturb only those bacteriochlorin pigments near the site of the mutation and do not influence the structures of the other pigments in the RC. In the case of the GluL104----Leu mutant, elimination of the hydrogen bond to the C9 keto group of BPhL results in frequency shifts of RR bands of certain skeletal modes of the macrocycle. This allows the assignment of bands to the individual BPhL and BPhM pigments. In the case of the HisM200----Leu mutant, in which the special pair is comprised of a bacteriochlorophyll (BChl)-bacteriopheophytin (BPh) heterodimer rather than the BChl2 unit bound in the wild type, certain skeletal vibrations due to the additional BPh unit are identified. The frequencies of these modes are similar to those of the analogous vibrations BPhL and BPhM, which indicates that the structure of the BPh in the heterodimer is not unusual in any discernible way.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Bacterial Proteins↗

Protein dynamics in the region of the sixth ligand methionine revealed by studies of imidazole binding to Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome c2 hinge mutants.

All class I c-type cytochromes studied to date undergo a dynamic process in the oxidized state, which results in the transient breaking of the iron-methionine-sulfur bond and sufficient movement to allow the binding of exogenous ligands (imidazole in this work). In the case of Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome c(2), the sixth heme ligand Met96 and up to 14 flanking residues (positions 88-100, termed the hinge region), located between two relatively rigid helical regions, may be involved in structural changes leading to a transient high-spin species able to bind ligands. We have examined 14 mutations at 9 positions in the hinge region of Rhodobacter capsulatus cytochrome c(2) and have determined the structure of the G95E mutant. Mutations near the N- and C-terminus of the hinge region do not affect the kinetics of movement but allow us to further define that portion of the hinge that moves away from the heme to the 93-100 region in the amino acid sequence. Mutations at positions 93 and 95 can alter the rate constant for hinge movement (up to 20-fold), presumably as a result of altering the structure of the native cytochrome to favor a more open conformation. The structure of one of these mutants, G95E, suggests that interactions within the hinge region are stabilized while interaction between the hinge and the heme are destabilized. In contrast, mutations at positions 98 and 99 alter imidazole binding kinetics but not the hinge movement. Thus, it appears that these mutations affect the structure of the cytochrome after the hinge region has moved away from the heme, resulting in increased solvent access to the bound imidazole or alter interactions between the protein and the bound imidazole.

Cytochromes c2↗

Functional and structural analysis of the photosynthetic apparatus of Rhodobacter veldkampii.

In the widely studied purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides, a small transmembrane protein, named PufX, is required for photosynthetic growth and is involved in the supramolecular dimeric organization of the core complex. We performed a structural and functional analysis of the photosynthetic apparatus of Rhodobacter veldkampii, a related species which evolved independently. Time-resolved optical spectroscopy of R. veldkampii chromatophores showed that the reaction center shares with R. sphaeroides spectral and redox properties and interacts with a cytochrome bc(1) complex through a Q-cycle mechanism. Kinetic analysis of flash-induced cytochrome b(561) reduction indicated a fast delivery of the reduced quinol produced by the reaction center to the cytochrome bc(1) complex. A core complex, along with two light-harvesting LH2 complexes significantly different in size, was purified and analyzed by sedimentation, size exclusion chromatography, mass spectroscopy, and electron microscopy. A PufX subunit identified by MALDI-TOF was found to be associated with the core complex. However, as shown by sedimentation and single-particle analysis by electron microscopy, the core complex is monomeric, suggesting that in R. veldkampii, PufX is involved in the photosynthetic growth but is unable to induce the dimerization of the core complex.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Photo-CIDNP MAS NMR in intact cells of Rhodobacter sphaeroides R26: molecular and atomic resolution at nanomolar concentration.

Photochemically induced dynamic nuclear polarization (photo-CIDNP) is observed in photosynthetic reaction centers of the carotenoid-less strain R26 of the purple bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides by (13)C solid-state NMR at three different magnetic fields (4.7, 9.4, and 17.6 T). The signals of the donor appear enhanced absorptive (positive) and of the acceptor emissive (negative). This spectral feature is in contrast to photo-CIDNP data of reactions centers of Rhodobacter sphaeroides wildtype reported previously (Prakash, S.; Alia; Gast, P.; de Groot, H. J. M.; Jeschke, G.; Matysik, J. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2005, 127, 14290-14298) in which all signals appear emissive. The difference is due to an additional mechanism occurring in RCs of R26 in the long-living triplet state of the donor, allowing for spectral editing by different enhancement mechanisms. The overall shape of the spectra remains independent of the magnetic field. The strongest enhancement is observed at 4.7 T, enabling the observation of photo-CIDNP enhanced NMR signals from reaction center cofactors in entire bacterial cells allowing for detection of subtle changes in the electronic structure at nanomolar concentration of the donor cofactor. Therefore, we establish in this paper photo-CIDNP MAS NMR as a method to study the electronic structure of photosynthetic cofactors at the molecular and atomic resolution as well as at cellular concentrations.

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance, Biomolecular↗

A structural role of the carotenoid in the light-harvesting II protein of Rhodobacter capsulatus.

The membrane-linked light-harvesting II protein (LHII) of Rhodobacter capsulatus was partly depleted of carotenoids by selective extraction with light petroleum. Carotenoid removal was accompanied by bleaching of the Qy(S1<--S0) absorption band of bacteriochlorophyll (Bchl) a near 800 nm, by a bathochromic shift and a broadening of the other Bchl Qy band at 850 nm, and by the formation of a weak Qy band of dissociated Bchl near 770 nm. The changes in the 800 and 850 nm bands seemed to reflect alterations in only those Bchl molecules that had lost their associated carotenoids, firstly, because the extent of the changes was closely correlated to the degree of carotenoid extraction, and, secondly, because the residual fraction of carotenoid-containing LHII, which could be almost quantitatively recovered from the membrane after detergent solubilization and ion-exchange chromatography, showed an unmodified LHII absorption spectrum. The Bchl responsible for the shifted 850 nm band remained bound to protein, since its visible (Qx) transition seemed to retain the induced optical activity of the native bound pigment. Besides, the shifted Bchl could act as an efficient acceptor of singlet excitation energy from the pigments of the intact LHII fraction. The close similarity between the spectroscopic Bchl changes that accompany carotenoid extraction and the differential spectral features of carotenoidless LHII of Rhodobacter mutants, previously reported, strongly suggests that the direct cause of the spectral modifications is the absence of carotenoid and not any independent effect of the experimental manipulation of the membrane. Several interpretations of the structural changes that underlie the observed spectral changes are possible. The simplest one is to assume that carotenoid removal elicits an alteration in the angle between the Qy transition moments of two strongly interacting Bchl molecules.

Carotenoids↗